Running only 4 miles a week - do I need to bother with expensive running shoes?

boots_babe

Firstly I'm by no means an expert, very amateur in fact! However, having never run in my life (since school) I decided to do the Couch to 5k a couple of years ago. Like you I'd read all about importance of gait analysis, and took that on board, but didn't want to do that up front and pay for shoes if I gave up in a month's time because I decided it wasn't for me!

So I decided to do 1 month of Couch to 5k, then do the gait analysis if I was enjoying it. Turns out after 2 weeks I had terrible knee pains, tried resting up for a week then restarting, but they just came back immediately. 

I therefore bit the bullet and went for a gait analysis. Paid something like £20 at a local independent shop, was amazed by what they showed me on the video with 'normal' shoes versus appropriately fitted ones. I didn't want to spend a fortune, so I declined their offer of buying the selected best fit trainers from them (which would have got my £20 gait analysis fee knocked off the price). Instead I went online and found the same model of trainers quite cheaply.

When I then resumed the Couch to 5k I was amazed at the difference - no more knee pain at all!! So bearing in mind that the first couple of weeks of Couch to 5k you really hardly do much actual running, my experience just showed me how important gait analysis actually is. For the sake of £20 or so I'd recommend anyone did it. You don't then have to pay a fortune, you can be sensible about where you purchase from.

Good luck!

alleycat`

Gait analysis has always worried me.

My major issue is that how you run in a shop for a few minutes on a treadmill is not indicative of how many of us run on a road, and especially how form breaks down when you're tired.

My personal advice, take it how you want, would be to get someone who's a regular runner and get them to watch how you run. They'll soon be able to tell you if you heel strike, run on the outside of your heel, roll over your ankles, etc.

Equally a very cheap way to try work out how you go is look at the soles of your shoes. The wear patterns will soon tell you what you're predisposed to.

As to trainers, i would buy online and the previous seasons offerings.

I certainly wouldn't want to pay over £100, but having done some longer runs, I'd not want to do it in some cheap karrimors from sports direct.

O and a 20 minute 2 miler isn't "bad" for anyone - let alone someone just starting out.

8 minute miles (stated goal) is pretty rapid for a lot of people. - especially when you scale up over distance....

Baxter100

Running shoes are interesting...

No other animal wears shoes when they run, and we ourselves ran barefoot for thousands upon thousands of years until we recently started wearing these things on our feet. In fact our ability to long run distances without injury is arguably why we were able to get to the top of the food chain.

With that in mind I'd instinctively think that wearing as little shoe as possible would be the way to go. I know I've seen barefoot running shoes on occasion but I'm surprised they are not more popular.

Manxman_in_exile

Baxter100 said:

Running shoes are interesting...

No other animal wears shoes when they run, and we ourselves ran barefoot for thousands upon thousands of years until we recently started wearing these things on our feet. In fact our ability to long run distances without injury is arguably why we were able to get to the top of the food chain.

With that in mind I'd instinctively think that wearing as little shoe as possible would be the way to go. I know I've seen barefoot running shoes on occasion but I'm surprised they are not more popular.

Yeah - but we weren't running on concrete and tarmac roads and pavements for thousands upon thousands of years.  As evolution hasn't adapted us to those conditions yet, we wear protective footwear.

I am not surprised that the Vibram style barefoots are not more popular.  The last top-flight barefoot runner was Adebe Bekila who won the 1960(?) Olympic Marathon.  He only went barefoot because Adidas couldn't provide his shoe size for race day!  He used shoes thereafter.  If barefoot running was the answer everyone would do it.  (There was a GB barefoot runner in the 60s but can't remember his name... )

Couldsavemore

I think I must have ran in every concievable big brand name... including 'bare foot" style shoes.
Our independent shop does gait analysis and offers you a range of shoes at a range of prices. If you want to you can yell them your budget.

Why not look at trail running shoes... mine go hiking, dog walking and running... This includes trails and pavements, ice and more ice (its been a tough year) and loads of mud...
I really hammer them. Typically I get a couple of years out them
Don't be swayed by big brand names... A certain Mr Bolt ran in puma's... 

mrkds

Baxter100 said:

Running shoes are interesting...

No other animal wears shoes when they run, and we ourselves ran barefoot for thousands upon thousands of years until we recently started wearing these things on our feet. In fact our ability to long run distances without injury is arguably why we were able to get to the top of the food chain.

With that in mind I'd instinctively think that wearing as little shoe as possible would be the way to go. I know I've seen barefoot running shoes on occasion but I'm surprised they are not more popular.

 I heard about the purported benefits of barefoot running and decided to give it a go (on a treadmill back when gyms were a thing!). After a couple of weeks I got pains in the back of my ankles. After seeing a doctor, they advised to stop. My achilles tendon was suffering damage from striking the ground with nothing to absorb the impact and was at risk of permeant damage if I carried on.  Her conclusion was that barefoot running is a fad that offers no benefits to running performance and is best avoided. A view I have adopted myself. 

moneysavinghero

Usually buy the cheaper trainers in the £35-£50 range and never had  a problem with them. Once decided i would treat myself to an expensive pair. Despite going easy and gradually wearing them in they totally trashed my feet. Had to ditch them and buy a £40 pair instead. Having lost loads of time and conscious of an event i was training for getting close, i decided i could not afford to mess around with wearing them in this time - went straight out on a 15 mile rule in them and had no problems at all.

So expensive is not always best.

And a lot of the time the £40 trainers are just the £100 trainers from last year.