Last Saturday DH and I went to RRS because my new New Balances (the pink ones?) did not give me any support while running. Yes, they fixed my toenail issue (high toe box = Elliott gets to keep her toenails) but I felt like my foot was sliding side to side. For the first time I had significant knee pain and popping. That is bad. So back to RRS we went. (RRS has a GREAT 60 day return policy on their shoes.)
RRS has a service called "Shoe Dog" where they analyze your foot, stride, and running. I hadn't done it before but decided I really needed help. The results were fascinating.
The first test they have you walk barefoot over a pressure mat. So for my entire life I have thought that I have flat feet. Oh no, my friend, I do not! I have medium to high arches that are extremely flexible. Awesome. Flexible arch=smooshed feet.
Then they put me on the treadmill to analyze my stride/foot strike while running. Not surprisingly, I am an overpronator, made worse by my flexible arches. I'm also a toe striker.
After that, the guy measured my feet for the first time in years with that little metal tray thingy. Seriously brought back memories of going to the shoe store with my mom as a kid!
So yeah...my shoe size? 9.5 right, 10.5 left. But no one makes 10.5 womens which is why I've always been stuck with 11s. Which is why I can't keep flats on my right foot - 11s are 1.5 sizes too big!
Anywho, I had a pair of custom insoles made (aaaaahhhh) to help with the side to side motion and then ended up with Mizuno Wave Nirvana 5s. I LOVE these shoes. High and wide toebox but narrower through the shaft than the New Balances.
I've been breaking in my insoles and all I can say is OUCH. My knee no longer hurts or even aches but my tushie hurts. I'm guessing the insoles have changed my stride and leg position enough that I'm using different muscles. I have a ten mile run on Saturday; we'll see how it goes.Anywho, back to RRS. DH was fascinated by the Shoe Dog process and decided to give it a go.
(Background on DH: he has the worst feet issues in the world. The world. Tons of pain, flat feet, wide feet, tendon issues, all of it. When he's in snowboard or ski boots, he will literally be crippled with pain for the first 30 minutes. He also has foot pain when he gets up in the morning.)
So DH explained all of his issues and the two guys who were helping us were like "Uhm, dude? You have plantar fasciitis. When you're crippled in pain that's when you're tearing apart scar tissue in your feet!"
Oh.
DH's Shoe Dog trials also showed that he has low, flexible arches, over pronates, and basically has the worst feet for plantar fasciitis. The two guys literally winced when they watched the slow motion video of DH's feet while running.
So DH got some new running shoes - New Balance 1225 (like my pink ones!) and lots of insoles. Basically he shouldn't walk anywhere without an insole, that was the conclusion.
$300 later, DH and our failure of feet walked out of RRS much MUCH happier. :) Fo serious - we should never have kids because they'll be crippled with our genetically inferior feet.
3 comments:
You're right.
Fascinating.
i should try that! my sneakers ALWAYS hurt my feet and recently (since i bought these reallyyy adorable Pumas) my knee's been killing me! i might have to give that a try over the weekend!!!
Seriously? You, your hubby and I all have issues with our feet? How interesting... I can only imagine what the peeps at your store would say about my feet -- when I went to my orthotics guy, I got one of "those faces" -- you know, when you know they are thinking "Oh, that poor child, how does she walk around all day, everyday!" Haha!
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