|
running shoes 101
What is the right amount of stability for your running shoes?
Runners should be careful to choose shoes with the right amount of stability features for their gate and not be convinced to buy shoes with more stability features than they need.
Most runners ask for shoes with stability features, it gives them at least as a feeling of injury prevention. They have learned about terms like “over pronation” and supination, the natural motion of the foot when it lands. (See The running cycle).
Running shoes come with a range of stability features, from a modest level in cushioning shoes to mid level “stability shoes” to the most stable “motion control” shoes. All stability features are designed to control the excess movement of the foot during the landing cycle. Yet a very common problem among runners is buying more stability than is needed for their training. This makes for heavier, less flexible shoes, and a less comfortable ride.
Most shoes have built in a number of features that you could label “stability technology”, even lightweight trainers. Over the years all models of shoes have become more and more stable. Today’s lightweight shoes have better stability features than some stability shoes of 20 years ago. Most good shoes on the market have incorporated effective heel counters, contoured foot beds and dual density “medial post” stabilizers. For most runners that train in the 15 to 50 miles a week range and have no serious bio-mechanical issues, most basic stability features work just fine.
The best way to tell if you need more stability in a shoe is to have a “gait analysis” done by a qualified sport medical professional.
|
