12 replies to this topic

[StellaBella]

I'm really very new to this running thing (I'm more of a slow jog than a run and have never gone futher than 5km without having to walk) and over the weekend I went to active feet in Melbourne to get myself fitted for sneakers and came away with Brooks Trance.

I think the diagnosis was that my arch is quite normal but I think I overpronate slightly - worse in my left ankle than my right. I've run in them twice now - a few km - and I'm just wondering how long it would take for the shoes to shape to my feet. During the 2 runs I've done my right foot initially hurts along the outter edge then it goes away and my ankle and calf kind of hurt...only enough to make me stop at traffic lights though. Is this normal or is there a chance my right foot is being overcorrected?

I'm paranoid that I've spent $220 on a pair of sneakers and they're not the dream I was hoping they'd be. Please tell me this is a normal part of wearing them in!!!

[Jogger]

to be honest, these days, they should feel comfy from the outset.

[foxtrotter]

The shoes should feel right from day one. I recently purchased a pair, 2nd day I wore them, they didn't feel right and foolishly I pushed on. 10km into a run I have bad arch injury and was out of action for 3-4 weeks. I took them back to the store I bought them from and explained the issue. They were great and swapped the pair for me and I'm fine now. Point is - don't be scared to approach the store and talk about the problem and see what they can do to assist.

[azza]

If they don't feel right, bring them back - Active Feet will swap them if you return them within 30 days (I think), even if you've worn them!

As a side note, I had a similar problem with the Trance 6's - I found that after a couple of k's, I wore down the outsole on the outer edge (by running in them, not with a file or anything like that), and the discomfort went away.

Edited by azza, 07 June 2007 - 09:13 AM.

[metrik]

When I first started this yr and got my Kayano's (asics's trances) they felt great over the 6km's or so I was doing. My first 10km resulted in massive blisters on both of my arches. After they recovered and I had "worn in" my shoes I have since never felt any friction in the same spot and have been very happy with them. Reading around the traps it seems that you need to wear them in for a while before long runs and indeed at a long distance running seminar I attended ray boyd suggested wearing them around the house for approx two weeks prior to taking them out. Having said this I have also suffered other injuries that are being corrected with orthotics so your biomechanics also play a big part that not necessarily every shoe can fix, plus as you are reasonably new it'll take a bit for your joints to get used to the new stress being put on them... take it slow and respect the %10 rule as you build up the kms and you should find a lot of the niggles disappear.

[MF]

I also get blisters on my arches from new asics, and it takes a couple of decent runs to make them feel like"my" shoes.

[Rachel49]

I had a similar problem when I got fitted for my first running shoe. I wasn't happy so I took them back and got a pair that were comfortable from the outset. So glad I did!
Below is a link about my experience:

http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/index...?showtopic=4513

[billsy]

Your shoes should feel fine from the outset. I've just bought a couple of pairs of Kayanos and initially they felt fine. Did a 6km run in eaah pair as a start and then went up to about a 15km run in each pair. I got a decent blister at the joint of my big toes on my right foot but i have now done about 100km in each pair and they are fine. They seem to take a little while for the inner sole to shape to your foot. I never had sore feet or legs other than a blister.

I'd say that blisters and some rubbing is fairly normal should be gone after about 15-20km but if you are experiencing painful feet/legs i would suggest taking them back and swapping for something else.....especially if you didnt have this from other shoes.

Cheers,
Billsy.

[laotze]

The problem might be that you thought you were buying 'sneakers' when in fact you bought running shoes.

Sneakers are worn in (and worn out) as soon as they get dirty these days.

But running shoes, as others have said, should feel comfortable from the start.

Before you go rushing (hobbling) back to the store experiment a litle with the lacing. You may be lacing too tightly across the arch. Loosen off that part of the laces a bit and see if it feels better. There are special lace patterns (on other threads on CR), that show you how to lace for certain foot shapes. That might be all you need.

However, as a beginning runner, you may find that less technical shoes are fine - and a lot cheaper. Different brands of shoes are different shpaes, and within brands there are all kinds of support or neutral shoes. Not all these shoe store attendants know what they are talking about. you may need to go to somewhere like Rebel where you won't a sales assistant won't come near you even if you are screaming like you are having a baby, and you can try on lots of different shoes, and walk around the store in them and get a feel for what you naturally feel comfortable in. You may find the mauve ones feel most comfortable.

Don't be put off; just keep running, expect your feet to feel a bit sore at times, and before you know it you'll know the kind of shoes that are made for you, and you'll be setting your target on a half marathon, and then...

Edited by awiseman, 08 June 2007 - 11:40 PM.

[StellaBella]

Thanks for the replies people - looks like I'm getting 2 distinct bits of advice... half of you say give them time to mould to your feet and that some inital problems are normal and the other half are the "you shouldnt experience discomfort with specially fitted shoes - take them back now before the shoes are too worn " party!
I went for a 5km run in my old shoes today and didnt get any of the pain in my 5km run with hills whereas in the 3.3km run the other day with minimal hills I was in pain (well in one leg). I rang Active feet on Thursday and they said to feel free to come back in.
My gut feeling is that this isnt right and so I'm going to go back tomorrow and see what they say and perhaps come out with a different pair of shoes.

[On a side note... can someone tell me how I go about putting a pic on - everyone seems to have one so I must have missed that part when I signed up!]

[trotter]

hi Stella Bella

I'm in the 'if they don't feel right from the get go...they aint right' camp. Sounds like you are making the right move - taking them back and trying something else. The folks at the store you purchased from are very professional so they'll listen to the problems you've encountered with your new shoes.

as you can see - i cannot assist with the pic !

good luck.
trotter

[Little K]

i can just put a brand new pair on and run/race. i dont think you should be getting discomfort.

[Yumsy]

StellaBella, on Jun 9 2007, 08:32 PM, said:

Thanks for the replies people - looks like I'm getting 2 distinct bits of advice... half of you say give them time to mould to your feet and that some inital problems are normal and the other half are the "you shouldnt experience discomfort with specially fitted shoes - take them back now before the shoes are too worn " party!

Hi stella,
I've been in both parties. Actually i'm trying the "stick with it" party atm. Started with a pair of Asics GT20somethings which were brilliant and i'm not sure why I replaced them. Then got a pair of brooks Gts' which were a bit rough and I got a sore chin from them I was training really hard at the time so might of overtrained but they didn't feel quite right so after a month I bought a pair of Kayanos and they were great right from day one. about 500kays later I started to get chin pains and turned out they were over supportive (I got mid-heavy pronation). I've now dropped to some mizunos and just bought a pair of Saucony hurricanes. The mizunos were quite stiff and hard when I first started but they're starting to feel ok, the sauconys i did my first run in them this morning and they feel a bit better but similar. My whole point to this long long post (apologies) is that I went with the "instant gratification" thing and it hurt me in the long run. Now I'm gonna try "stick with it" and see how it pans out party.

Anyway hope that helps.

Alex