To me, running has always been the sign of a fit person. Not necessarily true, it was something I wanted to do, but felt I couldn't.
In hindsight I see now that I had no clue of how to breathe and also pushed myself too hard too fast, thus burning out quickly. Another legitimate issue that I had was shin and foot pain.
This pain brought me to numerous podiatrists and each suggested orthotics. I believe to date I've had three pairs and boy, they are not cheap. Doctors also told me I needed to find the right shoe, ideally a motion control style. For years I believed that Saucony was the brand for me. I wore numerous versions of the Saucony Hurricane. And while no longer constant, the shin pain did still rear it's ugly head at times.
A little over a year ago I went to yet another podiatrist. My feet were aching and my shins weren't getting any better. Yet again, another pair of orthotics. This pair clocking in at a reasonable $500! Ha! He also suggested I once again try new sneakers.
Having read a few sneaker reviews in various fitness publications I went in to my local athletic shop armed with my new orthotics and an open mind. I honestly tried on every running shoe in the store. Since my new orthotics were full length, I had to go up 1-1.5 sizes.
I had heard great reviews from people about Mizuno, so I was curious. The final selection came down to Asics and the Mizuno. I went with Mizuno.
I didn't think a shoe could change my life like this one did. For the most part these shoes (plus my orthotics) have allowed me to say goodbye to shin pain. I do still get the occasional pain, but it's remedied by some extra stretching and never hurts after the run or the next day.
Just yesterday I had a conversation with someone at the gym and she was complaining that she can no longer run due to intense shin pain. I told her to see a podiatrist and be willing to reevaluate her sneaker choice.
Have you had a similar experience? Do you believe in orthotics? Are you a five finger fan?
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