The Running Shoes

Running is one of the most heavily participated sports and recreational activities in the world. However, from a young age we are told to go out on the streets and run until we are tired. This may be alright for a while but further on down the road you will be likely to sustain an overuse injury that takes away your passion for running.

In order to make running a lifetime activity you need to be aware of some of the contributing factors that lead to common running injuries. Once you acknowledge these injury causing factors then you can develop the right plan for you. This applies to both the recreational runner as well as the competitive runner.

To ensure that you gain the most out of your training sessions while also reducing the risk of sustaining an injury be sure to take note of the following mistakes made by many athletes and coaches.

Excessive hill running that can often lead to excessive demands placed on the calf muscles (possible shin splints). Shin splints are an absolute nightmare for a runner. This type of injury can put you out of running for months.

Excessive down hill running can lead to increased stress on the quadriceps muscle. Most athletes say that running down hill is easier, however, it is just as tough on your body as running up hill.

Running in one direction all the time (if doing track work or running around the tennis court, football field etc.) can cause excessive pronation on the inside leg. Once again this can be easily fixed by alternating directions in which you run.

Running on unforgiving surfaces such as street running (high impact). Asphalt is not an appropriate running surface. This is one of the major causes of knee and hip injuries for runners. Roads are made for cars and not for runners! If you must run on asphalt then add in some runs on a grass surface.

Lack of variety in your training sessions can lead to overuse injuries as well as mental boredom. Select different workouts each week. Do you always run the same route in the same direction each time? If so vary where you run, the distance you run as well as the intensity of the run.

Running on an uneven surface such as a grass field. Often athletes try to avoid the hard surface of the streets so they decide to run on uneven fields which can lead to injuries of the feet. I love running on ovals as they are more friendly on my body but I choose not to run on a football ground as I know that the surface is likely to be uneven and full of holes. Most recreational parks are better.

Increasing training volume too quickly (allow for individual progression). This is a tough one for highly driven individuals who thrive on pushing themselves. Have a plan and follow it. Even if you feel that you can push yourself and run that extra mile hold back!

Increasing the pace or speed at which you run too quickly (can be achieved slowly through Fartlek training). Try to stick to your plan and run at a similar speed before you get into your next phase. As we improve we often want to run faster. Increasing both the speed and distance of your run at the same time can lead to injury.

It is important to wear the proper footwear when you run. Encourage your athletes to change from their normal sports shoes (eg. tennis shoes, basketball shoes) to running shoes prior to starting their run. Wearing tennis or basketball shoes while running long distances will lead to injuries. They don’t provide the required support for the feet.

Recognize that each individual will have their own pace and level of endurance so set individual goals for each athlete. When running in a group at a set pace, that pace may be comfortable for some runners, but too fast for others. Divide your athletes into two even groups. This is often a big flaw for many coaches of sports teams. We have all been guilty for doing this in the past but you must allow for individual abilities of athletes.

Running long distances in extreme weather conditions such as freezing temperatures, hot and humid conditions or even when there has been a high pollution alert level given by the weather bureau. My tennis coach in college would often make our tennis team run at 7:00 am in the morning in the middle of a winter in North Carolina. As you could imagine we would often suffer from bronchitis and other common respiratory ailments. Unfortunately mine developed into pneumonia so make sure that the environmental conditions are appropriate for running.

Be smart when you run and your body will thank you for it!

By: David Horne

Most runners whether recreational or professional will agree with me that they have been forced out of running one or more times by running related injuries. Whereas it is a fact that running injuries happen, preventing them is worth all the effort and when they happen, knowing how to deal with them is crucial.
Recreational running is a fun sport and anybody who is physically able can pursue it regardless of age. It is one of the most effective ways to lose extra body weight and keep it under control. Recreational running has also become a great social activity in our society today. Everyone who has incorporated it in their lifestyle knows the health benefits associated with it. Due to the increased number of people currently engaging in fun running, there are now more cases of running related injuries than there were few years back. I get asked all the time how one can deal with these injuries and since every case is different we are going to look at general ways to avoid or manage running related injuries.

Build your mileage gradually: It is human nature to try and accomplish as much as possible in life within a short time. For running unfortunately, doing too much too soon will only hurt you and discourage you from pursuing your favorite sport. This mainly applies to beginners more than advanced runners. It is important to remember that your body has to adjust to accommodate the any increased physical stress and it can only do so gradually. An increment of around 10 percent of your weekly mileage is enough after every 3 – 6 weeks. In other words, if you are doing 15 miles per week and you want to increase your mileage, you do not need to go past 16.5 miles per week. Bear in mind that your body will need up to 4 weeks to accommodate the increase comfortably.

Avoid running on hard surfaces: Most injuries associated with running are as a result of running on hard surfaces. I am sure there are trails or parks almost every location and making good use of them is paramount. If you like running along paved surfaces, at least make an effort to run on grass or dirt roads or trails once or twice every week. A good time is when you are doing one of your longer runs; it is refreshing to your legs. It is also important to avoid uneven surfaces as these may mess up the alignment of your body especially your legs and back.

Choose the right running shoe: I cannot stress this enough, but the condition of your running shoe greatly determines the number, type and frequency of running related injuries in your running pursuits. In other words, if you choose the wrong shoe type for your feet, the chances are that you be hurt even if the shoes are new. Sometimes you may have the right type of running shoe, but you have exceeded the mileage requirement for the shoe. If you are a beginner and you are not sure what type of running shoe to buy, get advice from running shoe expert or your trainer or more experienced runners. Avoid buying cheap shoe simply because of the price, it may cost you a fortune to treat injuries or even worse case stop you from running altogether.

Supplement recreational running with other activities: Our bodies need a break from running especially when we are tired. Since taking a break has its place in our running schedules, I recommend doing other activities that will yield similar benefits as running, but put less stress in our bodies. Swimming and biking are the two most common and effective supplements to running. Both of these activities lift the pressure away from your legs and in the process allow them to recover without you really taking time off from working out. If swimming is not enough, try running in the pool, this will surely give you a great workout. Swimming and biking are also great for rehabilitation after sustaining an injury.

Take time off from running: As mentioned earlier in this article, our bodies need time to accommodate the physical stress that we are inducing through running. The principle behind training in any sport is to improve performance. This happens through recovery and adaptation. The simple explanation of this fact is when you run you are stressing your muscles and other body systems and they can only be stressed to a certain level. Once that level is reached, fatigue sets in and if you do not stop, your body will break down. The best way to avoid breaking down due to fatigue is to take one or two days off every week from running. If you neglect taking time off, you are calling for trouble, you will get burnout or injured and you may not have a choice but to quit running.

Eat healthy and hydrate well: Most people use recreational running to lose extra weight or control their body weight. Due to bad advice, I have seen people running and still eating wrong foods and drinking highly dehydrating drinks. If the whole idea of running is to be healthy, then it does not make sense to counter that effect with bad eating habits. There is no right or wrong, I believe moderation is the key. Eating a desert once in a while is great and fun, eating it after every meal – well, you can answer that for yourself. It is a fact that carbonated drinks when taken excessively only help to dehydrate your body. Drinking water and non-carbonated sports drinks are highly recommended. Supplements and vitamins also go along way in keeping you away from injuries. So remember always to eat enough to supply just enough energy to meet your daily demands, but not excess that will be stored as fats. Extra body weight makes your body more susceptible to injuries.

Get body massage and bone adjustment: Body massage and bone adjustment are necessary components of recreation running. When you workout, there is wear and tear of the muscles and tissue in your body resulting in waste products such as lactic acid. When these waste products build up in your body, they make your muscles and tissues stiff and as result vulnerable to injuries. Getting a full body massage often will help to get rid of this stiffness. The alignment of the bones may also become bad due to bad running surfaces. Visiting a chiropractor once in a while is a great idea in avoiding bone alignment related injuries.

The injury prevention ways suggested here will only help if you follow them. However it is not an exhaustive list. These are just suggestions that have been proven to work for both professional and recreational runners alike. The best advice when pursuing any sport is to be proactive in avoiding injuries, they are very expensive! Recreational running is fun.

By: Philip Rotich

running shoes

Shoes are the mirror to our personalities and form an integral part of our hectic life style. In addition, they protect us from getting various foot diseases, allergies and tanning. In fact, it is said that shoes are second skin to humans. We cannot think of surviving without them because of their comfortable quotient.

In fact, there are many professions that need running or standing all the time like nursing profession, hence, nurse shoes are best bet for them and make their profession a little easy. So grab a nurse shoe for that comfortable day.

Nurse shoes are comfortable to wear as they provide strong grip and feature easy on and off capabilities that can be cleaned up without any hassle. Nurse shoes also do not demand very high maintenance in comparison to other walking and running shoes. These nurse shoes are available in various colors and also feature a foot bed for the comfort of the person wearing it. The shoes are made of various lightweight materials and offers durability. In fact, the nurse shoes are in demand by various other professions also due to their comfort capabilities and stylish looks. Hence, they are the new nurse shoes of today! After all shoes are wore for healing effects. Nurses have been wearing shoes for many centuries now, and with the time the product has become more comfortable and qualitative. The latest to invade the nursing profession is clog. The shoes offered come in a variety of styles with or without portholes to fit all workplace environments.

After all, nurses require running here and there all the time and nurse shoes are the best support for them in their needful hours. Nurses get confused while selecting a good pair of shoe as there is an endless variety of shoes available in the market. So while buying nurse shoes one has to keep various things in the mind, like whether they have ventilation holes or not in the shoes or even elevation factor that is responsible for keeping the feet away from shocks or discomfort. The nurse shoes additionally offer cooling and slip-resistant factors to its clients. Well, as we all know that nursing as a profession demands many hours, therefore, no one wants to end up with various conditions of varicose veins or sprained and throbbing foot or even ached heels.

Hence, nurse shoes are manufactured only by keeping these factors in mind for a painless and comfortable foot. There are many brands available in the market, such as Dickies, Cherokee, White Swan, Peaches, Crest, Barco and Littman that offer a variety of stylish shoes to nurses under various sub categories. The nurse shoes come in smooth and ribbed tops and non-marking soles. So, if you are a nurse or for that matter belong to any other profession then go for those stylish as well as comfortable nurse shoes and rock! Nurse shoes do not only provide you comfort zone but also stand by you whenever you need them in both good and bad times because of their durability and easy maintenance.

By: Mark Simpson

nurse shoes

Shoes are a must from the toddlers group to seniors. Shoes are available in various designs, colors, and brands. Comfortable shoes that are made of breathable material make great casual shoes.

Casual shoes are a must for every person. A shoe collection is incomplete without a pair of casual shoes. Selecting the right shoe is essential while purchasing any shoe. Casual shoes have gained prominence in the shoe market for its comfort and room space offered inside the shoes. Uncomfortable or tight shoes cause health problems like feet or toe pain, leg pain, etc. Recently, it is found that many people suffer due to health problems owing to inappropriate fitting shoes.

Casual shoes can be the right choice for every individual. Casual shoes can be worn as a routine or on special occasions. It serves the main purpose of providing optimum comfort and luxury of walking or running. Shoes that fit the feet should be purchased without compromising any important factors like size and its comfortability. Inappropriate shoes cause corns, hammertoes, and calluses leading to more discomfort. Casual shoes can be worn by men, women, and children as a routine.

Casual shoes ensure comfort if few things are considered before purchasing like both the feet should be measured at the time of purchase and the padding given inside should be supportive. Casual shoes keep back ache from appearing. Shoes that fit the heel as well as the toes and have a half inch space from the thumb toe to the heel are appropriate shoes for your leg. Casual shoes allow people to run, walk or jump with ease. As sizes vary according to the brand and style, selecting a shoe by measuring and checking the fitting of the shoe proves to be more beneficial.

Casual shoes are also available in various designs enticing the children. Casual shoes with cartoon pictures and simple material make a great choice of casual shoes for any child. Women can do their work or walk easily with casual shoes. A shoe with heels instincts pain at the back and the best way to avoid this pain is by slipping on your feet into the casual shoes. Casual shoes are available at all local stores, at affordable prices. As they are available at economical prices, buying a collection of shoes is easy and wearing it in combination gives a perfect blend of variety and comfort. There is no match for the astounding casual shoes.

By: James Brown

casual shoes

Never under-estimate the value and importance of proper aerobic shoes. There is so much talk about doing the exercises correctly, planning your routine and regime correctly, setting your expectations correctly, hydrating appropriately, and all kinds of other workout tips, but people don’t frequently concentrate on or even consider good gym shoes.
Of course if you are taking an aerobics class, then the shoes may not matter since you will perform most of your aerobics exercise on a padded mat where the wearing of shoes is discouraged or even disallowed. But for many other aerobics exercises (except for swimming and maybe a few others), the appropriate and proper aerobic shoes are a must-have so that you can protect your feet as you workout.

The exact type of aerobic shoes you need will depend on what you are doing for your workout. If for example you are a serious runner, you need to focus on running shoes. Running shoes are typically lighter than other types, and they focus the shoe padding on the areas of the runner’s foot where it will be needed most. But these types of shoes are not good, for example, for playing tennis since they provide very little lateral ankle support, which is required for a good tennis game. These two types of shoes are basically the same thing, a modern version of the classic gym shoe, but with padding focused on where it is needed most, and a low top to allow some flexibility and movement at the wearer’s ankles.

Now for other types of sports such as basketball, a high-top aerobic shoe would be the preference so that you will have adequate support to protect your ankle. In this sport, you are constantly jumping high, spurting off to run in different directions, and doing other things that could potentially wreak havoc on your ankle. They protect you from injuries much better than any other kind of aerobic shoe, and you will note that almost all professional basketball players wear them. But they are not good for the different types of movement you have in other sports like tennis, so you will rarely see a tennis player wearing them. Then again, for a cross country runner, you need yet a different kind of aerobic shoe, which will be kind of like a cross between a tennis shoe and light hiking boots, with a light build and lots of traction on the bottom.

The bottom line is to make sure that in order to protect your feet while you are getting fit and trim, be sure to use the right kind of aerobic shoe so that you don’t do damage to your feet while you are strengthening other parts of your body.

By: Jon Arnold

Aerobic shoes