sole is what matters
DESCRIPTION
Buying running shoes, or any shoes for that matter, is a nightmare. It's not that we don't have enough options, but it is the complete ignorance of the sales people trying to sell you the footwear, that baffles me.It should be like LOVE AFFAIR between RUNNERS FEET & SHOESTRANSCRIPT
Soul is over-rated Sole is what matters
Dr. Rajat Chauhan
• M.B.B.S.• M.Sc. Sports & Exercise Medicine
(Nottingham)• M.L.C.O.M. Musculo-Skeletal Med.
(London)• P.G. Dip. Mesotherapy (Paris)• P.G. Dip. Medical Acupuncture
Why me?
• Runner– 25+ years of running experience – 34 marathons (unofficial 100+ marathons), 100+ half marathons– Several ultra marathons: 100km, Rajasthan Run, 24+ hr, Paris - London
• Organiser / Coach– Runner’s High: Co-Founder www.runnershigh.in – President, GC Running Club, London
• Sports - Exercise Medicine & Musculo-Skeletal Medicine– Founder, Back 2 Fitness Clinics www.b2f.co.in – Medical Director, Running and Living www.runningandliving.com – Former HOD (started it), Sports & Exercise Med Dept., Manipal Hospital– Medical Director for almost all Marathons held in Bangalore 2006-2008– Medical Advisor, GC Running Club, London– Former Consultant to runners from UK Sprint Squad
Nightmare buying Running Shoes
• Enough options
• But not sure which ones to get
• Most people buy shoes because of the looks
• Sales - people at major sports stores: very ignorant about running
Cost of the shoes
• A study published last year in British Journal of Sports Medicine showed:
– “cheap and moderately priced running shoes are just as good, if not better than more expensive ones, in terms of cushioning impact and over all comfort”
– "comfort is a subjective sensation based on individual preferences and is not related to cost or cushioning"
• A study done in 1989 by Dr Bernard Marti (a leading preventive medicine specialist from Switzerland) involving 4,358 runners, showed
– "runners wearing top of the line running shoes were 123% more likely to get injured, than runners in cheaper running shoes”
• Suggest shoes between Rs 4,000 - 6,000 – Better still, during sale period
• Kalenji, from Decathlon, a French based company is a great option– Rs 1,200 to 4,000
Shoe Brand loyalty
• Never be model or brand loyal• No brand or shoe company is loyal to you, they are loyal
to their bank balances• You need to be loyal to your feet and body, not them
– Even experienced runners, by the time they figure out which particular shoe from a particular brand works for them, the shoe company, with all its good intentions, introduces a new version of the same model
– Surprisingly, this doesn't suit the runner any more, and possibly cause injuries as well. Then one needs to figure out which shoe model, from which running shoe company suits them. Its an ongoing process
• Wear what ever suits you best
All shoe companies are equally good
• Peer pressure & reviews by Running magazines: want a particular model or brand– All the top 10 companies have been around for a while and are very
close to each other
• In India the trend is to have a shoe that is not otherwise available– "grass is always greener on the other side"– The four brands easily available (Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok) are good
enough, but the problem is finding the right shoe when you need one
• Important to know what type of shoes will suit you: gait analysis (covered later in this presentation)– Neutral– Over - pronator – Supinator
Correct shoe size
• 15+ yrs ago, Bata used to be very standard with shoe sizes
• Not the case with today’s shoes. No standardization
• Even within the same model, in the same brand, you can’t be sure if it’s the same size
• Advisable, almost never to buy shoes without trying them on
– Don’t know how it worked for Cinderella
• Biggest problem: people order shoes from US through friends
– shoes on-line from there are so much cheaper
Correct shoe size
• Runner– 25+ years of running experience – 34 marathons (unofficial 100+ marathons), 100+ half marathons– Several ultra marathons: 100km, Rajasthan Run, 24+ hr, Paris - London
• Organiser / Coach– Runner’s High: Co-Founder www.runnershigh.in – President, GC Running Club, London
• Sports - Exercise Medicine & Musculo-Skeletal Medicine– Founder, Back 2 Fitness Clinics www.b2f.co.in – Medical Director, Running and Living www.runningandliving.com – Former HOD (started it), Sports & Exercise Med Dept., Manipal Hospital– Medical Director for almost all Marathons held in Bangalore 2006-2008– Medical Advisor, GC Running Club, London– Former Consultant to runners from UK Sprint Squad
Rotate shoes
• Its always a great idea to rotate shoes• Have 2 pair of shoes• Preferably, same brand and model
– Ones that are tried and tested
• One should be newer by 200 km than the other one– So you don’t need to change both of them together
Flexibility & Weight
• Flexibility– Good running shoes need to be very flexible– Your feet need to be in control
• Weight– No point having extra weight tied around your feet– All good shoes are light
Durability
• Looks can be misleading– Not enough to tell us if shoes are durable enough
• Mileage: changing shoes after 500 - 800 km is what is suggested even though running shoe companies suggest more– Keep a running log
• Also depends on how heavy you land on your feet, which doesn’t go always by body weight– Heavy landers will wear out shoes sooner
• Check sole of the shoes - if flat, change shoes• Age: one year is upper limit, rubber does age
– Change even if you have run only 200 km in them
Is Gait Analysis always the answer?
• Buying a shoe only based on Gait Analysis is like getting married solely based on horoscopes matching
• Sometimes, you'll be surprised that gait analysis could be completely useless exercise
• Science is definitely involved, but more of it is actually art
Self Gait Analysis: 3 steps
• Squatting down in front of the mirror• Looking at the sole of the shoe• Assessing running style
Gait Analysis: Self Assessment
Control Shoes
Type of runner
Over-pronator Neutral Supinator
Shoe Needed
Control Neutral Cushioned Neutral Cushioned
Adidas
Nike
Reebok
Puma
• Supernova Sequence • Response Control• Adistar Salvation • Adizero Control• Air Span+ 6• Air Structure Triax 12• Air Alaris
• Premiere Road Plus KFS VI
• Premiere III• Complete Concinnity
III
• Supernova Glide (Cushion)
• Adizero Tempo II (Cushion)
• Air Zoom Vomero• Air Max Moto 7• Air Pegasus• Air Zoom Skylon• Lunar Glide • Luna Racer• Premiere Ultra KFS
VI
• Taikan IB II• Complete Concinnity
III
• Supernova Glide (Cushion)
• Air Zoom Vomero
• Air Pegasus• Lunar Glide
• Premiere Ultra KFS VI
Don’t judge the shoes by the looks!
• Don’t be too fussy about the looks• At times, very good shoes, have very gaudy
colours• Shoes need to feel right• “If the feel good, they look good”
• Based on all this information, if your feet go dating with various shoes from different shoe companies, your feet will know when it feels right. It'll be like love affair between a runners feet and shoes
Love affair between feet and shoes
Based on all this information, if your feet go dating
with various shoes from different shoe companies,
your feet will know when it feels right. It'll be like
LOVE between a RUNNERS FEET & SHOES
Thank you!