Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Wrong Shoe?

"Pare binili ko yung nireco nilang shoe. Ang galing. Tumakbo ako isang oras ganda ng pakiramdam. Hindi na sumasakit yung paa ko."



That was GS, a vendor to our company whom I chanced upon at RUNNR Store BHS last Saturday morning when I decided to have my foot analyzed. He has the knack of making up stories (with yabang) every now and then so he telling me he was running for an hour is an obvious fairy tale since I know he really doesn't run.



I've been wanting to have a gait analysis since I've been reading takbo.ph posts on such that were available only at RUNNR and Second Wind shops ---stores specific for runners. That was why when the missus and I were at The Fort area I made it a point to finally drop by at RUNNR. Further, I have an uneasy feeling that the Nike Victory shoes that I bought since this whole running addiction started last March may not exactly be built for my feet.



I was ahead of GS on the queue although wala pa namang masyadong tao since it was only about an hour after the store had opened. The saleslady had pointed me to that foot-type analyzing plate (sorry I don't really know the exact name for that) for me to step onto. As I lifted my feet, there was a weird look on her face.



My feet appear to fall under the Normal arch category but the left seems to be more neutral than the right. So magkaibang shoes dapat per foot? Ahehe.



Next, I was asked to run barefoot on the treadmill for no more than a minute. Results of the run showed that my left foot is running normal but my right is severely overpronated by about 7 degrees off. The slowmo replay of my barefoot run clearly showed my right knee seemed to be heading outward right as my right foot touched the ground. Angle showed 186.9 degrees.



The verdict? I need a stability shoe.

My current running pair of Nike Victory is classified as for neutral foot runners.



NGEH!!!! So THAT's why my right foot (mid outside area) seems to be aching a little everytime I run! Hay, sayang naman yung nabili ko.


The saleslady showed me the stability shoes (she offered me the Nikes, Adidas, and NBs) that they got but one thing that I noticed is hmmm...parang di ko type. I would've wanted a Mizuno but she said the stability shoes of Mizuno are only good for short distances since the firm part (that gray area on the inside part of the sole that identifies if a shoe is for stability) is only of a short length. Parang di ata ako naniwala sa explanation nyang yun. Baka salestalk na yun gaya ni GS pag may binebenta sakin. Hehe.

Still, the gait analysis at RUNNR was really insightful (and free, hehe).

Right now I'm scouring the 'net (www.footlocker.com) for my possible 2nd pair of running shoes.

The possibilities are:

1. Nike Airspan 6+ (currently on sale at Nike for around P3,400)



2. Adidas Adizero Tempo (on sale at Toby's for around P2,200)




3. New Balance 1224 (but they ran out of this. 1225 ang meron but it's P5,500 ata)

I have a few questions that you might know the answer to:

1. Can my overpronation be corrected by buying the right shoe? if YES, can I later on move to a different shoe type once it's been corrected or nakatali na ako sa shoe foot-type na yun?
2. Is the Adidas Adizero Aegis for runners that require a stability shoe?
3. Pano na yung Nike Victory ko? Can I still use it kahit for recovery/short runs? Sayang kasi eh.
4. What other stability shoe do you recommend? Mizuno sana gusto ko.

It's very likely that I'll buy the Nike Airspan 6+ since I can use my accumulated Citibank Rewards Points to claim a P2,000 Nike Park voucher so parang P1,300 na lang cash out ko. This is an obvious choice since money is rather tight for me nowadays.

4 comments:

  1. I think I saw a pair of NB1224 in planet sports in glorietta. but not sure what size it was. you can call them up to check.

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  2. i am an ASICS loyalist. i suggest, you try the gel-nimbus or gel-cumulus models or any of their structured cushion shoes. they are more expensive but they are more durable and offer the best in running shoe technology. good luck!

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  3. Be careful, since there are different types of stability shoes as well. Take the Adizero Tempo as an example. Its stability bar is located in the forefoot area. So this is a shoe for forefoot/midfoot runners who overpronates. It will not give you support if you're a heel striker.

    As for Nike, they have different stability models depending on the level of support needed. Aside from the Airspan, options would be the Zoom Elite, Structure Triax or Equalon.

    One advantage of buying from RUNNR or Secondwind is that you get to test their recommended models on the treadmill. Aside from getting a feel of each model, they will also see which pair corrects your overpronation the best via the video gait analysis. happy shoe hunting!

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  4. thanks manokan, bald-runner, jan for your inputs! hopefully I'll be able to make a decision this week in time for road-tests and the aug23 10-miler. :)

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