According to runner’s forums, you should change your running shoes every 500 miles! I didn’t realise it was this low- I thought it was a couple of thousand miles to be honest, so my old trainers are well past their ‘use by’ date! I’ve done a handful of Race For Life 10k’s in them, all the weekly training that goes with it, and I do also use my running shoes for my weekly Step class too because I like the grip on the bottom and the impact absorbtion, so my trainers really were fit for the bin!
I went to Simply Sweat, an online retailer to choose a fresh new pair and when I started to search, I noticed a column down the left side of the webpage that asked you what terrains you’d be using the footwear on and what brands you like, but then I saw a filter that said ‘Pronations?’ The options were ‘Neutral’, ‘Overpronation’ and ‘Underpronation’. I didn’t have a clue what this meant, so I looked it up.
Pronation is the way your foot moves as you walk or run, when you step on your heel, generally your foot moves inwards as you move forwards to help your body absorb impact. If you roll too much that’s overpronation and if you don’t roll enough that’s underpronation. I was intrigued and wanted to be sure I got some new trainers to support the exact way I run, so I looked online to find out how to tell which I am.
There are two tests you can do.
The shoe wear test:
Examine the wear patterns on your shoes to assess your pronation. Check the pattern of wear on a pair of shoes that you have worn regularly. Since most people step down on the heel, look towards the front of the shoe. If there is excessive wear on the inside of the shoe, you are an overpronator; if the wear is more visible on the outside of the shoe, you are an underpronator. Even wear across the shoe means you have a neutral stride.
Then there is the footprint test:
Wet your feet and stand on a brown paper bag. Step off carefully, being sure not to drag your feet. Examine your footprint. Both neutral steps and underpronation will show a clear curve on the inside of your foot, whereas overpronation will barely leave any curve. If you tend to overpronate, almost your whole foot will be visible in your print due to low arches; if you underpronate, only a tiny band will show connecting your baby toe and heel because of high arches. Neutral pronation footprints show less than half of the foot on the outside edge.
I have under-pronation- who knew?!
So armed with this very useful information, I searched the womens sport shoes at Simply Sweat and chose the Nike Air Icarus Plus running shoe. I needed something that absorbs impact well and this looked like a winner!
Here is me wearing the new trainers:
The shoes cost £77 and are specially designed for running. I wanted something that was breathable and cushioned so my joints would be well protected as I pound the pavements to get my last 1.5 stones in weight off! I’ve shifted more than 4 stone so far and I’m on the home straight, so running weekly is something that I make sure I do.
I’m currently in my comfort zone of 6k each time I run, but my aim is to get to an easy 10k within the next few weeks for when I do my next Race For Life this summer. I went for a run today in the new trainers and was really pleased with how supported I felt in them. I ran steadily and felt comfortable throughout, and they did feel cushioned – my joints didn’t get that jarring that sometimes you can get when you are in shoes that are ready for a change!!
Here is the link to my exact shoes: http://www.simplysweat.com/products/Nike/WomensAirIcarusPlusRunningShoe-WhiteandAnthracite.aspx
If you want to see a close up of the shoes- check this out, but beware, they are so box fresh they are almost blinding!
I have purchased other sportswear from Simply Sweat in the past and they are always super quick with their deliveries and I’ve never had a problem with any of their products. A friend at my gym asked me about these shoes when I wore them to last Thursday’s Step class and liked the name ‘Simply Sweat’ so I think she’ll be treating herself to a new pair of sports trainers too! I’m running on full now, whereas before I was running on flat! The old tired trainers have finally gone in the bin!
Thank you to Simply Sweat for sending me these shoes to review.
I got the information on Pronation here.
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