New shoes - outwards pronator

There are a million trainers you could buy, but you shouldn't count on any of them getting you through the fall. I'm pretty sure this is a legit post from you, but you've been awfully vague. You gave us a picture of the upper of somebody else's shoes. Seriously?

yeah, it is a serious post, i am a first year high school runner, who wants to continue his running through college. My first pair of trainers were New balance, which i didn't like, i found them to be a bit too bulky. The image was just to let you know the type of shoe i was advised to buy last time i was in a specialty store. However, id rather not spend 100 dollars every time i need a new pair of shoes, and would much prefer to find a better deal on the internet. I need a medium to high mileage shoe, I am not sure if i am a fore foot striker or a heal to toe striker, but i do over pronate to the outside on both feet. I don't know many other factors that go into what type of shoe i should buy, is there anything else i should list?

pronation means nothing, if you try to stop it youre just going to get hurt. as for if you heel or forefoot strike, go for forefoot or midfoot, your heel isnt meant to absorb shock even with a shoe on it.

in other words, just run baby

this specialty shop has all of these fancy treadmills with foot monitors and stuff says the type of shoe you buy (support, medium support, and speed/no support) makes all the difference in avoiding injury. The only problem is that they charge 110$ for a pair of trainers i could get for 60.... It's a family owned business, so i suppose it's for a good cause, but in reality, i don't give two shits about whether they stay financially afloat or not, is their philosophy just to trick newbie runners into paying their prices, or how do i know what type of shoe is right for me?

It sounds like you want a "Go-To-Shoe"

Something with GTS in the name should fit you well.

With this mindset wow, it defintaly shows.

There is no such term as an outward pronator. From a person who works in a specialty running store and is focusing his degree in biomechanics, there is no such thing.

You are contributing all your injuries to your shoes which may be the case but as may be your training right now as well.

But thats another point, what makes me what to respond is that you look at the shoes and think omg 110. The fact is a decent pair of running shoes will run you around $100 that will last 300-500 miles and go for about three months (based on 60 miles a week).

You look at the 60 dollars shoes and they are made out of basic simple cushioning (eva foam) that will break down very quickly and degrade much faster. If you look online at different running shoe companies, most old models are discounted anywhere from 20-40%.

Another thing, a specialty running store does more for the community (running that is) than a big box store such as dick's that doesn't know what they are talking about and is all about the price range.

So to sum this up: you should care about your local running community. Listen to them because they do know what they are talking about compared to you being a high school freshman. I wish you the best but lighten up a bit.

By outwards pronator you mean supinate?

by outwards pronator, i mean my feet tend to point outward when i run, i'm not sure the proper term.

This is a snap from my last 5k race, these are the shoes i have currently.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1299/pronate.jpg

The shoe's description on the mizuno website states clearly

Running - Moderate Support harmonious ride, moderate over pronation

http://www.mizunousa.com/running/products/mizuno-mens-wave-inspire-7-running-shoes

that being said, what other shoes do you know of, not necessarily this brand, that fit these same standards? I have been to this specific specialty store, which is where i purchased these shoes, i have received their advice as well as a gait test, etc, however, there is no need for me to go through the process again when i am aware of what they told me, and there is no way to opt out of their services when purchasing a shoe. I just want shoes, thanks.

What do the bottom of your shoes look like? What's the wear pattern?

You can also play around with the Shoedog app, on Roadrunner Sports' website for some shoe ideas, and then do some digging around there and elsewhere for the previous version of the shoe for generally $70-$80. You'll generally get slightly fewer miles out of a pair that's been sitting in the warehouse for a year or two compared to one that's fresh off the boat from China or Vietnam, but it's still going to be a much better option than the $60 crap big box running shoes.

VirginiaRunner wrote:

...however, there is no need for me to go through the process again when i am aware of what they told me, and there is no way to opt out of their services when purchasing a shoe. I just want shoes, thanks.

If you were fully aware of all the things that you running specialty store told you (or could potentially tell you) then you wouldn't need to come here looking for advice. Obviously you do still lack knowledge.

Are there any other specialty stores you could get to? Maybe they will have a style of customer service you are more comfortable with. You also ought to be able to find a specialty store that offers student/team discounts. That should offset enough of the cost difference to make the service/advice worth it.

Good luck.

thanks, i'll look into it, parent's are gone, and i am without a car, and my trainers are beginning to give me injuries, which is why i was looking at the internet route for purchase.

Wow from that pic you posted it look like your feet point outwards almost as much as mine do. I've been running on and off for a long time and have always had problems finding the right shoe. Specialty running stores have never been much help picking out shoes either since severe out toeing is very uncommon.

That being said I'm using the Adidas adizero Boston right now as my main trainer and it's working well for me. They're not cheap but you can get them over the Internet for about $85.00 and they hold up pretty well for me.

that option definitely sounds appealing. I'll check that shoe out right now, and yeah, i'm not sure how the outward pronation of my feet affects my times, but it doesn't appear to do too much harm. Thanks again for the suggestion.

How can you even tell that his feet point out from the picture that is by far your personal opinion based on your own feet.

He is about to be in the float phase of running and thats all you can really tell. How do you even know that shoes will work for him based on your experience.

The out toe could be coming from a lot of different factors from your lower extremity kinematics. Its funny that you say running on and off, were the off times from injuries perhaps?

VirginiaRunner wrote:

yeah, i'm not sure how the outward pronation of my feet affects my times,.

Dude. Listen.

If you're landing on the outside of your foot, and not really rolling in at all, it's called SUPINATION.

If your ankle twists/leans inward and you put most of your impact pressure on your big toe, that's called PRONATION.

Outwards pronation doesn't exist, like somebody stated before.

VirginiaRunner wrote:

The shoe's description on the mizuno website states clearly

Running - Moderate Support harmonious ride, moderate over pronation

http://www.mizunousa.com/running/products/mizuno-mens-wave-inspire-7-running-shoes

that being said, what other shoes do you know of, not necessarily this brand, that fit these same standards? I have been to this specific specialty store, which is where i purchased these shoes, i have received their advice as well as a gait test, etc, however, there is no need for me to go through the process again when i am aware of what they told me, and there is no way to opt out of their services when purchasing a shoe. I just want shoes, thanks.

Congrats kid, you have stated the marketing term for what the shoe comapines describe there level of support for you. The shoe you have on is for stability purposes, people who have mid or weak arches who exhibit a slight amount of ABNORMAL prontation.

I think its funny too that you contributing all of these aliments on the shoes. You are a high school freshman who in june is already running 40-50 miles a week and the shoes are only at 140. While yes it could be the shoes there are also a number of shoes in that category (stability). There a number of different factors that could be causing you to get hurt and not be the shoes fault

My advice to you, open your mind and look at everything before you make a judgement and dont go off personal opinions. It will take you pretty far.

I'm not a freshman, this is my first year running, thought i should make that clear, and thanks for your input, i learned a few new things and will use the acquired information to invest in a pair of sketchers air raiders, the shoes that breathe, so i can achieve my maximum potential.

In all seriousness, thanks for those of you that posted positive feedback, i will take all of your input into consideration when choosing my next trainer. thanks.

Get the right message out wrote:

How can you even tell that his feet point out from the picture that is by far your personal opinion based on your own feet.

He is about to be in the float phase of running and thats all you can really tell. How do you even know that shoes will work for him based on your experience.

The out toe could be coming from a lot of different factors from your lower extremity kinematics. Its funny that you say running on and off, were the off times from injuries perhaps?

His feet are pointing out in the picture and he also says that they do so in his comments. So it's probably a safe assumption that yes they do point out.

I don't know if those shoes will work for him. I did not say that they would. What I did say was that my feet point out and they work for me. Obviously he would have to try them for himself.

The medical term for my out toeing is external tibial torsion. That means a twist in the tibia itself. I would have needed surgery when younger to correct it. Didn't seem worth it. I've had one major injury from running (Stress fracture) which made me take some time off. Most of the other off times were because I was focusing on different sports.