My problem is that i have to find road shoes because i am not able to run very often in the mountains.
My problem is that i have to find road shoes because i am not able to run very often in the mountains.
Wear racing flats...the lightest, thinest pair you can find!
I was wearing adidas adizero pro which have minimal cushioning but i had pain in the heel and outer part of the left foot. Iwas thinking of trying F-lite 230 which don't have great difference in the sole thickness between the heel and toes.
Are you or were you heal striking? That would explain the pain.
I used to be a heel striker and wore orthotics in all my trainers. I now go barefoot, use FiveFingers and if I have to, racing flats. I now am a more natural forefoot/midfoot runner and no longer suffer from any of the usual "running" injuries such as shin splints, knees etc. The only things I get now are superficial things like sore calve muscles and the odd blister. The thing I notice most now after a run is that although I have aching muscles, I no longer suffer from bone, ligament or tendon aches.
I am trying not to be but since my heel and outer part (near the ankle) hurt, it seems that i ama little. I started running barefoot progressively this summer until i reached 25 minutes continious running. Then i bought the adidas adizero pro because i can't run barefoot at night. Since wearing these shoes i started the pain i described. The problem with most shoes, even the minimalist ones, is that they have a raised heel.
Last edited by Spyros76; 08-10-2009 at 10:47 AM.
One thing to add, is that i have made long distance walking (about 7 hours) with my Rolite's 370 with no pain at all.
Bit of advice/encouragement needed...
I've been doing regular 'barefoot' (in aqua shoes - tried au naturel but found I my feet could only take so much rough tarmac, and I'm doing this to improve my running form, not for some return-to-nature-and-be-at-one-with-the-ground reason) running for a few weeks now, but don't seem to be making much progress with the distance I can safely run and the resulting calf pain. I'm limiting myself to 2km per run and have built up to doing that 5 times a week on top of my 'normal' running, but usually by the end of that I can feel my calves tightening and sometimes even have to walk the last bit because it feels like I'm in danger of spraining something if I push it. On the occassions I have tried to run a bit further, I've ended up with a calf strain and having to take time off, and my achilles are permanently a bit tender (although his has been the case since before starting barefooting). Any idea how long it's going to take to adapt? I know I've got very tight calf muscles and I'm going for some remedial massage next week, so hopefully that will help. Maybe I'm just not giving my calves a chance to recover between runs or maybe I just need to be more patient...
I do enjoy my 'barefoot' running, and it feels like I'm doing it right - legs bent a bit more than normal, quick light steps, landing on fore/mid foot under the body then heel touching down lightly + nice and relaxed. Mind you I'm not sure I've got the hang of going downhill - even a fairly gentle slope - maybe because the angle makes it more difficult land in the forefoot? - any tips? When I put my road shoes on and go back to heel striking it just feels strange and like I'm pounding the pavement in comparison!
If your Calfs and Achilies are aching that quick i would suspect that your not letting our heel come down far enough and are landing forward of ball of foot. I cant run down hill very well barefoot but I cant half storm up wish I could sort that also.
SkidsOriginally Posted by Skids
I think you may well be over doing the barefooting if your going 5 times a week.
I personally find a couple of times a week working on form and think of it as a foot stregthening run rather than a "normal" session works best for me.
As for any down hill, lean forward, ball off the foot, bend knees and relax.....and take it slow.
Im also not into the hippy trip back to nature thing for me its about having been injured on and off for years and then reading about the benifits of "Natural Running".
It wont be for everyone and dont expect your local running "specialist" to embrace you or the whole barefoot/minimalist thing, after all the big brands have spent squillions "educating" the retailers and consumers that CUSHIONING and stiffners etc are what is needed.
Barefooters are a tiny minority who are thought of as cranks because its easy to dismiss especially when your trying to sell the much needed (not) Technology in shoes.
I would also look at going "minimalist" in all your shoes if you can, this will help to stretch out your calves, achilles etc.
I found that going barefoot then putting a normal shoe on with a heel then back to minimalist fell shoes wasnt doing my feet the best chance of adapting.
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Last edited by Inov-8 Insider; 08-10-2009 at 12:36 PM.
One of my problems is that my right calf is so tight that my right heel barely touches down at all - have the same problem going uphill in shoes - my left foot feels nice and 'springy' but the right ankle it very inflexible and locks out much sooner because (I've always assumed) the calf it too tight. And of course, because my calves are tight, it's putting a lot more strain on the achilles. Never really noticed this until I started running earlier this year, so I don't really know why, but I think it stems from when I had really bad sciatica in that leg a few years ago and didn't do enough stretching as I was recovering.
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