If you checked out my stories on Instagram this past week you will know that I had my PT (Physical Therapy) appointment and was fitted for orthotics. I was referred back at the beginning of January from my primary physician when I finally bit the bullet and asked about my recurring shin pain. I knew that since she was also a runner that she would understand that I wasn’t about to give up my running any time soon. She noticed that calluses had built up on my big toes that showed that I have been pronating quite a bit especially on my left side. I didn’t realize this. I just had thought it was how my feet were. If you are new to running and haven’t heard the terms pronation, supination or neutral, let me explain really quickly. Pronation or pronating simply means that your feet have a tendency to turn in when you land. Supination is the opposite and your feet turn towards the outside. A neutral gait is where you land with your foot neither turning significantly out or in. The neutral landing pattern is where you ideally want your feet to be. Upon my doctor’s recommendation I decided to take the month off and get orthotics before I started running again. This was not easy for me to do. It’s like telling your child that they can’t go out to play for the whole month. Ok maybe, not that bad but close.
As I mentioned, I just had my PT appointment for the orthotics this past week. It was really interesting to see the therapist make the orthotics right there in office. The advantage to getting orthotics by a professional is that they are molded exactly to your feet. The physical therapist first had me walk without shoes to see how my feet were landing. After determining that I do pronate quite a bit, he began the process to make the orthotics. First, I had to stand on this box that kind of resembled a compact treadmill. I had to stand on the outside and hold on. Next, I had to press each foot one at a time into the sock liner that molds to your foot while it’s warm. Once these are molded to your foot they will glue these to the orthotics. I was super excited to be able to get them in less than an hour and could walk out wearing them right away. Unfortunately, my super bendable Nike Free RN distance shoes were not going to fit the bill for the orthotics. The physical therapy department has a list of shoe brands that they recommend their patients to wear to properly support the orthotics. Number one on the list are ASICS, followed by Brooks, Saucony and New Balance. I haven’t worn Brooks shoes before and can’t remember if I’ve ever worn Saucony or New Balance running shoes. ASICS however, I know and like. I find that they fit my feet really well so I was comfortable going back to them after having worn Nike for my last two pairs of shoes. When I first got back into distance running and preparing for my first race post- children in October 2017 I ran in the ASICS Gel-Nimbus 19. I knew that I really liked these so I decided to test out the orthotics in my old pair for my first run. I figured one short run wouldn’t hurt too much in a worn out pair of shoes. Any longer than this and I would recommend getting a new pair of shoes. I only went for three miles. Running in worn-out shoes or shoes with high mileage on them can cause injury. In my short experimental run, I found that the sturdiness of the Gel-Nimbus worked well but that I was going to have to go up at least a half size to have enough room for distance running. When you run your feet swell especially running for a long time for a long distance. Just ask someone who has run a half-marathon or marathon about losing a toe-nail or two. By the way, it hurts and they take forever to grow back. Or at least mine did. Anyway, since I had already taken the month of January off from running I wasn’t about to let any more time go by before my next run. I quickly got online and started searching for new running shoes. I was so excited when I saw the exact same pair that I had used for my test run on Amazon for under $50! Running shoes are really expensive, upwards of $100 for most pairs so when you can find them on sale, it’s not a sale to miss. Of course, I wanted to order them right away. I am so unbelievably lucky and grateful that my dad ordered them for me. Plus they would be delivered early.
The kiddos had a blast opening the package with me this morning and I headed out for a run this afternoon. The extra half-size up was definitely worth it giving a bit of room in the front for my toes and any swelling that occurs while running. I have a a slightly more narrow foot, which the Gel-Nimbus 19 fits really well. I think that if you have a slightly wider foot that you would want to go with a style that has a roomier toebox. The GT-2000 7 is described to have a roomier toe-box if you feel you might need a wider shoe keeping in mind you usually size up at least a half-size in running shoes compared to the size you would normally wear. I know that I’m currently wearing the older model but until it is discontinued I will get it. The newer model of this same shoes that came out this year is the Gel-Nimbus 21. I can’t wait to start building my base mileage back up in these awesome shoes. It crazy how just a little piece of material under your foot can completely change how your foot hits the ground and in turn changes everything about your running. Running pain free is such an amazing feeling. Stay turned for more running updates. Also, make sure to come back later this week and check out my February picks for winter running and some Valentine’s Day goodies from my favorite store Target!
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