Beginners should be giving some thought to the running shoes and apparel they will wear on race day. Experienced runners should have hopefully done this already.

Each year the Malta Marathon sees a substantial number of newcomers or walkers turned runners going through this thought process.

It is advisable not to purchase such items only a few days before the event since it would be a disaster to have to stop during the race due to blisters.

One big plus in your favour is that almost all shops are on sale right now. So, you can actually save a few euros or, with the same money, buy a better shoe than you might have purchased before Christmas.

Running shoe technology requires learning some jargon. The main distinction between shoes is in cushioning and how much control your foot requires when it hits the ground.

The major foot problems are termed “pronation” or “supination”, with the former being worse.

Imagine viewing a runner’s shoes from behind. In someone with no biomechanical problems, the heel lands, the foot rolls directly forward and drives off from the toe. In a runner who pronates, after the foot lands, the heel seems to collapse inwards towards the inside of the foot.

Depending upon the severity of the pronation, this collapse halts at some point.

The foot is corrected and the toe-off continues as normal. This is quite common and a number of running shoes are available to correct the problem. Uncorrected, this running style is known to cause ankle, knee, hip and even back problems.

Place your shoes on a tabletop and eyeball them from behind. Do they appear to be “leaning” inwards? Or else, have a knowledgeable friend view your footstrike from behind. If this description fits you, ask the shop staff for an “anti-pronation” shoe.

In simple cases, this may mean that the heel area towards the inside of the foot is made of stiffer material in serious cases, there might actually be some form of “footbridge” device within the heel itself to control this rock and roll effect.

“Supination” is the opposite effect, you run on the outside of your foot.

Note, I don’t mean simply that you wear down the outside edge of the rubber of the heel. Many runners do that. Do the eyeball thing again, do your shoes appear to lean outwards?

Again, tell the sales staff. It’s even a good idea to take your current running shoes with you. Good sales staff will learn a lot from seeing them.

You might be fortunate and have a “neutral” footstrike, one with neither of the above problems.

In this case choose a shoe with good cushioning, you only get one set of joints and they have to last a lifetime.

Always make sure the upper is breathable, or your feet will wind up like slippery sausages in a wet plastic bag after a few miles. No leather uppers on race day, please.

If you are a beginner, I suggest you do not buy light racing shoes.

To save weight, these generally do not have motion control correction built into them. So your problems can worsen while wearing them and may cause you to slow down or stop. As a beginner, it is doubtful if these will save you any time on race day.

Every time your foot hits the ground, you land with the shock of three (or more) times your body weight. Light, fast, efficient athletes who are only going to take a little longer than one hour to run a half marathon, can deal with this very well.

Remember that your feet will strike the ground hundreds or even thousands of times with every training run or walk that you do. Better cushioning will keep you safe from related injuries. Each foot comes into contact with the ground some 60 to 100 times per minute, depending on the speed one is running or walking.

Slower runners who may be carrying a few extra pounds, be less biomechanically efficient, and take close to two hours.

Without proper cushioning, such runners can expect pain late in the race as the shock jars their joints with each footstrike. Avoid racing shoes, go for a well-cushioned shoe that offers a comfortable ride.

If you get a blank stare from the shop staff when you mention words like pronation, head for the door. You would not buy a computer or a car, from someone who did not know what they were selling, why should you do so for running shoes?

If you can, take a knowledgeable runner with you for advice. Enjoy your running.

Note: This article was written by the late John Walsh in the build-up to a previous Malta Marathon a few years back.

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