Cheap running shoes?

[fillthefreezer]

Haven't started yet... that's what I would just like to condition myself too.

One thing I've noticed with my running in the past is that it doesn't hardly help my hiking/packing muscles so it's not as high on my conditioning list... conditioning hikes on the weekend is what really helps me or riding hills on a bike. So if I make a run twice a week I'll be doing good!

Mike

run hills, flat ground doesnt help me that much either

 

[Jason Snyder]

Running twice a week is just fine. I've trained for marathons by running only twice a week.

Do yourself a favor and do some strength training on your legs to try and mitigate the imbalances you have. Stuff like balance lunges, straight leg deadlifts, front squats, and really focus on form and alignment.

 

[Darren Best]

It doesn't really matter if you use cheap shoes or expensive shoes if your running form is bad, you will get hurt.

Generally cheap shoes have less cushioning thus they cannot hide poor form as well.

Want a good example, do a 3 or 5 mile run in Chuck Taylors, if your form sucks, you won't get far.

Your goal needs to be to prefect your form, then it won't really matter if you use cheap or expensive shoes.

You can do this everyday, in fact I suggest you do.

Read this - http://hundredup.com/learn-georges-100-up-running-exercise/

Watch this - http://www.chrismcdougall.com/blog/2011/11/100-up-in-action/

Remember, perfection of form is much more important than numbers.

 

[Darren Best]

“Barefoot-style” shoes are now a $1.7 billion industry. But simply putting something different on your feet doesn’t make you a gliding Tarahumara. The “one best way” isn’t about footwear. It’s about form. Learn to run gently, and you can wear anything. Fail to do so, and no shoe — or lack of shoe — will make a difference.

More reading if you are interested. - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html?_r=0

 

[Z Barebow]

Haven't started yet... that's what I would just like to condition myself too.

One thing I've noticed with my running in the past is that it doesn't hardly help my hiking/packing muscles so it's not as high on my conditioning list... conditioning hikes on the weekend is what really helps me or riding hills on a bike. So if I make a run twice a week I'll be doing good!

Mike

I hear you. Once I am done with my marathon (and take a few day break), I'll get back to running but add in pack work. (First time is ALWAYS a TREAT!) We have zero hills here so I hike the local flood dike on my lunch break, transversing the slopes and doing "reversors" (Hiking backwards, uphill, with weighted pack) This will give your quads a "bang for the buck" in a matter of minutes.

 

[HellsCanyon]

It doesn't really matter if you use cheap shoes or expensive shoes if your running form is bad, you will get hurt.

Generally cheap shoes have less cushioning thus they cannot hide poor form as well.

Want a good example, do a 3 or 5 mile run in Chuck Taylors, if your form sucks, you won't get far.

Your goal needs to be to prefect your form, then it won't really matter if you use cheap or expensive shoes.

You can do this everyday, in fact I suggest you do.

Read this - http://hundredup.com/learn-georges-100-up-running-exercise/

Watch this - http://www.chrismcdougall.com/blog/2011/11/100-up-in-action/

Remember, perfection of form is much more important than numbers.

Great links thank you! I think I'm also going to start jumproping barefoot if anything to help strengthen my feet a bit. I'll be ordering my new shoes hopefully end of this week...

Mike

 

[Darren Best]

Great links thank you! I think I'm also going to start jumproping barefoot if anything to help strengthen my feet a bit. I'll be ordering my new shoes hopefully end of this week...

Mike

Go easy on that man.

I was doing sprints, weighted hikes, regular daily walking and jumping rope last summer and early fall and ended up with a really bad case of achilles tendonitis which I still have yet to completely get rid of.

Go slow.

If you feel any lingering soreness in your achilles tendons at all, stop long enough for it to go away.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Go easy on that man.

I was doing sprints, weighted hikes, regular daily walking and jumping rope last summer and early fall and ended up with a really bad case of achilles tendonitis which I still have yet to completely get rid of.

Go slow.

If you feel any lingering soreness in your achilles tendons at all, stop long enough for it to go away.

Copy that I'll listen to my body... have had issues pushing through the pain in the past but I gotta remember that I'm only doing this for hunting, and you can't hunt if you're injured!

Thanks everyone for the help, nice to have a forum where you can trust the advice you ask for!

Mike

 

[kickemall]

I've been watching this thread and found most of it, if not all to be very sound advice. I've run for exercise most of my life and generally try to get a couple miles three times a week, sometimes a lot more, sometimes a lot less. I don't really like to run but realize the benefits so I force myself to do it. I've always just walked into a discount sporting goods store and bought an inexpensive shoe that fit and wore it until the tread was worn then get a new pair. Never read anything or got advice about running form, just took off and did it. Two of the smarter things I've ever done, 1) went to a dedicated running shoe store where they sized me, looked at my arches, watched my gait then brought out about six different shoes and watched me run in each. They made recommendations but didn't force any shoe on me. What a difference that made. 2) Just last weekend I happened to see that the same store was having a "good form running clinic" so I stopped by.
They covered mostly form but also went over cadence. Cost me all of an hour and half of time and what an incredible, immediate difference. I'm not even close to having my form right yet but at least know what it should be and am on my way. If you've never worked on your form at least look online and do what you can, amazing difference.