The Great Gait

Over a lifetime, your pedometer will clock more than 100,000 miles, and your feet—all the while—will have succumbed to billions of pounds of impact, says Paul Langer, MD, a podiatrist with the Minnesota Orthopaedic Specialists in Minneapolis and an avid runner. “The impact forces of running are pretty amazing,” Langer says. “A 150-pound runner will experience 12 million pounds of impact during a marathon, but the body can survive and absorb that if it has good alignment.” And proper body alignment starts with your feet.

“If you’re in the wrong shoe, you’re not going to be comfortable,” says John Long, owner of Minneapolis-based Marathon Sports. Like the tires on a car, your shoes experience tread, so they need to be replaced every 350 to 550 miles for optimal comfort, support, and performance. Unlike tires, however, when it comes to footwear, there’s no Michelin-grade, so we turned to the experts to help you find the right fit.

The structure of the foot can be characterized into three different types: high arch, low arch or flat foot, and normal arch. Folks with high and low arches, unfortunately, get the short end of the stick. “People with higher arches and people with flat feet constitute a big part of what we see as common running injuries,” Long says. “These foot types have stresses that are different than the normal arch.” Here’s the breakdown:

High Arched Foot
What it looks like: The footprint looks as though there is a prominent print of the forefoot and heel.

How it moves: “If you have a high arch, you do what’s called supination,” Long says. Supination is when the foot rotates to the outside; supinators tend to walk on the outer edge of the sole.

Common injuries: Shin splints and stress fractures because a high-arched foot is less efficient at absorbing shock.

Best shoe: People with higher arches have feet that are not very flexible and don’t absorb shock effectively, try a cushioned, flexible shoe that will encourage foot motion.

Stay away from: Shoes with motion control or stability. A high arched foot is already rigid, and these styles reduce the mobility of the foot.

Low Arched Foot
What it looks like: A flat sole with no prominent arch.

How it moves: Low arched feet tend to pronate. The strike zone occurs on the outside of the heel and rolls inward.

Common injuries: Excessive pronation can cause many injuries over time because it “can put more pressure into the knees, shins, and hips,” Long says. This can cause Achilles tendonitis, or the inflammation of the big tendon that attaches from the heel up into the calf.

Best shoe: Shoes with motion control or stability features that will reduce the degree of pronation. “Someone with a flat foot is actually too flexible,” Langer says. “They need a shoe that has more stabilizing features to help minimize how much their foot collapses.”

Stay away from: Highly cushioned or curved shoes that lack stability.

Normal Arched Foot
What it looks like: The footprint looks like there is a band connecting the forefoot and the heel. 

How it moves: The strike zone occurs on the outside of the heel and rolls inward slightly to absorb shock.

Best shoe: Normal or not, “everyone is going to pronate to some degree,” Long says. Look for a stable shoe with moderate control features.

Stop by an athletic footwear store to get the proper assessment and find the right shoe.

Marathon Sports, 50th & Penn Ave., Mpls., 612-920-2606
Gear Running Store, 44th & France, Edina, 952-926-2645
Run N Fun, 868 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, 651-290-2747
STARTLINE Running Store, 12979 Ridgedale Dr., Minnetonka, 952-593-1116
Running Room, four locations, including 2801 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls., 612-872-2921