T-200 Days

After a weekend in the 70's, I woke up to ice and sub-zero wind chill's this morning in Dallas.  Tonight we may get into single digits on the thermometer and it's not supposed to get above freezing until maybe Friday.  So much for running outside.  I'll do some core and upper body work today and worry about the aerobic exercise when I can.

As I posted yesterday, the Asics GEL-Kayano 17 LE's I was interested in turned out to be the wrong shoe for my feet.  They are engineered to correct for over-pronatation and I require a more neutral shoe. To provide a little more context to this, Runners World has a great explanation that I'm adding below.

Pronation

From Runner's World Wiki

The body naturally dissipates shock by rolling the foot inward, or pronating, just after impact. But too much (or too little) pronation can cause injuries. While you can't change how much you pronate, you can buy shoes optimized for your biomechanics. Three ways to do this:

• Identify your arch type by taking the "wet test."
• Study old shoes to see how the tread has worn down.
• Ask your specialty running shop to analyze your gait.

Underpronation

When a foot underpronates, or supinates, the foot does not roll inward enough after the outside of the heel lands. Consequently, impact forces are concentrated on the outer part of the foot. This causes more stress on the lower leg. High arches and wear along the outside edge of the shoe (image at right) are classic characteristics of an underpronator.

Normal Pronation

For most runners, the outside of the heel lands first then the rest of the foot rolls inward about 15 degrees to come into contact with the ground. This motion distributes the impact forces evenly and aligns the foot to efficiently push (or toe) off. This degree of pronation is most often associated with a normal arch and tread wear (right) on the heel and ball of the shoe.

Overpronation

Here, the foot rolls inward more than the ideal 15 degrees. As a result, the foot and ankle have problems stabilizing the body, and the impact isn't efficiently absorbed. At the end of the gait cycle, the big toe must do most of the work to push off the ground. If your shoes are worn in the heel and the inside edge (right) and you have flat arches, you're probably an overpronator.

I found the article above helpful.  Thanks Runner's World! Learn more here: http://wiki.runnersworld.com/index.php/Pronate