Painful feet when running - any suggestions?

shoshi68

I am doing Couch to 5K, currently in week 2. I love the running and the sense of accomplishment. I'm not digging the foot pain.

I have good Saucony runners, with insoles (I have highly pronating feet). I am trying to strike in the mid-foot. I am running on a treadmill.

My feet cramp up something fierce afterwards. It feels like it did when I was in ballet, and my arches were falling.

If it continues to hurt this much, I will go back to other cardio.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

scottb81

I would recommend trying a run without the insoles. Feet are supposed to pronate when you run.

A few months ago I tried some arch supports for a case of plantar fasciitis. The arch supports made my feet hurt terribly while running. When I got rid of them the pain went away.

BrianSharpe

I'm with Scott, if you've got the right shoes I'd only use orthotics or insoles if they were prescribed by a competent medical professional for a specific reason.

Have you tried running outdoors? I found that running on a treadmill actually hindered developing a midfoot strike as the mat is moving and the natural tendency is a longer stride. (Running on icy roads in winter is probably a crazy thing to do but actually helped me a lot as you have no choice but to either shorten your stride or land on your butt)