I went shoe shopping yesterday. I wasn't thrilled about it, but my physical therapist suggested I get running shoes that limit pronation and such because he's stumped. He doesn't know what's happening, but this might help.
He keeps asking me if the doctor has ordered any bone scan sort of stuff, and from the questions, I get the sense that he thinks she should have. But she's the one with the MD. And the two alternatives she gave me were to try physical therapy or try a podiatrist, and she recommended the physical therapy.
Anyway, I thought I'd give the more structured shoes a try, and hope for the best. And if they don't help, then I have to decide if it's worth pursuing further, since it's not a disabling pain or anything.
At the store, I talked to the running salesperson about what he suggested, and she started showing me the super structured shoes and the medium structured shoes. (Quite a difference from my five fingers, which I love, and have tried to emulate in other shoes. Oops.) The super structured ones were a bit uncomfortable. And the three pairs of medium ones were all pretty darned comfortable. And priced pretty closely.
So I was doing the thing where you put a different sort of shoe on each foot and try them and walk around and compare.
Meanwhile, another woman was sitting nearby, trying on walking shoes. And while our salespeople had gone off to find other samples or something, we chatted. She started it by saying something about my running and her walking. And I responded by saying as long as we were both playing outside, we won because getting out makes all the difference, and I said something about biking. She said she'd never much liked biking even as a kid. And I asked her if she'd tried a recumbent bike, because they're way cool.
She said that she was 87 and not going to take up biking now. To be clear, she said this in a totally friendly, amused, happy way.
And I was FLOORED. I'd figured her for maybe somewhere between 60 and 65. She walked with a spark, and she held herself with animation, and I just NEVER would have guessed her for 20+ years older. And I told her so.
And then we went back to talking about how great it is to get outside and exercise.
I think she's living proof that there's something good in it.
Did you go to the New Balance store? They have the best shoes--totally worth the price because they last forever and do help. My BIL is a physical therapist and recommends them for people with pronation (like my sister, and to a lesser extent, me. But I liked them because they're comfortable even before he recommended them.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Home State, I went to the zoo with my sister, her two kids, her best friend and her two kids. All seven of us were wearing the same pair of gray new balance--one of the mediums.
No, alas, we don't have any really specialized running stores in town. I got Brooks.
ReplyDeleteSo far, so good!