Guide To Running Footwear - D&J Sports

Guide To Running Footwear

Ground Reaction Forces
• Ground reaction forces are created when the foot strikes the ground.
• Impact force can be as strong as 3x body weight depending on the
  speed of the run.
• The running shoe is designed to stop the downward movement force
  and transfer it to an upward movement force for each step. This
  means that part of the energy created from impact is transfromed
  into energy to help you push off.
• Faster Run = Greater Force = Greater Upward Movement.

Cushioning Biomechanics
• Cushioning is aimed to systematically reduce forces at peak impact, as
  well as enhancing the comfort of the shoe.
• It works like a spring by increasing the range of compression and the
  duration of impact.
• The more flexible the material, the greater the spring effect which
  reduces more force.
• With a soft sole matierial the pressure is spread over a larger surface
  area, reducing force and increasing comfort.
• The main aim of the cushioning is that joints are stabilised, and
  overall load is reduced.

Types of Cushioning
The type of cushioning is generally dependent on the track or surface.
The construction of the shoe should cater to the surface requirements;
such as a forest floor, mountain or road.
• A lightly cushioned shoe would be recommended for those running
  on a softer surface and for someone that wants more ground contact.
  An example would be someone running off road, we would
  recommend a trail running shoe.
• For running on hard surfaces we recommend a stronger cushioning
  system in order to create a softer ground contact and higher level of
  comfort. A road running shoe would be recommended for those
  running on a hard surface.

Support
During ground impact the supporting elements
of the shoe can come into action. The support is
designed to reduce the the lateral force of the
pronation.
• Over-pronation is when the lateral force is
  greater than the vertical force.
The support is provided by supportive elements
of the shoe but also by material of differing
hardness in the sole; this would be described as
a “Medial Post” within the shoe.
Different people have different running styles,
therefore each individual has different running
requirements. A way to find this would be to
undergo a “gait analysis”.

Medial Post - Asics and Saucony
• The Medial Post is a firmer material precisely placed on the in-step of the trainer
  designed to prevent pronation as it happens. Asics and Saucony are 2 of the brands
  we do, that implement this technology.
Through these supporting elements of the shoe the..
• pressure point is moved in medio-lateral direction
• anatomical differences are compensated
• and overpronation is levelled out.

Guide Rails - Brooks
• Guide rails address the foot and knee
  relationship with a support system tht
  reduces excess rotation.
• They are designed to stabilise
  calcaneal (the heel) eversion with the
  inner wall, whilst limiting calcaneal
  rotation with the outer wall.
• Basically they are designed to stop
  pronation before it begins.
• The inner Guide Rail is designed to
  replace the “medial post”.

- Gait Analysis
Here at D&J Sports we offer a free Gait Analysis service. It usually
takes 20 - 30mins and we ask that you wear shorts or leggings so that
we can see the back of your knees.
• Firstly we supply you with a pair of neutral trainers (no support). This
  is so that we can assess your level of pronation.
• We ask you to run at your typical speed on our treadmill whilst we
  take a short video of the back of your legs and feet.
• From this video we cut it down into frames and measure your angles
  of pronation on both feet.
• Depending on the results we recommend some options and re-test
  to show you the comparrisons and how the support is affecting your
  running.

The pictures below show some of our top running trainers. The Brooks Glycerin is a top of the range neutral
trainer which offers no support to prevent pronation, however it feels amazingly soft when on. As you can see
the pronation is quite high in this shoe so its important not to mistake comfort for the right shoe.
The other running trainers are all supportive. For this particular runner the GT-2000 7 would be the best
option as their level of pronation is considerably decreased, however this can differ for other people.
This is why during a Gait Analysis we try you out in different running trainers to find which best suites your
individual running needs.

Brooks Glycerin 17        Brooks Adrenaline GTS 19              Asics GT-2000 7            Saucony Guide ISO

Our Offer to the Markland Clininc Clients

                  10% off Running Shoes
          After completing a Gait Analysis. (excludes sale)

To book:                           Bring your Markland appointment
call us on: 01285 652227           card to recieve discount.