|
There are more sneaks on your local running store wall than ice cream flavors at Baskin
Robbins. So if your eyes glaze over when you walk in looking for the perfect footwear,
join the club. But don’t despair if you’re confused about what dog is right for
you. Just remember two words: “cushioned stability.”
Everyone’s Shoe
Cushioned stability is the closest category there is to an “Everyperson’s”
running shoe. If you do moderate to high mileage (10-plus miles per week), have no major
biomechanical problems, and are not particularly heavy (under 190 pounds), cushioned
stability is your ticket to ride.
Known by a variety of names (New Balance calls them “Versatility” shoes, Adidas
calls them “Protection Support” shoes, Asics “Structured Cushioning,”
Brooks “Performance,” and Saucony “Stability Trainers”), cushion-stability
shoes simply combine a cushioning technology (like a heel pad of air, gel, or high-tech
rubber) with some stability features, such as denser medial-side mid-soles. The goal of the
latter is to control a biomechanical imperfection called pronation, the tendency most feet
have to roll to the inside during running. Most people have some pronation, which isn’t
bad in small doses. When your mileage goes up, however, that small amount of pronation can
lead to ankle, knee, and hip injuries.
You Folks Are Running More Than Ever
Running injuries are an issue today because mileage is definitely rising. People are
running more nowadays for two reasons: the first is fitness fitness, and the second is
Marathon mania.
Not only has running participation rebounded back to levels not seen since the late 70’s
Running Boom (23-plus million people run today, according to the Sporting Goods
Manufacturer’s Association), but the number of marathoners has tripled to a whopping
300,000. The net effect of all these folks, many of them newcomers, logging so many miles?
More overuse injuries: shin splints, strained Achilles’ tendon, plantar fascitis
(inflammation of the arch), patellar tendinitis (inflammation in the knee joint), and a
clamoring for highly engineered footwear with built-in support features.
Models around the $85 price-point, the most popular for this category, generally have
front and rear cushioning systems as well as several stability features. You can usually
expect shoes priced below this benchmark to have only under-the-heel cushioning, while
higher-priced shoes will add more stability. Unless you have true biomechanical problems,
such as extreme over-pronation, shoes priced at $85 or $90 are as high as you need to go.
Injuries Be Gone
“Guys who used to buy lightweight racers or pure cushioned trainers are crying out for
stability now because they’ve gotten hurt,” says J.D. Denton, the author of Running
Times’ “The Shoe Guy” column. John Murtagh, owner of Hoy’s Sports, a nationally-known
running shop in San Francisco, agrees: “For 80% of my customers, I recommend a
cushioned-stability shoe.” For that reason, Brooks even added the letters “GTS” to its
Adrenaline cushion-stability model. That translates as Go To Shoe, theoretically the first
stop in a shoe store for any semi-serious
runner.
|
What’s Cushioned-Stability Mean? |
These trainers combine dependable shock-dampening with a variety of devices
designed to reduce the debilitating effects of pronation (the natural rolling
of the foot to the inside) focusing on two key features: stability and
cushioning.
- Stability Features: To stabilize the rear foot and help the foot
follow a straight line through its gait, shoes often include reinforced heel
counters, hard-plastic arch supports, dense foam on the medial (inside) part
of the midsole. Most, but not all, also sew the bottom of the upper to thin
boards in the rear part of the footbed (known as a “combination last”).
Saucony’s Sovereign uses a less rigid “slip” last (in which the bottom ends
of the upper material wrap around the bottom of the foot and are sewn
together), but adds stability by making the entire shoe on a straight foot
platform, not curved like all others.
- Cushioning Features: Shoes at the $85 price point generally have
rear-foot and forefoot cushioning systems. Cheaper shoes, with the exception
of the Adidas Poseidon, only include rear-foot cushioning.
|
|
|
Other Types of Shoes |
While cushioned-stability shoes have a wide appeal, they aren’t for everyone.
Here’s the lowdown on some other types and what they’re good for:
|
|
Motion-control shoes have extreme stability features for heavier runners and
those with severe over-pronation and flat feet.
|
|
Cushioned trainers are for runners at the other end of the spectrum, those with
perfect biomechanics who need shock absorption but no stability. These shoes
are typically intended for running on pavement.
|
|
Lightweight racing shoes are for serious competitors willing to sacrifice
durability and a forgiving feel to cut weight on race day.
|
|
Trail shoes, designed with deep-tread soles and water-repellant materials, are
often overbuilt making them not so good for everyday road running but great
for the rigors of off-road runs. They also nest the feet slightly lower in the
shoe, to give the runner better “feel” on the trail’s uneven surface. Many have
wider outsoles to provide additional stability.
|
|
|
|
Buying Tips |
- Wear your old shoes into the store: “Salespeople at a running
specialty store can analyze your gait by looking at the wear patterns on your
shoes,” says Alberto Salazar, the three-time New York City Marathon winner.
- Don’t cut cushioning: Frank Shorter, the marathon gold medallist at the
’72 Munich Olympics and the silver medallist in ’76 in Montreal, says it’s wise
to pay a little more for better cushioning.”
- Pass on the close-outs: “Also don’t buy models on close-out,” Shorter
adds. “EVA (a common midsole cushioning foam) breaks down after six months, even
on the shelf.”
- Make sure it fits: “Comfort is king,” says Shorter. “If it doesn’t feel
right, and the salesman says, ’don’t worry, they’ll break-in,’ hand him the shoes...and
immediately walk out of the store.”
|
|
|
