Buying the Correct Shoes

by Claire, 3 years ago

A poor workman blames his tools, right? Don’t get caught with incorrect shoes on race day! I’ve put together some helpful tips on Shoe Shopping (race shoes, not heels dahlings)!
Hopefully these tips can guide you on this tricky road!

BUY TWO KINDS OF SHOES

Three months from a big race event, treat yourself to TWO pairs of shoes – buy ones that are of medium quality, good cushioning and padding and ones that will sustain you slogging away for kilometre after kilometre in the next 3 months. Your second pair of shoes should be of a higher-end quality, light in weight and built for speed.

Use the first pair of shoes to train in, run with them day in, day out – experts recommend replacing your shoes every 500 – 800km. Make sure that you occasionally take your second pair of more expensive racer shoes out on the road every so often to break them in, and get used to them – you want to wear them in so that they are comfortable, but not wear them down! By the time race day arrives, you will have a pair of high-end shoes that are ready to race, but you’ve saved on the cost and hassle of potentially wearing down your only pair of shoes in the months of preparation before.

WATCH THE TREAD OF THE SHOE

Always keep an eye on the tread of the shoe and how it is wearing – it will tell you a lot about your overall leg strength and where your muscular weakness lie.  This graph will help you identify the different types of rolling of your feet – compare this graph to the wear on your shoe (has it been worn on the inside, outside or quite evenly) – this will let you know if you need a shoe for Pronation, Supination or Neutral. It will also let you know where you need to tweak your Strength Training programme to help strengthen these weaker areas in your legs.

Also make sure that the sole feels sturdy, with good ankle support and some cushion for the longer distances on the hard road.

GET PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

If you live in Cape Town, The Sweat Shop in Claremont is brilliant – managed by actual runners, they offer incredible advice based on their own running experience!

http://www.thesweatshop.co.za/

Happy running!

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Full Circle Wellness hints race shoes run running shoe shopping shoes. buying running shoes the sweat shop cape town tips

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Exercise & Fitness Tips Races & Events

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