Inserts

It's been a couple of slow weeks running around here, since I was pretty bummed about my right calf acting up most recently. A combination of that and schoolwork mean that I haven't hit the pavement much recently.

Today I went back to the therapist to hear what they had to say. Thankfully, the dry needle toteboard remained at five, but she did rub out my left calf and Achilles with a metal stick and some sort of scraper (didn't see what it looked like, only what it felt like) to help remove scar tissue.

Then I got to run on the treadmill for a gait evaluation, which I kind of wanted anyhow. I'm doing fine on the new and improved midfoot landing, but it turns out I am a very mild pronator. I learned that about 4 degrees pronation is OK, but my angle of pronation is at about 11 degrees. This means instead of my Achilles going straight up and down at footstrike, it leans in about that much. She showed me video of my brief running episode, and it's amazing what their technology does. She just recorded me on an iPad, played it back, and even showed me the geometry involved. I was wowed, but also happier that I knew something now that I didn't before.

So that means I need mild stability in my shoes. I panicked once the therapist told me this, since I have so many pairs of neutral running shoes. The good thing is that a Superfeet-style insert should work well, I'll just have to move them in and out as I cycle through my shoes. No worries.

This helps me better understand the concept of inserts, and it furthers my thought that just because you are 'getting away' with something (i.e. not getting injured), does not necessarily mean you're doing it right. I found out my biomechanics are different (not much I can do about that) but that there is equipment available that will help further minimize my risk of injury.

I'd been a big-time heel striker who didn't run with any inserts in my shoes, but now I've learned better ideas on staying healthy while running.