How to choose the right running gear? Selection of running shoes Gait analysis

In the long-term confrontation between the asphalt and the foot, the latter gradually loses and “gives up” - it flattens and deforms. The foot is the foundation of the body, and flaws in the foundation inevitably cause the destruction of the entire structure. Whether you're training for your next marathon or just running in the park or on the boardwalk, your feet are put under serious strain by balancing, steadying, pushing, and more. The need for custom insoles is on the rise.

A few years ago, individual insoles were made exclusively for professional athletes. Today, this opportunity is available to everyone. Individual insoles are needed not only to remove pain, they improve coordination of movement, reduce the load on your body, prevent injuries, and also create a feeling of comfort when walking and running. Sports individual insoles are strictly necessary for people with a weight above the average value or with acquired deformity of the feet (flat feet, hollow foot, varus feet, etc.).

How custom running insoles work:

• Keep the feet in the correct position, supporting the transverse and longitudinal arches of the feet
• Improve blood circulation in the feet and lower extremities in general
• Reduce the load on the spine, hip, knee and ankle joints
• Provides optimal foot roll over the surface
• Evenly distributes the load across all areas of the foot

- run faster
- run more efficiently
- Run safer
- Run more beautiful

Running gear starts with shoes. The selection of running shoes that will allow you to run easily, for a long time and without injury is an important task for both those who take their first steps in amateur running and experienced athletes.

There are a few things to keep in mind when shopping.

First, running shoes need to be measured. Buying without trying on is only acceptable if you take the same model from the same manufacturer of the same model year (!) - and even then there is a risk that the new pair will not sit on the foot like the old one. There can be many reasons for this: manufacturers change something in detail, and your running technique undergoes changes (preferably for the better), and the shape and size of the foot do not remain the same.

So you are in the store. Before your eyes, a variegated display on the shelves, a wealth of choice makes you dizzy ... What to prefer? what to pay attention to? what properties (except for your favorite shade for the color of the eyes) should be taken into account in the choice?

Firstly, sneakers should provide comfort. This means that the last and upper must match the shape of the foot and the usual running technique. Take the time to try on, make sure you are comfortable sitting, standing, moving, jumping. Get the right size so your foot doesn't fidget when the laces are properly tightened, while leaving enough room between your longest toe and the toe of your shoe to save your nails. It is better to try on sneakers in the same socks that you plan to run in. Pay attention to the shape and thickness of the insole, it should not go astray and “wrinkle”. The upper of the shoe should not restrict ankle movement. Make sure the lacing system is right for you. Secondly, think about foot protection. The stiffness of the sole and the density of the upper must match the conditions in which the sneakers will work: almost weightless marathons for speed training in the stadium and smooth asphalt are unlikely to be as good on a mountain trail or in a forest broken rut from an ATV. Think similarly about the tread pattern.

Stores that have a professional approach to runners give athletes the opportunity to try the shoes on the run.

This is done on a treadmill. In addition to the subjective assessment of shoes (comfortable-uncomfortable), the treadmill makes it possible to evaluate the compliance of running shoes with your technique and biomechanics. This is done through video analysis of your run on the treadmill.

GAIT analysis

Behind (sometimes also in front and on the side) of a modern treadmill with adjustable speed and inclination of the canvas, a video camera is installed, which allows you to shoot at a high frame rate. After a warm-up step, a run is recorded at a comfortable pace, barefoot and in shoes. In this way, you can test several pairs of sneakers in order to choose the most suitable model.

Running workshop in the Sport-Marathon store

Special software allows you to frame-by-frame review of the recording, while making visible the fine details of the biomechanics of running. Of particular value is the ability to measure angles in the joints(first of all, in the ankle) in various phases of the running step.

When you run with the right foot placement, you use your energy most efficiently, so you can run faster over long distances.

An important characteristic of an individual running step is change in the angle between the foot and lower leg. For most people, when viewed from behind, the landing occurs with a slight inward deviation of the foot (the load is on the outer rib of the foot). Then, at the end of the depreciation phase and on takeoff, there is a roll to the inside edge of the foot, and the foot deviates outward. This complex movement (simultaneous extension, outward deviation and lowering of the inner edge) is called pronation.

There is an opinion that the “ideal” shoes make it possible to bring the biomechanics of running as close as possible to running barefoot (naturally, “from the toe”) and thus reduce the likelihood of injury - however, it was not possible to find confirmation of this in correct and reproducible studies.

An alternative view says that running shoes allow you to optimally change the biomechanics of running (including allowing you to run “from the heel”), reducing peak loads and thus reducing the risk of injury - but this does not have a sufficient evidence base.

However, while scientists are arguing about the extent to which running shoes help or hinder running “correctly” (whatever that means), many running shoe manufacturers make models specifically tailored for people with varying degrees of pronation.

Choosing shoes that match pronation may reduce the risk of injury.

Their logic is that choosing shoes that match the severity of pronation can reduce the risk of injury - it is assumed that the design features of sneakers provide optimal load distribution and reduce the possibility of a joint moving into an injury-prone position. When using this approach, keep in mind that the movements of the right and left legs may be asymmetrical, and that an attempt to overcompensate for the “wrong” angle in one joint (ankle) may adversely affect the other (knee). In addition, an excessive increase in the shock-absorbing properties of the shoe makes it impossible for the runner to feel the surface on which he runs with the sole - this can cause a mismatch in the work of the muscles of the foot and lower leg.

Almost everyone who runs has experienced injury. Painful knees, clogged calves, inflammation of the periosteum. Or maybe you have no injuries, but you would like to improve your results.

The most correct way will be to work on yourself - improve your technique, work on strength and endurance. But it would also be nice if your running shoes helped in this process.

Why choose shoes - Gait analysis

There are a lot of running shoes and brands - one company, Asics, has about 30 models. They differ not only in color. There are arch support shoes for runners with flat feet, heavily cushioned shoes for those with sore knees or heel spurs, and light and responsive shoes for professional athletes with strong muscles.

The selection of sneakers is designed to help you understand this range and find the right shoe for you. It will not make your running technique perfect. But it will help you choose sneakers that right now, after leaving the store, will allow you to train without overloading your muscles and improve your physical shape and technique.

Interview

We will find out your running experience, injuries, physiological parameters, what goals you want to achieve, how you train. It depends on what degree of cushioning and stabilization you need.

For beginners, models with strong cushioning and stability are suitable, because their feet are the weakest link in the chain of running muscles. They get tired the fastest, and it turns out that the body has just warmed up, and the feet are already tired.

For experienced amateurs, it is more difficult - they need not only softness so as not to get tired ahead of time, but also rigidity, which will allow them to run fast. That is, we are looking for medium stiffness and trying to reduce the weight of the shoe.

Injuries are also different. For example, with a heel spur, you need a lot of cushioning, and stabilization is not necessary at all. And with the syndrome of a split leg, on the contrary, stabilization is most important. If you overpronate, the arch support is important, and if the heel falls sideways, then you need a hard heel counter.

Thus, by interviewing you, we understand an approximate set of models that may suit your features and needs.

Running test

You take turns putting on different shoes from the set that we identified during the survey phase and running in them on the treadmill. Feel them on your feet, appreciate the convenience and comfort.
We are recording your run on camera at this time. Then we analyze the record using the testing program: we determine the angles in the joints of the legs at various phases of running, we look at the general position of the body, posture, and the movement of the center of gravity.

This information helps determine which running shoe is best for the task at hand. For example, the hard heel of which model of sneakers better keeps the foot from blockage. Or which arch support better fights with excessive pronation. In which sneakers the body position is symmetrical. What is the best sole for stabilizing the foot? In addition, based on the video, we can give general recommendations for improving running technique.

What do you get as a result

At the end of the test, we give you a report, which will contain all the information that we received from you and entered into the questionnaire, as well as a full report on the running test, with screenshots from our program. All tested sneaker models, all recorded phases of the running movement and comments on them. General comment on the outcome of the test. With this report, you can come to any running store and choose your own sneakers if for some reason we don’t have the right ones in our assortment. Not always the problem is solved by sneakers. Depending on the situation, our staff may recommend you get running orthopedic insoles, see a massage therapist or a doctor. This information will also be included in the report.

Where to go

Tests are conducted in all Runlab stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Sign up for a convenient time in advance to book a convenient time for you.

Where to sign up

You can sign up in the form at the top of the page, as well as by calling +7 800 777-06-67.

Price

The test costs 1,200 rubles in Moscow and 990 rubles in St. Petersburg, and after passing it, a discount of the same amount is given for the purchase of sneakers. You can use the discount on any day - just show the seller a check with payment for the test.