Hey Monta Vista XC–
Think about your kicks!
There is not much equipment that we need as XC runners; shorts and a ratty old t-shirt will get us most of the way ready for a run (though a nice, technical MVXCOUNTRY shirt is pretty sweet, don’t you think?). But shoes…folks, I want you to think about your shoes.
Shoes are crazy important. Your feet hit the ground about 1,000 times per mile you run; and you always run more than a mile each day. Each time you strike the ground, depending on how efficient your foot strike is, the impact can be as high as three times your body weight. So…running a mile can be like someone hitting you 1,000 times in the foot with a hammer heavier than your body.
Ouch.
Sounds like having good shoes is important.
Your coaches are working on your form to reduce the impact of foot strike, but that’s a longer term solution. What you can do right away is go out and get some new kicks. Right. Now.
Here’s the thing…I’m getting to know some of your dog-chewed running shoes pretty well! There is a black pair of Nike’s with a hole in the toe I’ve seen at drills from day 1 and were still out on the road yesterday! There are shoes that are perfectly good…for gardening. There are…oh, wow, I have to stop, it’s making me sad!
Coach Barb and I were talking, and almost everyone who has come to us this last week complaining about foot pain, ankle pain, or knee pain have old shoes or somehow have the wrong shoe. Barb had a case this week where a kid was wearing shoes he had been running in for four–4!–years. And his knee hurt. Surprised?–we are not. We had another case where one of our girls had the wrong shoe–she’d been loaded into a anti-pronation shoe, but that was causing supponation, essentially pushing her ankle back the other way–and leading to knee pain.
Everything in running starts with the foot. Fix the foot, and lots of problems (not all, but lots) are solved. My guess is that if everyone on the team was running in the right shoe, well-maintained, then more than 50% of the nagging pain would go away (we would still have training soreness and adaptation soreness, but that is good pain).
Pre-Season Purchases by a Varsity Athlete for MVXC 2013: Trainers, Racers and fresh socks.
A recipe for happy, happy feet!
So, what does your coach recommend?
1. Get new shoes at the start of every season and every off season–four pairs of training shoes every year.
Most running shoes have a life of 200-400 miles (do not trust blogs and articles that claim more than 400 miles per week; I don’t believe it, and really, is your health worth the risk?), though personally I don’t trust those outer limits. On our team, weekly recommended mileage, depending upon your age and experience, might vary between 15 to 40 miles per week. So, a 13 week season will take the starch out of a new pair of running shoes; the easiest thing to do is start a new season with a new pair of shoes. That is the safe way to go, and also it’s fun to start a brand new season by cracking open a new box of training shoes. (The running shoes you retire do not have to be thrown away! Wear them to school, they can be your back up pair in case you forget your running shoes one day–don’t tell me that none of you never forget your shoes 🙂 You can also use old shoes on rainy/muddy days to extend the life of your newer trainers; one day on old shoes won’t hurt. So you are not ‘wasting’ money on new shoes when the old ones have a little life left.)
2. Buy shoes that are made for running.
Go name brand–Nike, Saucony, Mizuno, adidas, ASICS, New Balance, Brooks, Hoka, etc. Some of the other brands (Reebok, K-Swiss, Puma) are not really running focused. Make sure the shoes are made for running not general purpose sports or another sport–Nike and the others make a lot of shoes that look like running shoes but they are not made for running. How can you be sure you’ve got the right shoe and the right brand for you? Well…
3. Get your shoes from a running specialty store.
You want to have someone fit you into a good pair of shoes that work for you. Sorry, the discount stores and the internet is not the way to go. Go to a good, local running store, like Running Revolution(Campbell) or A Runner’s Mind (Los Altos), where they will video your stride and fit you into the correct pair of shoes for you. These running specialty stores are not much more expensive, and also the owners (who are probably runners and coaches themselves) are taking a half hour or even an hour giving you their expert help–that’s valuable time. Don’t buy on-line, it might be a little less expensive, but how do you know these are the right shoes for your feet and running style? Always ask if the store gives a discount for Monta Vista high school runners–often the store will give you a discount if you are on a cross country team. Your coaches believe good shoes are so important for our runners and our runners safety. Don’t be cheap on shoes!
The people at the shoe store will help you find the shoe that is right for you.
When you arrive at the store, you can tell the person who is helping you that you want a complete fitting, and that your coach recommends that you get a basic trainer that is as neutral as possible for your stride (I can explain what that means, or the running store person can also), and that your coach wants you to avoid minimalist shoes. Other than that, please trust the shoe expert.
Ask your coaches for any recommendations, then please go look for shoes (if you have not already!).
The season is just starting, it’s not too late! We care about you and your health. Please, if you think you need new shoes…go get some soon!
–Your Coaches
Don’t do this to your feet!!! You deserve better 🙂