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This is the one piece of kit you should invest in. You will need at least two pairs over the course of your marathon training, more if you do a lot of your training off road or on the coast because mud, water and salt all increase the wear on the shoe material.
Most people need a ‘neutral’ style running shoe. ‘Anti-pronation’ trainers or ‘stability’’ trainers are sold far too frequently and can cause more problems than they solve. This is because pronation is normal and when people are told that they have ‘overpronation’ it is often due to weaknesses further up the leg. If in doubt get in touch with Lucy and her team.
Decent running shoes do not come cheap but equally the most expensive brand is not necessarily the best. Just chose a running specific shoe from a decent brand, for example Asics, New Balance, Nike, Saucony or Brooks. Try on a variety of brands because they all provide a slightly different fit and the primary requirement for running shoes is comfort.
To know whether it’s time to change your shoes, take your shoe off and hold the front of the shoe in one hand and the heel in the other. Try to bend the shoe – it should bend first over the big toe and afterwards over the arch of the foot, not the other way around. Get in touch with Lucy and her physio team if you are not sure whether it is time to change your shoes.
Follow @octopusclinic on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and/or Lucy Macdonald on YouTube to access our latest free videos on marathon training and injury prevention. If you would like our marathon handbook and are running for charity please contact Lucy Macdonald directly on lucymacdonaldphysio@hotmail.co.uk or if you would like to get the video course Your Marathon: Your Physio please click on the link.
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