# Advice needed from Runners **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129 "2005-11-02T18:55:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mint\_Julep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mint\_Julep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mint_Julep)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/21 "2005-11-03T18:00:13Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Make plans to get out of the city before your jewel starts to flash. The Sandmen are excellent shots - try to avoid them as much as possible. And don’t fall for the ‘Carousel’ thing. > > Good luck! umm, now I am just scared. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/22 "2005-11-03T18:12:47Z")
> [@Mint Julep](#): > > umm, now I am just scared. Just a movie reference. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mint\_Julep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mint\_Julep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mint_Julep)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/23 "2005-11-03T18:24:21Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > Just a movie reference. 🙂 Oh :smack: I thought there was a secret brotherhood of Runners or something! ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/24 "2005-11-03T19:54:30Z")
I’ve been running for 12 years, and I run every weekday at lunchtime. I know I’m a lone voice in saying this, but I’ll say it anyway: It’s my opinion that shoes are not that important. I run in $11 Wal-Mart shoes, and they seem to work fine. In my opinion, expensive, brand-name, or “specialized” running shoes are a scam. Again, just my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/25 "2005-11-03T20:11:52Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I know I’m a lone voice in saying this, but I’ll say it anyway: It’s my opinion that shoes are not that important. I run in $11 Wal-Mart shoes, and they seem to work fine. In my opinion, expensive, brand-name, or “specialized” running shoes are a scam. Again, just my opinion. Really? It’s exactly the opposite for me. I usually don’t get my shoes at a specialty running store either, but I buy good running shoes (and believe me, if I thought I could get by in $11 shoes I’d jump at it). Running in good shoes and running in a pair of Keds from Payless is like night and day to me; no cushioning, slide all over the place, chafe, feels like running with a couple of boards strapped on your feet. Even running in old shoes that the cushioning has worn out on irritates me. Do you put in a lot of mileage on them? ---
**Author:** ![Mint\_Julep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mint\_Julep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mint_Julep)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/26 "2005-11-03T22:14:02Z")
**Crafter\_Man** I do intend to buy the cheapest “running” shoes that I can find. I am not into having the coolest new kicks, by any means…but I need to be comfortable when I run or I wont stick to it. As **pravnick** said, it really does make a difference for me, in that I NEED to not get blisters or other preventable peoblems. I think I can find some affordable and comfortable shoes somewhere and hopefully they will help keep my feet healthy. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/27 "2005-11-03T23:17:56Z")
> [@slortar](#): > > I dunno what it is, but runners succumb to overtraining more than just about any other group I’ve ever seen. Don’t be afraid to just take time out and rest every once in a while. Sigh. I agree. Another coolrunner here. I know very few runners who _don’t_ at some point feel that they can be the exception to the 10% rule (not to increase weekly mileage or long run mileage by more than 10%), myself included. Right now, I’ve been sidelined for almost a month by really bad bursitis/ITBS which is just NOT getting better, and I’m so freaking depressed about it! I don’t know what caused it, but I think overtraining, pavement running, and shoes with too many miles on them all played a role. Treat your new hobby/love well, treat your body well, and it will keep working for you. Look on the coolrunning site, or other running sites, for good stretches, too. Grumble, grumble, so jealous of everyone who can run right now… ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/28 "2005-11-04T01:46:21Z")
A small nit here. There is no evidence that stretching reduces the liklihood of injury. You might still want to stretch for its own sake, but it is not necessary. Crafter\_Man, you can get by with $11 Walmart shoes, if you have an efficient stride. If you supinate or pronate, and run any kind of distance, you are asking for problems. If your arch is high, you are asking for trouble, also. There is a significant voice in the running community who believe that barefoot running is superior. There point is that all the money pumped into shoes has not reduced the injury rate any. My opinion is that might work just great, if you have an efficient stride and run on grass and soft trails. Last year, some lady ran the Ascent race on Pikes Peak in barefeet. Ok, she put duct tape on her feet. That didn’t work out so well. Personally, running on treadmills bores the crap out of me, but if you enjoy it, do it. That’s why I live in CO. The important thing is to find a mode of running you enjoy. Treadmills do have significant advantages, most notably, you never get lost or stuck out far from home. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/29 "2005-11-04T02:01:24Z")
> [@SlowMindThinking](#): > > Treadmills do have significant advantages, most notably, you never get lost or stuck out far from home. Agreed. They give you the freedom to get pretty intense, because if you run out of moxie, you can just limp to the locker room. And you can precisely control your speed, change your incline at a whim, and run in (relative) comfort whatever the weather. Plus, I find it makes the days that I do run outside much, much more enjoyable because the treadmill is SO FREAKING BORING! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/30 "2005-11-04T02:23:41Z")
Start slowly, if you’re starting from scratch. Vary your courses: pure flat, mixed/rolling, Hills’O’Hel. Build distance slowly, using the flat course as your base. Use the other course as your comfort grows. Control your form and breathing carefully. Maintain a steady pace, rather than jack-rabbiting. Give yourself non-running recovery days. Run against traffic. When running at night, wear reflective or otherwise bright clothing. A good rule is three steps per second. Vary the form of the gait as needed, but learn to crank out three paces per second. Roll your feet, gently, with first impact at heel. Roll the foot forward, springing from the ball of the foot. If your field of vision jars with each step, smooth out your steps. ---
**Author:** ![Mint\_Julep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mint\_Julep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mint_Julep)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/31 "2005-11-04T18:25:41Z")
Thanks **cerberus** I will make it a point to notice the smoothness tonight. I ran for a 5 minutes last night after my eliptical and before my weights. So far the only downside I see with the treadmill is that pesky mirror in front of it. I had no idea how UNCOOL I looked while running in the past! lol ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129/32 "2005-11-05T00:12:58Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > Start slowly, if you’re starting from scratch. > … > A good rule is three steps per second. Vary the form of the gait as needed, but learn to crank out three paces per second. > > Roll your feet, gently, with first impact at heel. Roll the foot forward, springing from the ball of the foot. If your field of vision jars with each step, smooth out your steps. Three steps per second = good. Rolling feet = not necessarily. Look at tapes of good runners. Michael Johnson running a 400, or the start of a marathon. Heel to toe action is hard to find. Likewise, running on your toes is hard on you. Pose technique advocates teach having your foot impact directly beneath the hips and shoulds, and letting your foot land as it hangs - which should be near the back of the balls of your feet. Then, bring your foot up with a quick pull so that your feet are on the ground for as little time as possible. Your stride length coming from speed. (The US Triathlon team has emphasized this technique.) Others argue that you need to draw your foot back as it comes down. There are coaches that argue for all sorts of motions. I wouldn’t worry about it, yet. Just try to minimize your vertical motion (up and down) and do what seems to be most comfortable. I use the Pose Technique because I know it, and it minimizes my pronation. When I switched to it as part of a study, from my natural heel to toe, I dropped from a 39 minute 10K at altitude to a 36’ 30" 10K. (Younger guys than me can really crank using this technique.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-runners/329129.md?page=1)