You Can Run Pain Free! Revised & Expanded Edition: a Physio's 5 Step Guide to Enjoying Injury-Free and Faster Running by Brad Beer

Author:Brad Beer [Beer, Brad]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: -
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2018-09-26T00:00:00+00:00

The benefits of the right shoe choice

While shoe selection certainly isn’t a panacea for preventing all running injuries, it does have clear benefits, covered in the following sections.

Shoe choice can aid faster running

Making an appropriate shoe choice can result in faster running. A well-selected pair of running shoes will aid with faster running through:

1 Weighing less. Weight is the enemy of all runners, and this extends to footwear! The logic is very simple. Heavier shoes require the legs to do extra work, which will slow the runner down. Research supports the idea that running in traditional trainers is detrimental to running economy compared with barefoot or minimalist footwear running.4 While a runner must have the required comfort and support, I routinely observe runners training in shoes that are heavier than they need to be.

For example, a typical stability training shoe may weigh 200 to 300 grams per shoe. Contrast this to a lighter shoe that is equally as suitable for the runner, which may weigh 150 to 250 grams less. To put this in perspective, the lighter shoes’ weight would be less than the weight of an Apple iPad. Yes that’s light!

The extra weight of a heavier shoe may not seem like a lot but it quickly adds up. Especially when you consider that for one hour of running each leg will likely do 5,400 repetitions (60 minutes × 90 steps/min). The lightness of the shoe helps facilitate quick leg turnover, which avoids the pitfall of overstriding and the resultant perilous heel-strike discussed in Chapter 3.

According to US-based running coach Jack Daniels, a runner will expend 1 per cent more aerobic energy for every 100 grams that a shoe weighs, with a reduction in shoe weight of 100 grams shaving 0.83 seconds off each mile of running. Extrapolate this over a marathon and even a 100-gram reduction on shoe weight may shave 3 minutes off a marathon time! In fact, researchers have recently confirmed that every 100 grams of extra shoe weight creates a 1 per cent increase in oxygen consumption.5 This can be significant for the runner who is aiming to get the most out of their performance.

A recent study suggested that a running shoe mass (per pair) of less than 440 grams does not affect running economy, but a running shoe mass of greater than 440 grams negatively affects running economy.6

2 Assisting you with staying injury free. A well-selected pair of shoes, while not an injury panacea, can bolster your body’s defences against developing a running injury. An example is the runner experiencing ongoing calf or Achilles problems. Such a runner would find benefit in running in a shoe that has a slightly higher heel as opposed to a flatter, more minimalistic running shoe. The greater heel height can de-load the Achilles tendon and calf muscles. Being injury free will then allow for consistent and uninterrupted training. With this consistency of training will come better performance and a greater enjoyment of running.

3 Improving your confidence. Knowing that you are running in a well-selected pair of shoes will boost confidence levels.

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