SHOES!

The first thought in my head when somebody asks me about their chronic shin splints or lower-leg tendonitis is, “what shoes are you wearing?”

Your feet are your primary contact point with the ground. Over the course of five miles, an average runner will make contact with the ground six to eight THOUSAND times, and during each foot-strike, a given athlete will land with 2-3 times their body weight. Now I’m no mathematician, but that’s a lot of poundage. Respect your feet.

“They’re old but they work” …

No. They don’t work. In fact, they are very likely to be what’s causing the majority of your discomfort. Shoes have a FINITE lifespan. It doesn’t have to be an exact science, but if you’ve been running in one pair of shoes for 600 miles or have had them for YEARS… It’s probably time for a change. Get used to a fixed cycle of canning the old pair of shoes at a certain number of miles or a certain amount of time.

Shoes undergo wear and tear over time and ultimately change their shape over many thousands of foot strikes. The consequential alteration in biomechanics is the cause for many runner’s injuries over the lifespan of the shoe. My recommendation is to try out a new style of running shoe every “X” number of miles or “X” amount of time until you find your ideal shoe that gives you the maximum ratio of miles to dollars without aches and pains, i.e., your soulmate…

Before you put all of the blame on your ancient shoes, take a minute to go through a little self-scrutiny regarding your running form…

“Am I a heel-striker?”

Heel-striking is remarkably common among people who over-stride, but we’ll get to that in a minute. This type of foot-strike delivers a significantly larger impact to your knee, hip, and back joints than the traditional mid-foot or fore-foot strike, increasing the incidence of injury.

Heel-strikers increase their likelihood of experiencing one or more of the following:

· Achilles tendonitis/injury

· Patellar tendonitis/degenerative joint disorders

· Lower back pain

· Stress reactions/fractures of the foot and/or femur

· Shin splints

“How can I correct my heel-striking habits?”

Since you may find it difficult to “will” yourself to mid or forefoot strike, you may want to try some of the following:

· Start to consciously increase your stride rate (goal = 170-180 strides/minute)

A higher rate of turnover works to get you on your toes and prevent your tendency to slam your heel into the ground, it’s also more energy efficient! A good way to pass the time while running is to count your strides for a whole minute and see where you’re at. If you’re not into that method, Spotify has a program that allows you to enter your goal steps/minute and they will automatically play songs that maintain a tempo at the same number of beats/minute; just type “running” into the search bar. Cool right?

· Start adding in some barefoot running or 100-meter strides after your run

Ever notice how when you run with your shoes off, you almost never heel-strike? That’s because it’s uncomfortable and your body has naturally good biomechanics! Adding in some barefoot running is a good way to get used to striking on the correct part of the foot so that it becomes second nature when you throw your shoes on.

· Is minimalism for you? (CAUTION)

The “minimalist movement” is centered around the idea that you should try to reduce or eliminate your shoe material/support/cushion.

Maybe after putting your all into trying to alter your foot-strike, you still can’t seem to hack it. Many people swear by minimalist running and its tendency to naturally optimize one’s form and physiology to prevent injury. I think that this theory has its merits and that minimalism will definitely correct your heel-striking problem, however, I am a large proponent of the idea that no two people have the same needs. I am living proof that you can have good form and run 50-70 miles a week in non-minimalist shoes (Nike Pegasus) completely injury-free, you simply need to consider your own feet, injury history, pronation, ect.

One of the most common mistakes people make is with their transition to minimalist running. If your body is not adequately equipped to handle a significant change in the structure of your shoes, you’re opening yourself up to all kinds of overuse and stress-related injuries. Go slow and easy and consider consulting your local physical therapist or podiatrist, and above all else, take barefoot runner elitists’ advice with a grain of salt and first decide what’s best for your own body.