Sports always have gearheads, and really for people running 0-26 miles seriously the only gear we have to obsess about is shoes. I've heard decent arguments for wearing everything from plastic orthotics in large motion control shoes to running without shoes at all. I have determined that my goal is to run in the least amount of shoe that can allow me to run fast and far on modern surfaces. I first got orthotic supports in high school when I had a lot of back pain from running a lot and being a skinny, weak runner that was still growing. After that, my shoes got more solid and heavier and the orthotics more complicated. This just kept going until this summer when I was running the Boogie Marathon. My legs were in awful pain and the arches of my feet hurt so bad that my ankles didn't want to bend and everything on the way up afterwards just felt like it was being hit with a blunt object. I shuffled down the road and eventually stopped and took out my orthotics to walk back, my feet still hurt, but not in the same way. Not long after that I started thinking about how medical professionals had let me down so many times in the past, and that they were likely wrong about feet. I started developing my plan.
1. Strengthen lower legs and feet so they could do some of the work
2. Use simpler footwear that didn't get in the way.
Luckily for me, Brooks makes shoes in all categories that made it easy for me to step down from stability shoes to lightweight, flexible neutral shoes. I haven't had an injury since, and I'm running better than I have in a long time.
Just to give a shoutout, the Brooks shoe, the "Launch" - is what I train in now. I have never been so impressed by a shoe, everything on it is perfect. Low profile, good cushion - but not too much, and a flexible outsole that doesn't jab me in the arch like posted shoes do. I can get a feel for what I'm running on and there's not a lot of plastic and rubber encumbering my feet.
I might have posted something about this earlier, but I don't feel like reading any of my old posts. Besides, I change my mind all the time, and this is working great for me right now. Also, I want to note that this is what worked for me, and will not necessarily work for a lot of people. You are special and unique, just like everyone else.
