Running trainers

[brightgreenapple]

Hi all
I am trying to get back into running and am having very tight calves after each one with my new gym trainers (only short distance so far 😃) and want to invest in some decent ones...

I begrudgingly threw my old ones out which I owned for years but wish I never now!

Please give me some suggestions or recommendations if you have any!

Thank you

Go to a running shop that offers gait analysis. I did (although failed miserably to get to grips with running on the shop's treadmill) and came out with a pair of Brooks which have been perfect.

Hello
can you remember what your old ones were like?
Broadly running trainers tend to be designed to give you a lot of stability, or a lot of cushioning, so its a good idea to know which camp you might be in?
If you aren't sure it might be as well to go in to a running shop where they have free 'gait analysis' basically they get you to run on a treadmill for a minute or two and then have a look at how your foot lands etc.
Also a good calf stretch might help, an easy one is just to go up onto your tip toes whilst you are sitting down on a chair, hold for a few seconds and back down.

Get some professional guidance- the running shops will spend time with you and get you the best fit for you. I have saucony but have also had brooks. But the shop will be able to advise you

Congrats for your effort, You are taking a great step again to maintain your body. Please follow small steps for maintaining your running exercise. Seek proffessional trainer for your workout.

I couldn't afford the gait analysis running shops locally so did some fierce internet research instead and settled on New Balance trainers for money vs reviews (I have the Evare).

They're beautiful to run in, although most definitely firm surface trainers - I wouldn't attempt trail running in them.

My biggest tip is to consider sizing up slightly because running trainers are much closer fitting than normal ones in my experience.

You'll get some bad advice on this thread, as all running shoe threads tend to go the same way.
Everyone will tell you to go to a local running shop, get gait analysis, and drop £130ish on a pair of shoes that you've worn for a matter of minutes on a treadmill. But what you're much better doing is getting a good idea of what you need, and then using said treadmill to try them out.
Mostly because almost all gait analysis will tell you you overpronate and then give you "corrective" stability shoes to counteract that - usually Brooks ones -which can just exacerbate the problem.

That said...
Are you running mainly on road, trail, or both?
How far are you running?
How fast are you running?
Do you carry any extra weight? (Sounds daft, but if you're heavy then more cushioning is useful)
How much do you want to spend?
Are you narrow or wide of foot?
Do you have any foot, knee, hip, back etc problems?

With the above info we can definitely help

If the OP doesn't come back @fellrunner85 I'll give you my info d'Or some advice to get some advice.

But without the random errors...

Haha, happy to help, @WhatWouldTheDoctorDo!

going against the grain

go to a sports shoe shop and try out some running shoes.
make sure they are big enough, about a finger's width of room in front of your biggest toe. for runnjng your feet need space.

decathlon has decent basic running shoes for around 50£.

Decathlon staff (at least in Sheffield) give pretty good advice. They have staff who know their sports.

If you are anywhere at all near Sheffield, Accelerate give superb advice. They stick a really big range of running shoes, so you’re not stuck with one brand that might not work for you. They staff are all runners, and they have a moderately successful shop/shop sponsored team. They work with podiatrists and physios too, and involve all their knowledge in shoe fitting.

Thanks @fellrunner85!

I recently had some orthotics fitted to correct some movement in my toe which had been causing pain in my foot, so I feel like going for the whole gait analysis is a bit of a waste of time as my expensive orthotics should take care of my foot positioning.

Are you running mainly on road, trail, or both? ROAD
How far are you running? NOT FAR, I'm doing C25K, SO UP TO 5K
How fast are you running? RIGHT NOW IT'S A SHUFFLE
Do you carry any extra weight? (Sounds daft, but if you're heavy then more cushioning is useful)ANOUT HALF A STONE
How much do you want to spend? UNDER £100 IDEALLY
Are you narrow or wide of foot? SLIGHTLY WIDE, BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR OFFICIAL WIDE FIT SHOES
Do you have any foot, knee, hip, back etc problems? HIP MOBILITY IN ONE LEG NOT BRILLIANT, BUT BEING INVESTIGATED.

I'm currently wearing some Nike Pegasus zoom 35 that I'd picked up cheaply a few years ago in the States to walk around in on a busy sightseeing holiday. They're actually pretty comfortable but are starting to get a little worn now. Looked at replacing them and realised Pegasus zoom are pretty £££, so wondering about getting a newer pair or if something cheaper would do. I bought some ASICS hybrid trail shoes a while back as I was sometimes running off road nearby, but I mostly stick to road and they're not that comfortable on that surface.

Sorry for the hijack OP!

I go to Decathlon for mine.

There's a great running shop near me and they are good, but I've got really fussy feet and found that many of the brands like to shuffle their models around when they update so couldn't stick with one style over another. Decathlon are more consistent.

Don't regret getting rid of the old ones, the materials can degrade over time so may well not have been as suitable as they once were.

You need to make sure you are doing active stretches as a warm up, and static stretches after.
A proper warm up and cool down also.

Sports Direct often have decent shoes that won't break the bank.