Picking running shoes for a first time flat footed runner

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  • YamaMaya1
    YamaMaya1 Posts: 49 Member
    My feet are flat, and I gave up the fancy supports and inserts and went "barefoot". I keep my feet bare as often as possible, and bought vivo barefoot shoes for outside. as a result my feet are stronger and I don't get foot pain anymore. Before this I was crippled after a full day of walking, now I can keep up with my fast walking husband easily.
  • Mary407
    Mary407 Posts: 635 Member
    A cautionary tale on "motion control" shoes. I always thought I had flat feet (based on footprints and what I'd been told at running stores), and had gait analysis done, so jogged (or race walked... go ahead... make fun of me) for years in "motion control" shoes. Well, last year, as I was training for my first long distance event, and as I was getting to 20 or more miles a week, I started having crazy pain in the tops of my feet. It got bad enough that I could not reasonably flex and extend my feet to go up and down stairs normally, and I was getting some ankle pain too, so off to the doc I went. Well, seeing a podiatrist was truly illuminating. He took X-rays of my feet and showed me, via bone/joint alignment, that I do NOT have "flat" feet, but that I have very flexible feet. When weighted, my feet spread out a lot. So, I'd been jamming my feet into shoes that basically kept my feet from doing what they need to do to support me. As the doc put it, I could have kept using motion control shoes for years without problems if I stayed at lower mileage, but "mileage reveals everything." He said that shoe companies can make a ton of money selling stability and motion control shoes, but more often than not, forcing the body to move in a way totally different than how it has since first learning to walk/run can cause problems up the limbs (feet, ankles, shins, knees, hips). In his practice, he rarely tries to sell people on custom orthodics or specific shoe shapes. His only advice to me was to look for a shoe that "looks like a tennis racket" on the bottom - meaning the toe box has plenty of room for the foot - because, regardless of individual foot shape, the foot will swell with mileage.

    Well, it cost me months of PT to resolve the tendonitis, and a new pair of shoes, but now I walk comfortably in a "neutral" shoe (Brooks Ghost) and wear simple off the shelf inserts (Super Feet green).

    Soooo.... the moral of the story for me (and for lots of people) was to keep it simple and just wear a neutral shoe. Best of luck finding something comfortable for you!!!
  • bkthandler
    bkthandler Posts: 247 Member
    Bad shoes can cause more damage than most people understand, especially people with “normal feet”.

    You know those Dr. Sholls “centers” in Walmart or Target that tell you what’s wrong with your feet? My feet are so flat that the machine keeps telling me to take my shoes off.

    I swear by my local running store because of the service and the best thing I ever got from them was free. They showed me a trick when tying my shoes (my heels are really narrow which causes a whole host of issues). I switched to lock laces but it really did help.
    Over explain what you need the shoes for…I run with my dogs in agility and like trail running shoes for class (which is outdoors) and I don’t think he ever understood what I was talking about. It was still better than having to explain it in the ER when I got a chip fracture.

    Also look on their website…our store has a few big sales a year one if the weekend of our marathon and the other is the weekend after Thanksgiving.
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/debunking-the-myth-of-specialized-running-shoes/article4268207/

    Interesting, but one extremely small self selecting sample does not a convincing case make... Particularly when they have to wheel out a minimalist shoe advocate as support.

    Note that minimalist shoes can work for some people, largely because it's as painful as hel to run in them if you don't have your form sorted.

    I'm not trying to make a case. I simply provided you with the link that you requested. As stated, I was getting very confused about shoe selection because I read contradicting things on the internet...hence why I posted the question on MFP to get better informed by people that have had experience using various running shoes.

    I thank you for your opinion, and every one else that has taken the time to post their experiences. It's been very informative.

    As I have just come off of a layoff and money is very very tight I think I will go try on the saucony runners to start with and then study some running techniques and if I stick with this running thing then I'll do the gait analysis and splurge on a more expensive shoe if it's recommended. At this point I don't even know if running is something I will enjoy.
  • bmiller211
    bmiller211 Posts: 222 Member
    +1 for the fitting at a running store.

    Personally, my chiropractor recommended and I LOVE my Brooks.
    I also have arch issues and the brooks for over pronation have done me a world of good...feet used to hurt all the time now not at all...I weight about 240 so there is a lot of stress on my feet...good luck!!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    I'm not trying to make a case. I simply provided you with the link that you requested. As stated, I was getting very confused about shoe selection because I read contradicting things on the internet...hence why I posted the question on MFP to get better informed by people that have had experience using various running shoes.

    I understand, I just have a degree of frustration about how badly mass media report on what I'd loosely describe as scientific issues. They don't debunk a myth on the basis of one small study, yet positioning it like that could lead someone to make decisions based on that.

    From a personal perspective I used to try to run in shoes that were inappropriate for me; cushioned, very flexible. After many unsuccessful forays into running I got more appropriate shoes, and now I'm training for half marathon.
    As I have just come off of a layoff and money is very very tight I think I will go try on the saucony runners to start with and then study some running techniques and if I stick with this running thing then I'll do the gait analysis and splurge on a more expensive shoe if it's recommended. At this point I don't even know if running is something I will enjoy.

    I didn't enjoy running until I had shoes that suited me.

    Now that I'm more experienced at running, and I've sorted my form out I'm less dependent on having the correct shoes. In practice trail shoes generally don't have the same level of sophistication, given the nature of trails.

    It's a little bit chicken and egg unfortunately.
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
    I didn't enjoy running until I had shoes that suited me.

    I'm not certain I'll enjoy running even with proper shoes! I'm really doing it to help an overweight friend that asked me to join her. That and I'm at my weight goal so could use something to strive for. So far the program is a bit easy for me but it's set for my friends fitness level, we'll see how much I like it when it becomes more challenging. So far the pace is so slow I could walk faster!!
  • Cpollard6608
    Cpollard6608 Posts: 22 Member
    I have very flat feet, but I also supinate or roll outwards. Due to this, I had tremendous trouble finding the appropriate shoes for my running style. I was always told support shoes for overweight flat footed people, but the structure in the arch pushed me too far outside. It wasn't until I went to a running shoe store and explained to them what I had experienced with my previous shoes and what I was looking for in a shoe that I got fitted properly. I ended up going to New Balance, which I never thought I would, and wound up with the 1080s. They provide just enough cushion for me without being too soft. Good luck!
  • SHHitsKaty
    SHHitsKaty Posts: 301
    Go to a local running store and get properly fitted. I cannot beg this enough. I spent 8 weeks in physical therapy for running in shoes that I just bought because they were "running" shoes instead of getting properly fitted.

    I am a flat foot as well, no arch whatsoever. I was put into Brooks GTS 14's and New Balance's (the exact pair I can't remember right now).
  • RUNNING_AMOK_1958
    RUNNING_AMOK_1958 Posts: 268 Member
    I totally disagree that gait analysis is useless. When I started running I had no idea what kind of damage the wrong shoes could do until I had a traumatic injury because of them. I had to walk with a cane for many weeks and have months of rehab. Once I was ready to run again I went to the running store and had gait analysis. I was fitted with different shoes and custom insoles and the difference was like night and day.

    I'm now running faster and farther than I ever did all because I have the right shoes.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    I'm not certain I'll enjoy running even with proper shoes! I'm really doing it to help an overweight friend that asked me to join her. That and I'm at my weight goal so could use something to strive for. So far the program is a bit easy for me but it's set for my friends fitness level, we'll see how much I like it when it becomes more challenging. So far the pace is so slow I could walk faster!!

    I started running as something to help my weight loss, it wasn't my first choice but it fitted my personal circumstances. I loathe working out in gyms, prefer cycling but I was doing a lot of travel, so a bag of running kit was easier than a road bike.

    Once I'd finished C25K and I was seeing results I moved on to 10K training, then it became all about the additional challenges, always seeing improvement.
  • dpwellman
    dpwellman Posts: 3,271 Member
    Fit is important. Fit is important. Also, fit is important.

    Everything starts with the foot.

    Call it whatever: gait, form, technique analysis. It's fit first, then function.

    There is one thing the "barefoot"/minimalist crowd gets correct: choose the lowest, least amount of drop you can get away with.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I didn't enjoy running until I had shoes that suited me.

    I'm not certain I'll enjoy running even with proper shoes! I'm really doing it to help an overweight friend that asked me to join her. That and I'm at my weight goal so could use something to strive for. So far the program is a bit easy for me but it's set for my friends fitness level, we'll see how much I like it when it becomes more challenging. So far the pace is so slow I could walk faster!!
    If it helps, I read in an article somewhere that you burn more calories running at a walking pace (and conversely walking at a running pace) than you would running faster because it's an unnatural movement for your body. :happy:
  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,974 Member
    When I first started to try to run, I was wearing New Balance motion control shoes. They felt more like lead weights on my feet and made it very hard to run. Other runners recommended Vibram Five Fingers so I tried them and really liked running in them. I was able to get up to about 9 miles in training before I had an injury to the left ankle. The injury healed in about three weeks and I was back running again until another injury this time to the right ankle put a temporary stop to my running. The second injury took over ten months to heal and I attended Bikram Yoga classes during that time to replace some of my lost fitness but also to strengthen and work the injured ankle.

    I am now back to running and have done a ten mile race (Broad Street Run) but I no longer run in minimalist footwear. I am currently running in Brooks Addictions with SuperFeet Green insoles. My flat feet are huge: my running shoes are size 14 - EEEE (talk about your wide toe box!). My feet have issues besides being flat and wide, I have an Accessory Navicular bone in both feet (http://www.foothealthfacts.org/footankleinfo/accessory_navicular_syndrome.htm).

    I have had my feet looked at both at a running specialty store and by a factory rep from SuperFeet and they both told me to never run in minimalist footwear and that I was correct in wearing something such as the Brooks Beast or my present shoes the Brooks Addictions.

    Check out the Brooks web site, they have an online advisor that will give you a start to understand your feet.
  • fivefootfitness
    fivefootfitness Posts: 60
    AMEN AMEN AMEN to the pro-Brooks comment

    I don't care what people's take on gait analysis is--my shoes are great regardless. I have the "middle" type of arched/flat feet (naturally arched when relaxed, but splay and pancake entirely when place down. dancers sometimes differentiate between the three types of arch, I'm not sure if the rest of the world does.) Anyway, I was in the same predicament last summer and stopped in a running specialty store in my town (talk about convenient). I tried on some...I don't like flashy shoes as someone who was so new to running and didn't want much attention. I almost went with one pair of so-so saucony shoes, but then of course the saleswoman saw how novice I was and heard my max prcie tag...and whipped out brand new Brooks Glycerin 11's for me to try.

    They. Are, Amazing. The heel and tongue is so plush, and the sole is super duper lightweight. Toe box is spacious enough for my flattened toes. They're vibrant colors (except the gray/blue pair I just updated to) but you don't really notice once you try them. also, they are incredibly stable soles, so regardless of whether people are into gait analysis or not, I've never been afraid of rolling my ankle or anything (if you do believe in gait an. they're recommended for a neutral step). they cost 150 when they came out, but I think you can find them even under 89 online (but still do sizing in store!)

    only cons that i can think of, is the mesh in the toe isn't designed to let as much air flow through as shoes that are specifically designed to, so those really hot runs can get sweaty, but it's never been uncomfortable. Also, the insole isn't especially cushy, but I don't think any running insoles are? again, you don't notice once you're running. never experienced shin splints, sprains, or foot cramps once i got them.

    great for all surface running. I frequent asphalt and treadmills no issues, and feel surprisingly stable when I run over gravel or dirt roads. also, i stopped running for a while and used them to scurry across campus everyday for a while, so if you give up running they still do the trick for other workouts, for the most part, and you'll be comfy as heck doing it.

    http://www.amazon.com/Brooks-Womens-Glycerin-Running-Shoes/dp/B00DRO8U1W
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    The first pair of shoes I tried were Brooks but I needed a half size larger and took them back. They were very comfy other than the black toenail issue I was having with them due to the size. When I tried the next larger size I had major problems with the heels slipping so I ended up switching to Mizunos and I love them! The heel on the Mizunos is a little narrower so I don't have the slipping problem that wearing shoes a size and a half too big might otherwise cause.

    One a related note, my dad has terrible problems with his feet. He and my mom came with my sister and I to the expo for the Rock 'N Roll Arizona race in 2013 and he won a free pair of shoes at the Brooks exhibit. They did the gait analysis, he told them he needed them for walking not running, and they found him the perfect pair. He says the are the most comfortable pair of shoes he can ever remember wearing.

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