Exercise Log Blog

I’ve talked to a lot of people about what makes a pair of shoes the Best Running Shoes possible.  There are several elements that consistently stand out, but perhaps more importantly, there isn’t a single right answer.  The right answer is the pair of running shoes that best match your foot.

So, what will give me an indication of the best running shoes for my feet?  There are a few things that you need to know before you start shopping.

1. How high (or flat) are your arches?
2. What type of surface will you be running on?
3. What do your old shoes look like?
4. Do you pronate or supinate?

Answer those questions and you’re more than half way there!  For example, if you know that you have flat arches, that can eliminate a lot of wrong choices very quickly.  If you know that you pronate or supinate, there are shoes that can help with motion control.

The tip to bring in your old running shoes is a sure fire success, but only if someone with experience is looking at them.  For example, you can tell what your stride is, where to you usually land, what are the pressure points.  Someone with a lot of experience can examine the wear pattern and observe the foam breakdown and tell get you amazingly close to the best running shoes for you.

A terrific resource for choosing the best running shoes is the website http://www.runningshoesexpert.com.  There are blog posts and many tips and tricks to give you the upper hand.

One thing to remember is that even the best pair of running shoes will wear out over time.  A general rule of thumb is to replace your running shoes every 400-600 miles or every six months, whichever comes first.  Always be aware of your body and joints.  If you start to feel heavily beaten at the end of a run, then you might think about trying a new pair of running shoes.

That’s it for now.  Good luck finding your best running shoes.

I read an article today about running to live longer.  The Standford school of medicine study followed 538 runners over age 50 and a comparison group.  What they found was absolutely terrific and is great news for all runners everywhere.

Mortality rates were pushed out, injuries were less freqeunt and other diseases were less prevalent.  HEre are a few quick figures:

After 19 years, 34% of the non-runners had died, where only 15% of runners had died.

“Runners’ initial disability was 16 years later than nonrunners’…By and large, the runners have stayed healthy.” - James F. Fries

They even found that runners required FEWER total knee replacements than runners!  They actually found that the natural motion of running, as compared to some other unnatural physical activities, like football and standing en pointe in ballet, was not as damaging to the joints.

Of course the expected slowing in cardiovascular deaths was observed among runners, but that’s not all.  Researchers also observed fewer deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.

Running slows the aging clock