If you are athletically walking regularly for exercise, you are racking up a lot of mileage on your feet and your shoes every year! Taking care of athletic feet needs more than a nice pedicure every couple of weeks! You need to make sure you are wearing the right type of shoes for your feet. This means you need to understand your arch type and your gait and how those correspond to the types of athletic shoes available.
FINDING YOUR ARCH TYPE
The first thing you need to determine is your arch type. There are three arch
types.
1. Flat
2. Normal
3. High
You can find out what kind of arch you have by using an electronic arch pad
found in running shoe stores and some sports stores like Sports Authority, or
you can do the “wet test” at home. To do the wet test, you need two pieces of
absorbent paper that are larger than your feet. Newspaper works well, or you
can use a dark colored craft paper. Get a bowl (also larger than the size of
your foot) and fill with 1-2” inches of water. Remove your shoes and socks. Dip
one foot into the water so it wets the bottom of the entire foot and place the
foot on one sheet of paper with your weight on the foot. Remove your foot by
lifting it straight up and immediately take a photo of the image on the paper.
Repeat with the other foot using the other piece of paper. Use the image above
to determine your arch type. If you use an electronic pad, take a photo of the
image of your feet so you can refer back to it later if necessary.
IMPORTANT: Don’t assume that you know what type of arch you have without
verifying it. Many times people tell me what kind of arch they have and 8 times
out of 10 they are wrong! If you wear the wrong shoe for your arch type you
could be setting yourself up for all sorts of problems.
DETERMINING YOUR GAIT (PRONATION)
You also need to determine your gait. This can be done by having someone
knowledgeable about gait watch you walk or run. You can also review the wear
pattern on the bottom of your current shoes or bring them with you to the store
so a shoe specialist can look at the wear pattern (ideally, you should do
both). If the shoe store performs a gait analysis by having you run or walk on
a treadmill so they can film you, do not let them bully you into doing it
barefoot. The way you run or walk will be very different barefoot than it will
wearing shoes. It is best to wear your current running/walking shoes for the
treadmill analysis. If you do not have running shoes with you, then put on a
pair of neutral running shoes at the store for the treadmill analysis. Then
after you have selected a shoe, do the treadmill analysis again wearing the
shoe you intend to buy to make sure it does cause problems with the way you run
or walk.
A piece of advice - Don’t get freaked out if a shoe sales associate tells you
that you pronate. EVERYBODY pronates. “Pronation” refers to how the foot rolls
inwards to distribute your weight as it cycles through each step. This rolling
inwards motion as the foot progresses from heel to toe is the way that the body
naturally absorbs shock.
There are three types of pronation:
1. Neutral (or normal) pronation
2. Over-pronation
3. Under-pronation (Supination)
Neutral pronation
A neutral pronator initially strikes the ground on the lateral side (outside)
of the heel. As the weight is transferred from the heel towards the midfoot, it
will roll towards the medial side (inside), distributing weight evenly across
the foot. At this stage the knee will generally, but not always, be positioned
over the hallux (big toe). A neutral pronator has good shock absorption. The
wear pattern on shoes will be fairly even across the bottom of the shoe. A
neutral pronator will do well with a neutral or light stability shoe. People
with normal arches most often, but not always, have neutral pronation.
Over-pronation
As with a neutral pronator, an over-pronator initially strikes the ground on
the lateral side (outside) of the heel. As weight is transferred from the heel
to the midfoot, however, the foot will roll too far to the medial side
(inside), such that the weight is distributed unevenly across the foot, with
excessive weight borne on the hallux (big toe). In this stage, the knee will
generally, but not always, tracks inwards. An over-pronator does not absorb
shock efficiently. The wear pattern will show more wear on the medial side of
the shoe towards the big toe. An over-pronator requires a shoe with good medial
support to prevent the foot rolling too far inwards. Wearing the wrong type of
shoes can exacerbate ankle and knee problems. People with flat arches are
often, but not always, over-pronators.
Under-pronation (also called Supination)
An under-pronator, or supinator, also initially strikes the ground on the
lateral side (outside) of the heel. As weight is transferred from the heel to
the midfoot, the foot will not roll far enough in a medial direction. The
weight is distributed unevenly across the foot, with excessive weight borne on
the little (pinky) toe. In this stage, the knee will generally, but not always,
track to the outside. An under-pronator does not absorb shock efficiently. The
wear pattern will show more wear on the lateral side of the shoe towards the
rear of the shoe in the heel area. An under-pronator requires a neutral,
cushioned shoe and should never wear any shoe with motion control. People with
high arches often, but not always, under-pronate.
You are now more knowledgeable about your feet than 80%+ of the population. This will give you a huge advantage when discussing your athletic shoe needs with sales associates.
It is never too late to get to know your feet!
If you are not wearing the right shoes, or are wearing shoes that are old and worn out, you are likely to experience problems and injuries. Make sure you visit a specialist running shoe store to purchase your athletic walking shoes. Buying shoes online or at a discount shoe store is OK if you have been fitted for the right shoes and know exactly what you need. Buying shoes online at random, because you like the color or the price, or because one of your friends recommended them is a sure way to create problems for yourself! Shoes that work for someone else will not necessarily work for you. Your feet need a shoe designed for your exact foot type not for someone else's feet.
Athletic walkers should wear running shoes not walking shoes. Walking shoes are heavy and designed for hiking not for athletic walking. You need a lightweight shoe so a running shoe is perfect. Make sure it is flexible at the places where your foot needs to flex (at the toes for example). If the shoe is rigid where your toes bend, you will not be able to push off properly. This is less important for runners than it is for walkers.
Some running shoe stores will offer a diagnostic service to determine which type of shoe you should wear. Sometimes the store will film you running on a treadmill – either wearing shoes or barefoot. Alternatively, they may watch you walk or run and use their personal experience to determine the best type of shoe for you. Although some of the diagnostics may seem very technical and complicated, they are not always accurate. Some stores use these diagnostics to confuse or scare you and upsell you to the most expensive shoes, inserts, socks and any other accessories they think they can convince you to buy! Bear in mind that the people conducting these “tests” are not doctors, exercise physiologists, physical therapists or experts in biomechanics. They are shop assistants/sales associates and they have probably received 30 minutes or so training on the equipment and a lot more training on how to sell you lots of stuff! Even if the sales associate has the best intentions, he or she is not a qualified practitioner and may not be giving you the best advice.
There are many reputable running stores with very knowledgeable staff. However, you must keep in mind that they are helping you select shoes based on their knowledge of shoes, not on their knowledge of your feet. Your feet are unique to you so you cannot expect a salesperson to understand them in quite the same way that you do. If you know all about your own feet, you can work more effectively with a running shoe salesperson to select the best shoes to fit them. Be sure to share as much information as you can about your feet and your shoe-wearing experiences. For example, if you often get blisters or aches and pains in your feet or toes, share this information. If you roll your ankles often this is an indicator of how much stability would be appropriate in a shoe. The shoe salesperson cannot glean this type of information just from looking at your feet or shoes. Your input is invaluable. To learn more about your feet, this link will take you to my post about getting to know your know feet.
If the sales associate works on commission he or she will have a huge incentive to sell you the most expensive pair of shoes in the store. So, bear this in mind while being dazzled with lots of tech speak about pronation, supination and heel-toe drop!
I highly recommend that you visit a specialty running store to buy shoes especially if it is your first time being fitted for proper long distance walking/running shoes. A chain store or generic sports store will not have specialized athletic shoe personnel available. They will not let you wear the shoes to test them out properly in the parking lot; neither will they give you a month or more to try them out and then let you bring them back and exchange them if you decide you don't like them. Specialty running stores have higher priced shoes but you will get much more personalized service. They are committed to getting you into the best possible shoe for you and it is not always possible to determine what that shoe will be without you walking a few miles in them over 2-4 weeks!
SHOE SIZE
NEVER, EVER buy running shoes in your normal shoe size! No one cares what size shoes you wear. Don’t buy smaller shoes because you want your feet to look smaller or you are concerned about being a bigger size. That type of vanity will result in discomfort and injuries (and money wasted on shoes that you will end up having to replace long before they are at the end of their useful lives).
Your running shoe should be 1 to 1.5 sizes LARGER than your normal shoe size. You need at least a thumbs width of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe (measured on your largest foot when you are standing up wearing the shoe). If you wear shoes smaller than this, your feet will not be able to move in the shoe properly. This will decrease shock absorption. Your feet will naturally swell as you walk or run long distances. You need enough room in the shoe to allow for this and to make sure your toes are not cramped. Wearing shoes that are not large enough can result in excessive swelling, numbness, blisters, bruised (or lost) toenails, and general fatigue in your feet. Right-sized and right-fitted shoes will enable you to build endurance and speed. The wrong shoes will not. Experienced walkers and runners always buys their shoes the right size (1 – 1.5 sizes larger than their normal size). Rookies will often buy shoes too small. This may be because they don’t know about needing a larger size for running and walking. Sometimes the sales associate may not tell them they need a larger size. Other times the rookie is advised they need a larger size but they refuse to believe it and insist on buying shoes too small. The millions of runners and walkers around the world know what they are talking about. If you listen to those with more experience, you will make fewer mistakes and end up with fewer injuries!
HOW LONG SHOULD MY SHOES LAST?
Running shoes will last for approximately 400 miles. Some shoes will last for only 200 miles and others for 600 miles. Heavier folks usually wear shoes out faster than lighter ones. Walkers usually wear shoes out faster than runners. If you start to get aches and pains or fatigue in your legs or hips that are unusual, it is very likely because your shoes need replacing. Keep track of the mileage on your shoes. When you get to 400 miles, if you have not replaced them yet, you should really be thinking about doing so. I highly recommend using a software program to keep track of your running/walking miles. An excellent free software program is Sport Tracks. You can sync a GPS watches with the program or enter your mileage manually. You can also import data from other programs. Enter your shoes into the program, keep track of each walk and it will calculate the current mileage on them. I like this program so much I upgraded to the paid version. It is much more convenient than trying to keep track of shoe mileage in a spreadsheet!
MOST IMPORTANT - Only wear your athletic walking or running shoes when you are athletically walking or running. They are not everyday shoes. They should be worn just for your workouts. When you buy new running shoes, you can repurpose your old ones as everyday “going to the store” or “working in the garden” shoes.
