The Five Fs of Footwear

Discover Success With These Simple Steps

Know yourself! Have a favorite song, have a favorite food, have a favorite place, and know whether you overpronate, underpronate, or are neutral. It can make all the difference to your health whether you are training for a marathon or just trying to stay fit! Think about the 5-F’s: Fit, Feel, “Farness”, Function, Funds. Portland Running Company can evaluate your gait by watching you run or walk to determine the best shoe for your needs.

FIT: Throw out your old shoe size. A brannock device does not measure your foot’s swelling potential or volume. Also, running and walking shoes are sized shorter when compared with dress shoe sizes. Expect up to a 1.5 size difference

FEEL: TOO SOFT (Sand=soft but unstable). It feels great to walk in the sand…for about 5 minutes. It is too soft to sustain movement or return energy and quickly becomes very challenging. Shoes that are overly cushioned or are too soft to support your running or walking motion feel great in the store but are inadequate over the miles of training. Stability and durability are the less glamorous cousins to “lightweight” and “cushion” but are much more important to your success.

“FARNESS”: Durability is based in mileage. Track your weekly mileage. At about 350 to 400 miles you should replace your shoes. It is great to rotate between two pairs of shoes but if you find the perfect pair, stick with them. You should replace your shoes 2-3 weeks before any big event such as a marathon or relay.

FUNCTION: Three main categories exist for biomechanics and foot motions: Neutral, Stability, and Motion Control. Have a PRC employee give you a full gait evaluation to determine the correct shoe for your exact stride, foot shape, biomechanics, and injury prevention needs.

FUNDS: $85-100 should get you the best of both worlds: stability and durability. There is rarely a need to go over $100 to get all of the principal ingredients to a great walking or running shoe. Likewise, avoid going “Cheap” because below $90, manufacturers generally begin to remove durable cushioning elements or supportive features…or both!

Track Your Mileage/Time (10% increase per week is ideal)
    Q: How many miles will you run or walk between now and your goal event?

Keep track of your weekly mileage. You can buy running logs, or create a spreadsheet. You eventually keep track of intensity as well. Your weekly mileage should not increase by more than 10% from one week to the next. For example, if you run 15 miles one week, the following week should increase less than 2 miles. This can easily be achieved by extending just one of your runs during the week.

Rest and Recovery
    Q: When is the only time you are actually getting better?

The only time you are actually improving is when you are resting. Whether your goal is to lose weight, run far, or race hard, you have to take rest days to recover.

Variety is the Spice
    Mix it up! Try a trail run, run with a friend in a new place, or change the direction of your loops. You have to “grind” it out to make it count. Go to a track or treadmill to get controlled, level distances.

Apparel Survival Guides
    Cotton=Discomfort (sorry Aaron Neville). Polyester blends from the skin out to your outerwear will provide more insulation and will not load up with moisture from either sweat or precipitation.

Safety:
    Like hiking, make sure someone knows where you’re running and for how long you plan to run. Getting lost is one thing – disappearing is another. Stick to lighted paths and streets when running alone. If it is dark, make sure you have plenty of reflective gear. Group Running is always better than running alone!

Maintenance (Foam rollers, “The Stick,” Stretching & Flexibility) Take some time to recover from your efforts by stretching, or using one of several implements to massage your muscles into recovery. Common overuse injuries include:
    Plantar Fasciitis: Arch pain or pain in the heel
    Achilles Tendonitis: located above your heel on the back of your leg
    Knee pain, patellar tendonitis, tight hamstrings
    IT Band, Hip, Piriformis

Other notables: Insoles, Body Glide, Nip Guards, Hydration Systems, SOCKS , nutritional supplements

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