Learning Center
Boulder Running
Company's Learning Center:
The Boulder Running Company takes great pride in knowing
that we have been fitting runners and walkers like you into
shoes that work best for your gait for over 10 years.
If you cant make it in to one of our
3 locations, here is some helpful information about how we fit your foot into the best running shoe for you.
Running Shoes- What works best for
me?
To best fit your individual foot, we need to ask you a
couple of questions:
Injury History- Have you had any injury problems
before in the past, such as knee pain, shin splints,
back problems, or IT Band issues?
Surfaces- Where are you going to be using these
shoes? Road, Offroad, Track, Treadmill, etc.
Goals- Any fitness goals you have in mind, such
as losing weight or complete a marathon.
Now that we have the answers to these questions we can
move on to step 2- figuring out what your arches are
doing with each stride.
Arch
Types- Different people have different arches, some
are flat, others are high, and others fall somewhere in
between. Whether or not a runner overpronates (very
common), or supinates (less common), all comes down to
your arches. Runners who have low arches typically
overpronate more than runners with higher arches.
Overpronation is a common type of footstrike, where your
arches are allowed to collapse excessively. Typically,
an overpronator's heel strikes the ground first, on the
outer (or lateral) side. Then, as your body's weight
comes down, your arches collapse, allowing your foot to
roll to the inside (or medial side). Take a look at the
wear pattern on the bottom of your current running
shoes. Overpronators typically wear out tread on the
outer edge of the heel, and the tread near the ball of
the foot. Supination is the opposite. Supination happens
when your foot strikes the ground on the outer edge of
your heel, and instead of your arches collapsing in,
your feet do the opposite and roll slightly out. Again,
looking at the wear pattern, the outer edge of the heel
should be wearing out, as should the tread along the
outer edge of your foot. Ideally, runners need shoes
which dont allow them to overpronate or supinate, but be
kept in the Neutral position.
Knowing your arch type, body type, and fitness goals we
can start fitting you into different shoes.
General Shoe information:
Running Shoes can be broken down into 3 major categories- Motion
Control, Stability, and Neutral Cushioned.
Motion ControlMotion Control running shoes are designed for
runners who need maximum cushioning and stability. This type of runner has
arches that pronate excessively with each step, and often have flat feet
(little or no arch). To correct your feet from overpronating, motion
control shoes feature midsoles with supportive firm, known as dual density.
The firm area is a darker color, and has a firm density. This supportive
feature corrects feet from overpronating.
StabilityStability shoes are a slight step down from motion
control shoes in terms of support. Runners who need a Stability shoe have
arches that overpronate (or collapse inwardly), just like runners needing a
Motion Control shoe, but not as much. They also feature dual density
material in the midsole to stop your foot from overpronating, but not quite
as much as a motion control shoe. Stability shoes also have plenty of
cushioning as well.
Neutral CushionNeutral Cushioned shoes are intended for
runners who have a higher arch, which does not pronate, or collapses in very
slightly. Neutral Cushioned shoes have very little or no pronation support,
and usually offer the most cushioning.
Keep in mind every foot is different, and shoes that work well for one
foot may not work well for your foot.
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