My Flat Feet
- New shoes. Every 300 miles in shoes they have to be replaced. That includes general use as well as training. I train 5-6 days a week and I used the same shoes for biking and running and around the town use. So it is every 3 months I get a new pair. About 100.00. Worth every penny and I put the old shoes on the wall as a trophy.
- Leg Strength. From what I have read and tried, stronger calves and quads reduce pressure on the knees. The key point is to not let the tendons flex. When I first started to run,
- Don’t land straight legged running. This happens when you sprint, so slow down. It takes conscious effort to work the form right, but I land with the leg bent and hit the ground between the heel and middle of the foot. If you land straight legged, the force goes from your foot all the way up. This is why leg strength is sooooo important. Land your knee bent and let the muscles do the work. Flat feet cause pain because the impact hits the tendon.
- Start SLOW !!!! It takes a while for your feet and tendons to get flexible and to grow muscles. So run at a pace that is comfortable for you. Its hard, because I am competitive and I want to run fast. But if I push it, I will hurt myself.
- Stretch Often. Stretch before you run, after your run, before you go to sleep, when you wake up, at work, and when you have a few seconds. People may look at you funny, but your knees will thank you.
- Get Insoles for your running and everyday shoes. The insoles that come with the running shoes are junk, so throw them out as soon as you open the box. I get the ones from walgreens for both my running shoes and work shoes. These work fine for me but you may go to a podiatrit for special ones. I have heard from more than one person that the 20.00 insoles from walgreens are just as good as the 150.00 insoles from the dr.
