A running shoe is designed with special features to give you a comfortable and hopefully efficient running experience. But everyone has an individual running style, and it is important to know your own running style to choose the right running shoe to avoid injuries and get the best running experience. Your running style the way you run are interesting because mainly you can have one of three types of feet as the first thing.
Your gait can show a pattern of neutral pronation, overpronation, or supination. You can’t immediately see which one you have. But you can take a look at the sole on your old shoes and see the way you have worn the sole – how is the pattern? That can give you an idea of your running style and the way you run.
Neutral pronation: The shoe that fits this pattern of movement cushions the shock when you hit the ground and supports your foot in its natural movement.
Overpronation: This shoe also cushions shock when you hit the ground. But by overpronation rolls your foot too much inward and this roll must be stopped, to control the foot in the most natural performing of contact with the ground to avoid injuries.
Under pronation or supination: When the foot supinates it means the run performs on the outside of the sole. In this case, your foot will be controlled so it rolls inwardly as close to the neutral pronation as possible. The picture below illustrates the “three standards.”
Looking at Running Style in Practice
As a supporter of the biggest bridge half-marathon race in my country, I was standing out there in the middle of the bridge and my tasks were helping the runners when they have problems or needed fluid.
Staying out there watching so many runners passing you, shows that there are just as many ways to run as there are runners. the individual’s body is unique in its structure, and the movements reflect that – running Style.
Weak and tight musculature can affect the running style in a non-optimal direction and you see that, particularly by the end of the race. Some of the things you can do are lose weight, muscle training, or use shoe inserts – then it’s easier to find a running shoe on your terms because you can adjust the foot position.
Running Style In Sports Stores
In sports stores, you run on a treadmill and the clerk looks for one of the three positions of the foot in the landing phase i.e. whether you pronate, supinate or over-pronate. He finds running shoes for you who fit that results. Then you choose your personal favorite. You can also choose running shoes by clicking on the image here:
The Running Style in a Sports Physiology Clinic – a Standard Course:
According to a physiotherapist, the causes of running injuries or other physical loads can be found in several places in the body, even in areas where you do not otherwise have problems.
A Complete Running Analysis from trained specialists such as physiotherapists will give you a thorough examination to find out these causes which then can be corrected and “trained away” with exercises. With an analysis of the running style, you can correct some of these inconveniences.
- The initial conversation with the physiotherapist. You’ll be asked about the injury extent and how it occurred, your run and other factors that may be relevant. This information is important for the next steps and treatment.
- Physiotherapeutic study of the biomechanical conditions relevant to running.
- Running style analysis becomes filmed with high-speed multi-angle cameras. This makes it possible to see and analyze failure in the running style, weaknesses or altered movement that otherwise wouldn’t be visible to the naked eye. Several different recordings are made, both with and without shoes.
- Review of examination and recordings to find the “problem areas”. The physiotherapist analyzes the challenges from the study and the running style analysis. You will be explained and shown where possible errors are and what you can do about it i.e. where I should try to change the way I ran.
- Instruction. We review which relevant exercises you can do to remedy and adjust, and discuss what you can work on in your run. This is tested and adjusted on the treadmill.
- Treatment: If necessary, a course of treatment is put together.
- Final report: A report is prepared in which the relevant challenges/problems are noted. Also, the exercises you should be doing and which changes you need to make in your training will be described. You will also receive a CD/USB with the recordings. Then you can study them and possibly make exercises at home.
Running Shoe for the Experienced Runner
For the experienced runner with many years of running experience, it can be a challenge to choose running shoes and sometimes be confusing because there are so many choices out there today. But if you prepare yourself from home, it will be easier to find the right shoe together with the clerk in the store.
The first thing to do is decide if you want to use the shoe for training and running events or serious competition races. Unless you are a very serious and experienced runner it will be beneficial that you only stick to decidedly training shoes.
Besides, there are hybrids between competition and training shoes. These shoes weigh less than regular running shoes, but do not have the same stability in the sole and heel cap. Typically, the shock absorption will also be poorer. It is therefore strongly advised not to use competition shoes or competitive shoes for training.
When competing, you should also be reluctant to run in competition shoes. Whether the shoe weighs 60 g or more or less has minimal significance even in long distances. It must be weighed against poorer stability and shock absorption and an increased risk of overload damage. Use a lightweight training shoe instead of the competition shoe.
Running Style Conclusion
For the experienced runner, the running style and shoe choices are more luxury problems. But the story about the Complete Running Analysis really touches me.
A friend of mine told this story which was his own and he is totally recovered today after following the recommended program and I was just totally surprised because I didn’t know that excellent specialists were out there and could do something like that today. I would probably have quit running with such injuries.
A Complete Running Analysis is addressed for you when you:
- Are a beginner with running training.
- A seasoned runner who wants to improve his run, running economy and technique.
- An elite runner where all small adjustments are essential.
- An injured runner who has had to reduce his training
- A runner who wants to experience more comfort when running.
- A runner who wants to prevent injuries and wants advice on choosing running shoes or insoles.
So there is absolutely no reason to give up running just because challenges occur and that is also true in many other areas of life today – if we are looking for them.
I hope you like this review and if you have any questions about Running Style or want to leave your own Personal review, please leave a comment below.
Well, this makes for a good read. It is educative to an extent even though some terms seem foreign to me. Having checked my shoes, I noticed that I am the over pronated runner and I didn’t notice all this while. One thing I need clarity on is to know if this can
Hi Payton
Thank you for the comment
Hi Jacobi,
I found your post rather interesting and educational.I never knew that there are three types of feet and your gait can show the type – neutral pronation, overpronation, or supination. And I think only pros like you can make the distinction. I have been going into spots stores without knowing there is a treadmill with which can assess these things before an athletic can make his choice of running shoes. This is indeed new knowledge.
The terminology is foreign to me. I hope sports enthusiasts are familiar with those terms.
I know I had difficulty understanding some of the terms, yet I learned a lot. And I think your targeted audience will enjoy the post. Good luck.
Cal.
Hi Cal Mbano
Thank you for the comment. Glad that you could learn from it.
Be Well