Trainers

BORING BLIP ALERT! Click away now if you've got anything else that you could be doing.

For anyone who has stuck with me my question to you is 'Is a trainer just a trainer?'

You just choose a colour and style you like and away you go, right? Oh no! It's a minefield getting the right trainer that works for you and with so much choice there must be my perfect trainer out there but don't rely on it being a colour you like because colour choice doesn't come into it when you're serious about your trainers :)

I did get some running shoes at the start of my training as I didn't want to start off with bad footwear putting me off running altogether. I went to a running shop and they checked my walk and I tried lots of different styles and these are the ones I chose which are really comfortable and light and they're what is termed 'neutral'. They got to my 11km mark but do smell of cat food as a result of one of the cats doing a very good job of being sick inside and all over the trainers. They did get a thorough washing but you can't put them in the washing machine. They have also been out pounding the roads.

However I've been getting the shin splints again and I was reading up on running gaits. It could be because I'm increasing the mileage but I wanted to check I was wearing the right trainers for the way I run. There are under pronators, over pronators and neutral and trainers specific to each.

Today I went to the running shop in Leeds which has a treadmill where they film your feet and legs whilst running which can then be slowed down to see how your legs and feet move. So there I was in my black dress and tights and white running shoes running on the treadmill. They did also check how I stood on one leg and my arches in stockinged feet. Maybe the one leg but was them having a bit of fun and nothing to do with trainers! The diagnosis is that I'm an over pronator.

Unless you're lucky and/or younger I presume you can run pain free in any trainer or if you are Zola Budd, no trainers. I now know how important it is to have the right trainer that works for you to stay as pain free as possible. I will get to 13 miles somehow.

Training log - 5 miles on the treadmill tonight. Too late back from work to join up with the running club.