Friday, February 24, 2012

Gait analyse

Before I talked about my gait analyse I wand to thank you ALL for your comments on my last post.  Your support and kindness amaze me.  I am lucky to have you as my friends.  I don't know who this anonymous person is...do they know me personally...I don't know..I hope not :).  I know that if I was this person I would stay clear of my buddy Jim-the-running-machine.  This is what he said: 

Dear Anonymous:
Please leave my friend Caroline alone - she is one of the most amazing bloggers and runners out there. And on a personal note, if you want to compare times or running stats or mileage or anything with someone ... why don't you square off with me??? You couldn't hold my dic-!!! And also, sign your name next time pus--!!! Stop wasting everyone's time - you are insignificant. Picking on poor ol' Caroline ... really???
I got your back C!

Thank you Jim.  Please visit him here if you don't already know him and also his really awesome (her favorite word) wife Michael who is a brand new marathoner.
 
 
So OK now on to gait and shoes.
I have been wearing Mizunos Wave Inspire 7 shoes for a while.  Those are Stability shoes. They were OK but I would not say that I felt "perfect" in them.  I don't have a lot of knowledge as far as running shoes go and it can be overwhelming to look for shoes as you know.  I have a problem with spending money on shoes that end up being wrong for me.  It makes me feel really guilty. 
Not so long ago I started having problems with plantar fasciitis.  I would say it is mild.  It comes and goes and I only had one day that it was really bad
Jill, who blogs HERE, was great to me and she took the time to send me emails with great advices on how to deal with PF.  I followed her advices and I am happy to report that my problem is under control as of now.
I also changed my shoes and bought a pair of Brooks Ravenna 2.   Those shoes are Guidance shoes in the Brooks line, a bridge between neutral and stability for runners with mild pronation.
I have been wearing them for 3 weeks now and I like those better than my Mizunos.  I have no pain so far and I feel lighter when I run.  They have more cushion than my other shoes and they are less bulky also.  They are the same size as my other pair of shoes but they feel smaller...that is the only thing I don't like for now but that could be fixed with getting 1/2 size bigger next time.
I wanted to go to the running store and have my gait checked to make sure I am wearing the shoes I need.
The gal at the store was great, super patient, very well informed and she is a runner of course.  She said that I overpronate very mildly and just on the left side and that I have a midfoot strike.  She said that Ravenna are good for me and also that I could even wear neutral shoes but that I don't need the full stability shoes.  I asked about the new line Brooks has called Pure Project and she said I could try the Pure Cadence or the Pure Flow but that I should make sure my PF problem taken care of  first.

She also said that it is a good idea to have 2 pairs of shoes in rotation and that they don't have to be different kind.  She said this is good for people like me who run 5-6 days a week because it allows the shoes to "rest" between runs.  She said it takes 24 to 48 hours for the shoe to go back to their original form. 
This makes sense to me, I just have to decide if I get another pair of Ravenna, they have the Ravenna 3 out now, or one of these:
pure cadence











pure flow






20 comments:

Kate Geisen said...

Those are some sweet looking shoes! A friend of mine has the Brooks Pure trail shoes and LOVES them. I swear, they probably have their own pillow on her bed!

I'm sorry I missed the post about your troll poster. I've had so much trouble keeping up with blogs and life lately, but I've got your back, girl.

Terzah said...

I like my shoes a lot--Asics 2170s--and I just bought last year's model (2160s) on sale and in my favorite color to run in (black!). Those Pure Project shoes do look really cool--I'll be interested to hear how they work out for you.

Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's Blog said...

I bought the Pure Flows recently and LOVE them, i am a new convert to Brooks shoes although I still love my Asics. I have only tried Mizunos one time. In fact they are supposed to be in the rotation now but I keep passing them over in favor of my Brooks and Asics :)

Stupid Anonymous Person anyway. I say ignore them, if they don't have the balls to post as themself they are not worth losing sleep over. YOU Caroline are awesome!

bobbi said...

So glad you got the analysis done - the right shoes are SO important! (and I love Brooks. LOVE.)

SupermomE13 said...

I started off in the Ravenna's (loved!) and then moved on to the PureFlow's. here is my full review if you are interested. :)

http://seemomrunfar.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-of-brooks-pureflow-running-shoes.html

let me know if you have any questions.

Elle said...

Good to have a gait analysi done and find out you are on the right track, that is for sure. I really hope you get your PF problem cleared up soon.

I am behind in reading some blog posts, obviouly as I don't know about your 'troll' - will have to go back a few posts and get in the loop, I think.

I have been getting more spam comments lately that don't seem to have anything to do with my post, just appear to have links that the spammer wants published. This is one of the reasons why I moderate my comments.

Okay.. off to read and I hope you have a great weekend, Caroline!

:)

Michael said...

I have the Pure Cadence and love, love, love them. They are wonderfully comfortable for such a minimalist shoe. Love them :)

I'm glad my husband could provide you such support...he's something!

Gracie said...

I missed that last post somehow, but OMG some people are so immature. Why does anonymous care anyway?! Does your pace insult her personally?! SIGH.
Anyway...gait analysis is kind of fun, I love to baffle the people who see a very even stride yet look at my weird pronating feet! If you just look at my feet you'd think I needed stability shoes, but if you watch me run you know I need neutral. Very interesting!
I am curious to try one of Brooks Pure shoes, so if you do, I'd love to read a review.

Patrick Mahoney said...

I take off for a few days and I miss all the action.

Yeah, bravo to Jim - his response is 100% on point.

It's great you are a natural mid-foot strike. Many people who don't work quite hard to try and make that correction to their gait.

I wouldn't marry a girl in a Bieber shirt either...

XLMIC said...

That person needs a wedgie. A wet wedgie.

So cool that you got analyzed :) I am a definite proponent of rotating shoes. Right now I'm using Mizuno Wave Rider 15 (the ruby red ones) and Newton somethings. They're working pretty well. Jury is still somewhat out because I haven't been able to log much mileage lately.

Still thinking about your awesome PR :)

robinbb said...

When switching the Pure line, I think the PureFlow's are a good early transition. They have more support than the pure cadence. Love the shoes! I wear them on most of my recovery runs.

Tammi said...

I swear by having a gait analysis done before buying running shoes. That's how I was able to become a runner!

I also agree with letting your shoes rest for 24-48 hours between runs. I heard that recently on an 'Another Mother Runner' podcast and can definitely feel the difference in shoes that I wore the day before, or have let sit for a few days.

I'm really enjoying your posts. Thank you for sharing!

Christine said...

It seems you found the right person, good for you! It's amazing how much of a difference a show can make. I got the Pure Connect but I'm not a 100% convinced. I definitely need time to get used to them. However I run just fine in the vibrams. I try to switch my shoes in order to train different muscles.

Kathy said...

Kudos to Jim!!! I will recheck my gait whenever something seems amiss (my shoe guy is the bomb - ran Ireland in 2:30). I probably recheck every 6 months or so. I've actually graduated out of my pronators (Mizunos too) into a mid striker - so proud!

Giorgio said...

I agree with 2 pairs of shoes in rotation! Keep running :) And have a nice week!

The Unexpected Runner said...

Caro, don't listen to those anonymous cowards! I'd eat poutine and run with you anytime!

I recently bought a pair of pure flows and I LOVE them. I took them for their longer run yet (10 miles) today and they withstood that beating with just as much (maybe more)comfort than my ascics.

Jill said...

There have been a few studies done on runners who over pronate and stability shoes actually make it worse; what runners need to do who have a wrong foot strike it learn how to strike properly. Anyway, that has nothing to do with you, but I don't believe people necessarily need anything other than a neutral shoe.

That said, give the Ravennas a try but if you don't like them, there are plenty out there. I wore the Ravennas right when my PF started and had to abort them quickly. I think they have a relatively low heel drop, but I'm not sure. The Flows or Cadence may be good for you to try to put into the rotation (the Cadence have a high arch); they have some nice cushion.

Good to hear you are NOT a heel striker, that is really going to help keep that PF at bay for the most part. Remember to keep doing those hip exercises I sent, too :).

Keep being strong, girl!!!
xo

ProGait Orthotics said...

Great to hear that you had the gait analysis.

Keep you the good work, I have really enjoyed reading your journey so far and hope there are many more posts to come!

Coy Martinez said...

I tried on the Pure Cadence a week or so ago and LOVED them. I thought they felt like running on a cloud.

I bought a pair of Mizuno's and ended up taking them back to the store for Asics. It was funny because when I blogged about it, lots of other people said they were having issues with Mizuno's as well?? hmmmm.

misszippy said...

Let me guess on who your commenter was--Cheryl? She hits many of our blogs (mine especially) and spreads her nastiness around. She's bitter and clearly has too much time on her hands. Block her. I do.

Onto more important things--PF and shoes. I had it bad for a long time. Going bare foot in my regular life as much as possible, and wearing minimalist shoes for running and otherwise, did the trick for me. I've never looked back.