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Some may say that running is one sport that doesn’t require much equipment and to some extent they are right – just throw on some shoes and head for the door.
But there are a number of things that need to be considered in order to make a run comfortable and injury-free and shoes are the most important of these.
Blisters are the first problem people think of, but this can be solved with a decent pair of socks and well-fitting shoes. But the way a runner’s feet are cushioned is most important as it can impact throughout the body; a good shoe will provide support around the forefoot and the heel, and stop unnecessary movement.
There are three main ways a runner’s foot falls when it hits the ground: they can be supinate, which is when the foot rolls to the outside; neutral, which is when runners land evenly on their feet; and pronate, which is when the foot and ankle roll inward every time it hits the ground.
The latter can affect joints and the lower leg, making running painful.
The right pair of shoes can help these conditions through a little extra support. A shoe for a person with a supinate foot-fall has extra padding on the outer side of the sole and inner to help push the running style towards neutral, while a shoe for pronate runners has the extra padding on the inner side.
If these gentle prompters don’t stop the foot-soreness at the end of a run, the next step is to see a podiatrist to design some custom orthotics to permanently change a runner’s foot-strike.
