I am an over pronator! And as I live my running life as one, shoes become an essential part of my every day existence. The time my feet spend in them pounding the pavement, track surface, and trails is in direct proportion to the amount of money I spend annually on keeping my feet happy and my gait neutral. I did not know I fell into the category of over pronators until I started training for my first marathon. For a couple of decades I ran blissfully in whatever running shoes were on sale and pleased my eye. Often I had pain in my feet or ankles but in my ignorance I blamed it on the number of mileage I ran every week. 

Then came the day that changed my life. I decided to take advantage of our local running store’s shoe clinic. The participants had been asked to wear their current running shoes and as I had just purchased a new pair of Nike Shox I was more than happy to oblige. The running store had a treadmill and video camera set up and I was ready to jump on and get analyzed. As I was speeding up from a walk to a slow jog the Physical Therapist who was conducting the clinic called over the store owner: “Joe! Come over and see this!” And I thought I would be presented as a stellar example of good form… supported by the “Wow!” that came out of Joe’s mouth. The PT asked me to step off the treadmill and watch the recording of my jog. To highlight my ailment he put it in slow motion and there I saw the horror of it all: I pronated so much, especially on my right side (the ankle I had broken a couple of decades earlier without ever knowing it) that the inside of my ankle joint almost hit the ground with every step. OUCH! And there I was running in shoes with extra cushioning that only aggravated the problem I did not know I had. I know this because the PT had me run bare foot and as it turns out my over pronation was less severe without shoes. The PT was amazed I had not experienced more problems and pain than the occasional sore foot and ankle. After what he had seen on camera he recommended stability shoes but since I had just bought spanking new ones with ultra cushioning I decided to buy orthopedic inserts and call it a day. After all, I had run wonky for two decades, a few more weeks would hardly cost me my “career” as a runner. 

Five weeks before the Los Angeles Marathon in 2004 I went back to Santa Barbara Running and purchased my first pair of running shoes that was designed for waddlers like myself:

The Runners Lounge has asked us to pay tribute to our running shoes in the same number of words as the dollars it took to buy them! If my memory serves me right I paid $112 for them (including tax)

Brooks Adrenaline! True to your name you make my heart skip every time I slide my large wide feet onto your motion controlled sole. You give my wobbly ankles the support they need to propel me forward on asphalt, track surfaces, and trails. You keep my gait steady and my hips and knees from going out of alignment, causing aches and pains, limps and strains. I came to love you in an instant and stayed loyal for 4 ½ years. You made me finish my first marathon and helped me qualify for Boston. You traveled with me to Bean Town and made this the most memorable marathon to date. You never disappointed! 

Yet, I have to admit that I recently started to stray… On my last visit to what used to be my home town I went to see Joe and as we obsessed about running got talking about this, that, and the other he looked at my Adrenalines, a pair I had worn for a while and needed to be replaced, and led me over to “The Wall”. You must know that for runners, going into a well supplied specialty store is like a kid being let loose in a candy store. Joe knows about my pronation and had me try on these babies:

As with the Adrenalines five years ago, I fell in love with the Supernovas immediately. Only more! I now alternate between the Adidas brand and the Brooks and had to admit to myself that I prefer the Supernovas. They feel even more stable than the Adrenalines and have a wider toe box, my feet feel less constricted and my toes have room to wiggle. I am still running in my first pair but I am positive many will follow!

Today’s Running Tip: Take advantage of shoe clinics!

If your local running store offers a shoe clinic, sign up! It is sure way to be fitted with the correct shoes and will make your life as runner much more pleasurable and less injury prone!