Shoes Shoes Shoes

How many pairs of running shoes do you have? Well.. I have 3!!! In all honesty, I think serious runners should have two pairs. I have three!!! What does that say about me??? :P

No in all honesty, I believe people who are not runners will say I am a crazy runner. People who are really serious about running would call me a half-f***ed runner. Haha. I guess I am in between the two.

So why do I say two pairs of shoes. If you are serious, you will run pretty often. Perhaps like three times or more a week. And if you do run that often, it would be really good if you can give your shoes a break. I believe by rotating your shoes, you can make your shoes last longer. Well anyway I read somewhere just today that each pair of shoes should last between 350 miles to 500 miles. That's about 500km to 800km. How much is that in terms of weeks? If you run like 6km three times a week, your shoe will last about 28 to 45 weeks. That's like 6 months to 10 months. So if you have two pairs of shoes, it may last you up to one and a half years instead. :P Not only that, by practising rotating shoes, you allow your shoes to breathe. In other words, your shoes wouldn't stink that much now that you can allow them to air longer.

So anyway, now you know I advocate two pairs of shoes. Get it if you feel comfortable or are convinced by my not-so-convincing argument. Now why do I have three pairs? Well my third pair is my quick pair. It's a racing shoe. As I have always aspired, ever since my National Service Days, to achieve that elusive 9.14min, I keep that shoes for that special 2.4km. So now you know. Haha.. :P

Pronate??

I just bought a new pair of shoes! Asics Gel Cumulus VII I think. For only $30! Super cheap! Quite happy with it. In my last article, I covered some tips on how to select shoes. Today, I will be looking at the arch of the foot and pronating.

Arch
There are three times of foot arches:

• Low Arch
  
• High Arch
• Normal Arch
  

How do you know what kind of arch do you have? It's a pretty simple test. You simply wet your feet and you stamp it onto a cement floor. There you will see the shape of your foot! Your arch would be the between the ball of your foot (which is the big round piece of meet just after your toes) and the heel (the other big ball at the end of your foot). Also, the arch is on the inside of your foot.

So if you have a big empty space, you have a high arch. If you don't see much emptiness, it means you have low arch. Simple!

Low Arch
This is also often referred as flat-footed. Basically, you do not have an arch, or you have minimal arch on your feet.

High Arch
People with high arch will realise their footprint test will show only a narrow area of their outside foot with contact with the ground.

Normal Arch
I guess most people have normal arches. If not, it would not be called normal arch in the first place! Well, it just falls in between a flat-foot and a high arch.

So is it a big deal in knowing all these? Not really except it helps you in deciding which shoes would be better for yourself. Some shoes are meant for flat feet while others cater to those with high arch. I've a normal arch. But I do not think it makes a big difference at all. But that's just me.

Pronation
This refers more to the manner in which you run. In particular, pronation relates more to how your feet contacts with the ground with every footstep.

Again, there are three types:

• Overpronate
• Underpronate
• Neutral pronate

How do you know which of the three you are? The test is to take your nicely, worn-out pair of running shoes and look at the sole. Different parts of the sole will wear out faster than the other.

Overpronate
People who overpronate will realise their shoes wear out faster on the insides of the shoes. For example, the left side of your right shoe will wear out faster than the right side of the sole. This means that as you run, you tend to land on the inside of your foot first then the rest of your foot.

Underpronate
Underpronators are the opposite. The outside of their shoes wears out faster than the inside of their shoes. So taking the right shoe again, the right side of the shoe will wear out faster than the left side of the shoe. This implies that you run more with the outside of your foot.

Neutral pronate
Neutral pronators run very nicely with even footsteps. They do not lean too much on the inside of their shoes nor do they lean too much outside of the shoes.

So what's the big deal if you are a overpronator or underpronator? I'm not sure of the significance. But hey, modern running shoes cater to different runners. Knowing how you pronate will assist you in buying a pair of shoes that better fits you.

Hope all these help in your next shoe-buying experience.

Cheers!

Buying Shoes

I'm heading down to the Asics Sale later with my friends. Hopefully, I would see a pair of shoes I like and get one at a good price. Currently, I have two pairs of running shoes and both are from New Balance. If you are new to running, here are some brands you should consider when buying running shoes.

• Asics
• New Balance
• Mizuno

Notice that the brands with a certain tick or three stripes are not in the list? Well, in my humble opinion, the shoes they sell may not be the best for running enthusiasts. Even though they're shoes look better and so much cooler, I feel that in terms of quality, they lose out to these brands. On top of which, I have heard of friends complaining their 'branded' shoes wear our really fast and the handiwork isn't the best. Hence, it is my recommendation that you consider other brands such as the ones listed above.

So what should you look out for when you get your pair of running shoes? Here are some tips which I picked up from somewhere. Don't remember where though.

Kind of running shoes

Firstly, it is important to know why you buy your shoes for. Is it for running short races? ie your 2.4km run? or is it for longer races like for marathons? or you just want to get a pair for your jogs?

By knowing what you want, you should get a better idea of what type of shoes to look at. If you are looking for one to get you that elusive Gold for your 2.4km run, you should consider getting racers. Racers are shoes that are really really really light. However, because of its need for lightness, the shoes do not provide good support. It's akin to running barefoot I feel.

The other kind of shoes, in general, I would just called them trainers. In Asics, they have a line called DS Trainers, amongst others. The other brands, I'm not really sure what they call it. Well, these 'other shoes' provide much more support in many areas of your feet. It is advisable to get these kind of shoes if you subject your feet to very long distance runnings.

But of course, in this group of 'other shoes', they can be further broken down into many various aspects. It can be divided by the width of your feet, the level of arch in your feet, etc. But this article today will not cover this in detail.

Fit

The second thing is about fit. Do the shoes fit? What is the appropriate fit? I read somewhere before that there is even an appropriate time to go buy shoes. It was mentioned in the forgotten article that your shoes will expand throughout the day and it is recommended that you buy your shoes during the afternoon when it is the biggest. To date, I have no idea if this guy is kidding or not. But it matters not to me nor should it to you. Because most shoes are sold only after 11! Royal Sporting House opens after 11. Queensway too. So, this sort of negates this issue of big feet in the afternoon.

Next, how big should your shoes be? The guideline is that when you squeeze your feet all the way to the back of the shoe, you shoe have about a thumb space in the front of your shoes. Why? A best fit shoe will result in your toes jamming to the front of the shoes very often. This will lead to very painful feet. So get one that is slightly bigger.

Well, that's it from me now. I will keep you updated on buying shoes, and other stuff soon.

Ciao