12.16.2008
I'm back after a short hiatus
I had the three stitches removed from my foot today. My doc gave me the green light to resume activity. We talked about running shoes. He told me not to obsess about shoes and that, because my biomechanics are good, I should consider less shoe. I purchased a pair of Nike Free 3.0, the least supportive of the product line, and ran in them today. No aches, no pains.
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5 comments:
Interesting. I tend to agree with the Doc. I think all this motion control stability stuff might be a load of crap, and convenient way to keep people buying more shoes than they would otherwise.
My friend Nick was running in the Nike Free's with I saw him in Manchester. Not sure how they would hold up for more than 10 miles though. What do you think?
Dan, I love them. I highly recommend them. To date, I've done three runs in them. So far, so good. It's a cool experience. If I can help it, I'll never run in a regular pair of running shoes again. The Frees are so comfortable, and they don't force your feet into unnatural positions--my major complaint about regular shoes.
I've read a lot of reviews, and they're all good. Some people are getting 400 miles out of them.
My doc told me about a study that looked at runners with low, medium, and high arches. The rate of injury was highest for those with high arches. It was this study that prompted the government to begin allowing low-arched (flat-footed) people to join the military. I'll get the name of the study and post it here.
From reading around on the net it sounds like lots of people warn they should be used as a training shoe and eased into your shoe line up. Sounds interesting, but once you've gotten used to them can you do a 15-20+ mile run in them? Or are they strictly for shorter speed workouts?
I've read that, too, but it varies by runner. Have you read the article on Nike Free that was part of an earlier post on this blog? Also, there are some really good threads on Nike Free here: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/forum.php?board=1 (LetsRun.com forum--just do a simple search). I would think that an experienced runner, like yourself, would need less time adjusting to less shoe. My doc told me that because I have some running experience (and that could mean a combination of the following: knowing your body and what you can handle and having developed running muscles, including those in the feet), I'm free (pun unavoidable) to try the Nike Free. On the other hand, for inexperienced runners seeking advice on running shoes, he would recommend a shoe commensurate with that particular runner's amount of pronation.
Some runners are getting some serious miles out of a single pair of Nike Free 3.0. And some are doing some extremely long runs in them. I can see how they can hold up. It's a quality shoe. Why not give my pair a try? I'm around, in T-town.
Ryan
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