Discussion
Now im starting to take this health thing seriously and the nicer weather is coming in I need to change my rather 'poor' Nike crosstrainer with something a little more suitable. I cant afford a paid for this and a pair for that like a lot of people so have spent a lot of time looking at suitable shoes. I do resistance training 2/3 times a week but will start out hard on the running for the summer. Ive got around 70 to spend and liked the look of the reebok flex but on 2nd thoughts they may be a bit too 'cool' for me.
Can I really do any better than the Saucony Progrid Mirage? I can get a pair for under 60 which aint bad for my size 12 slabs! ANY help would be appreciated!
Can I really do any better than the Saucony Progrid Mirage? I can get a pair for under 60 which aint bad for my size 12 slabs! ANY help would be appreciated!
You t
ts 
Take it from an ex-enthusiastic amateur runner, who now has a dodgy knee from years of running with an old motorcycling injury...
If you are serious about doing any kind of running that exceeds the odd jog round the block - especially on roads and tarmac surfaces - you do need to have a professional 'Gait Analysis' of your running style asap.
If you start to cover some distances in 'any old trainers', if they don't suit / support any tendandcy to pronation, you are looking at muscle discomfort at a minimum, and ligament / joint wear and early fatigue as a distinct possibility.
Plus the fact that you can run further and in more comfort in the right shoes. If you get tired / muscle pain quite early on in your new, enthusiastic running career, you'll probably give up on it early on. But if you have the right kit to start with and get some encouraging results early on, you'll be more likely to stick with it.
I know a few running shops round here that will do a free analysis - I'm sure you can find somewhere that does the same?
The only people who really make proper running shoes for serious runners are Asics, Saucony, New Balance and Brookes. All the other stuff is basically just bling rubbish for flashy show offs
HTH
ts Take it from an ex-enthusiastic amateur runner, who now has a dodgy knee from years of running with an old motorcycling injury...
If you are serious about doing any kind of running that exceeds the odd jog round the block - especially on roads and tarmac surfaces - you do need to have a professional 'Gait Analysis' of your running style asap.
If you start to cover some distances in 'any old trainers', if they don't suit / support any tendandcy to pronation, you are looking at muscle discomfort at a minimum, and ligament / joint wear and early fatigue as a distinct possibility.
Plus the fact that you can run further and in more comfort in the right shoes. If you get tired / muscle pain quite early on in your new, enthusiastic running career, you'll probably give up on it early on. But if you have the right kit to start with and get some encouraging results early on, you'll be more likely to stick with it.
I know a few running shops round here that will do a free analysis - I'm sure you can find somewhere that does the same?
The only people who really make proper running shoes for serious runners are Asics, Saucony, New Balance and Brookes. All the other stuff is basically just bling rubbish for flashy show offs
HTH
So we are born unable to run properly without a running shop examining how we run and giving us expensive trainers?
What's wrong with the human body? Isn't it actually made perfectly for running, the legs, feet, knees and tendons and muscles all are designed for running without any support from trainers at all.
What's wrong with the human body? Isn't it actually made perfectly for running, the legs, feet, knees and tendons and muscles all are designed for running without any support from trainers at all.
el stovey said:
What's wrong with the human body? Isn't it actually made perfectly for running
actually, according to a Chiro I visited many years ago, the human spine has not yet evolved to enable fully upright walking / running, the Neanderthal / chimp stance is still the more natural for the curvature of our spines (or maybe its just me 
) must admit, when I last hurt my back I found crawling around on all fours the most comfortable to get about
On the running front, I'm sooo not built for it but still do it & have done every week for the last 8 years, I'm very sensitive to the right trainers but recent posts (tigsy in particular) have got me thinking on the 'natural' way.
are there any good video illustrations of the different style involved with the different footwear?
el stovey said:
So we are born unable to run properly without a running shop examining how we run and giving us expensive trainers?
What's wrong with the human body? Isn't it actually made perfectly for running, the legs, feet, knees and tendons and muscles all are designed for running without any support from trainers at all.
this.What's wrong with the human body? Isn't it actually made perfectly for running, the legs, feet, knees and tendons and muscles all are designed for running without any support from trainers at all.
Between the sole of your foot and your hip there are a staggering number of bones, tendons, muscles, etc all able to act as shock absorbers, to store energy, to provide propulsion - and have done so for thousands of years. The impact force of a man landing while running is huge - the idea that a 10cm bit of rubber can deal with that better than the human foot is crazy. About as crazy as the notion that it will also stop your foot collapsing inwards/outwards which will happen if you dont wear the right shoe!
In fact, the best thing to get your foot to collapse.....wear over supportive shoes and wreck your ankle strength and support characteristics.
The "running" show market is bizarre - they invent shoes no one needs, screw up feet/running styles - then invent gait analysis to fix it....via shoes you dont need!
If everyone read born to run the shoe market would transform over night.
el stovey said:
So we are born unable to run properly without a running shop examining how we run and giving us expensive trainers?
What's wrong with the human body? Isn't it actually made perfectly for running, the legs, feet, knees and tendons and muscles all are designed for running without any support from trainers at all.
It is, but generally people have been wearing shoes for years so when they ask "what trainers?" it's not coming from a background of barefoot walking/running. Also, lots of newcomers to running will be doing so to lose weight - the human body is not designed to cart around several stones of excess weight.What's wrong with the human body? Isn't it actually made perfectly for running, the legs, feet, knees and tendons and muscles all are designed for running without any support from trainers at all.
Minimalist shoes might be better in the long term but the transition to them is more work than with a standard pair of trainers. I vary the shoes I run in - some minimal ones, some normal - but then I'm 6ft and <75kgs and have been running competitively for ~25 years so my body is pretty well used to it.
but 99.9% of people, once sucked into the gait analysis twaddle will never get out. If we dont hit them with good info when they are starting out, they'll be in over supportive shoes for ever.
i started running in barefoot shoes at 21 stone and lost 5 of those due to having no knee pain for the first time ever.....sure, sore calves for a week but no way near as bad as people suggest the transition will be.
i started running in barefoot shoes at 21 stone and lost 5 of those due to having no knee pain for the first time ever.....sure, sore calves for a week but no way near as bad as people suggest the transition will be.
Tiggsy said:
but 99.9% of people, once sucked into the gait analysis twaddle will never get out. If we dont hit them with good info when they are starting out, they'll be in over supportive shoes for ever.
i started running in barefoot shoes at 21 stone and lost 5 of those due to having no knee pain for the first time ever.....sure, sore calves for a week but no way near as bad as people suggest the transition will be.
5 stone!? Impressive, and well done. I too am looking to lose weight but suffer with bad knees. i started running in barefoot shoes at 21 stone and lost 5 of those due to having no knee pain for the first time ever.....sure, sore calves for a week but no way near as bad as people suggest the transition will be.
Would you recommend trying barefoot running?
Barefoot everything, more like. 
I'm not a big runner but have been wearing VFFs for a few years; initially just the beach and similar but more and more I'm wearing them for exercise 'leisure' wear. As well as the VFFs I have some Nike Free 3 shoes which are pretty good and more 'socially acceptable'. Either are great for weight training.
ETA: VFF KSO: click; Nike Free: Click.
I'm not a big runner but have been wearing VFFs for a few years; initially just the beach and similar but more and more I'm wearing them for exercise 'leisure' wear. As well as the VFFs I have some Nike Free 3 shoes which are pretty good and more 'socially acceptable'. Either are great for weight training.
ETA: VFF KSO: click; Nike Free: Click.
Edited by LordGrover on Monday 19th March 14:03
Ive never been much of a runner even at my fittest I was poor but its something that I feel I need to do. Id be starting with the 1-2 mile route near home then try and build on that so I am not going to b winning any marathons EVER! Also a fair bit of my regime will prob be done on a treadmill after resistance training so comfort is quite important due to the smooth surfaces ill be running on.
I'm actually supprised some of you guys say you don't need running trainers.
I used to do a lot of running when I was a kid. Recently started back again. When I first started again I just had my normal e everyday trainers on = bad knees. Went out got some cheap running trainers as I would of stopped if my knees still hurt there bad enough as it is. My knees are now pain free.
A fella at work was telling me m and m direct have some good cheap deals on running shoes at the moment. I've not actually looked but he's normally pretty good giving a heads up
I used to do a lot of running when I was a kid. Recently started back again. When I first started again I just had my normal e everyday trainers on = bad knees. Went out got some cheap running trainers as I would of stopped if my knees still hurt there bad enough as it is. My knees are now pain free.
A fella at work was telling me m and m direct have some good cheap deals on running shoes at the moment. I've not actually looked but he's normally pretty good giving a heads up
Saucony in general are good solid running shoes from a brand that haven't got sucked into the "fashion" market.
The Nike Frees are good too and a decent interim step between "normal" running shoes and the minimalist options.
New Balance are worth a look too, and British (made in Cumbria).
The Nike Frees are good too and a decent interim step between "normal" running shoes and the minimalist options.
New Balance are worth a look too, and British (made in Cumbria).
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