Jan 24, 2005 Shoe Sense By Laurel Park :: Views- 1469

My list of "lessons learned through experience" could probably fill a couple of thick notebooks by now. I look back at some of my habits/practices from my early days of running and just shake my head (when I'm not cringing in horror). If I ever take up coaching, my athletes will spend as much time in the classroom as they will on the roads. They might not be the best conditioned runners out there, but they will definitely be the smartest - or the most exasperated.

What I really want to do is prevent these kids from making some of the same mistakes that I made. Competitive running has a life-long learning curve and unfortunately in many cases the phrase "too soon old, too late smart" sums it up perfectly. A lot of these valuable lessons have nothing to do with brains or talent, it just comes down to things learned along the way. Hopefully in my case my ignorance was largely benign but I know I'm paying the price for some of it. If I'd known then what I know now about the importance of stretching, strength training, and proper shoe choice, I'm sure my body would be much happier these days. Yet I don't waste much time beating myself over the head about it because back then, I simply didn't know - and there isn't any way to travel back in time and change things. Onward and upward.

Over the past five years I've become particularly aware of the critical link between good shoes and a healthy back. Luckily I've always been pretty smart when it came to picking shoes (both casual and athletic) and never punished my body with high heels or similar biomechanical objects of torture. My parents always purchased high quality footwear and I continued that habit when I took over my own shopping. The same with running shoes. Right from the start I wore Adidas and Nike, no cheap Sears or Kmart knockoffs. Shoes back then were not the technological marvels of today, but for the most part they did a pretty good job of keeping feet cushioned and protected.

I've long known the basics of pronation and supination, and the differences between cushioned shoes, motion-control shoes, and lightweight trainers. But until a few years ago I had no idea how much of an impact shoe design can have on the health and well-being of knees, hips, and lower backs. That makes it all the more distressing when I see people committing podiatric hara-kiri in cheap or style-driven footwear. I can almost hear their joints crying out in pain with every step. I frequently see students walking around the U-M campus in high heels or shower flip-flops (usually the same kids that have the 20 pound backpack slung over one shoulder, thereby inflicting total skeletal torture). They may look cool now but eventually the physical bill will come due.

I was at a road race earlier this spring and was dismayed to see one of the fitness walkers wearing Keds sneakers. They are cute and stylish, but oh - not the shoes to wear for a 45:00 stroll on pavement. At another race, I was puzzled to hear a bizarre clattering sound shortly after the gun. After a few seconds I realized that the high school boys just ahead of me were all wearing track spikes - including the actual spikes. I had always thought spikes were uncomfortable for any race longer than 3000 meters on a track. I can't imagine what they must feel like for 3.1 miles on asphalt. At first I couldn't believe that those kids would think they were supposed to wear spikes during a road race, but then I realized that spikes are the shoes they wear for races, and this was, after all, a race. If no one tells them different, how are they going to know? Had I seen any of them before the start I would have said something but they would have probably just thought I was some old lady who had no idea what she was talking about. Yep, an old lady who knows what it's like to be injured so badly you can't walk up a flight of stairs for four months.

I know it's easy to preach the gospel of good footwear if I'm not the one who has to buy the shoes. No question about it, good shoes are expensive. When I was in high school, a decent pair of running shoes cost $30-40. Now it's closer to $100, and some of the better casual brands (Birkenstock, Earth, Rockport, Ecco) are well north of that. If I'm a parent who has two or three kids doing sports, that's an awful lot of money to be shelling out. On the flip side, a couple years of physical therapy can be pretty expensive, too - not to mention frustrating and depressing.

Some of our local HS track teams have made "team purchase" arrangements with area running stores. This seems like the ideal situation. The kids get the benefit of expert advice and fitting, and usually a small discount on the price of the shoes. The stores get to develop a relationship with personnel at the school, and ideally lay the groundwork for a future customer base through the kids and their families. The earlier these kids get in the habit of buying good quality shoes from people who what they're selling, the better off they'll be.

I know what it's like to endure the pain and frustration of a lower back injury, and I don't wish it on anyone. Believe me, the price of a good pair of shoes - two pair, even - pales in comparison.