New shoes, sore ankles... what to do?

[runner55]

As a young adult I was a keen runner (3-7 miles, 3 times a week). Personal reasons stopped me running for a long time and I am now mid-forties started running again a few months ago, I have gone from can't even run 100m to running 2.5 miles. Took it slowly to avoid injury as I'm quite heavy, about 4 stone heavier than when I ran a lot. All good, very proud of myself.

So. I just bought new running shoes and did a long run in them yesterday. Immediately after and still today my ankles are quite sore. I thought I'd chosen the shoes quite carefully for my overpronation and weight, so I'm wondering if I rushed into wearing them for a long run and that was the problem, or if I've chosen the wrong shoes? Will wearing them again make it better or worse?

I don't want to get properly injured especially after being so careful, and I've never had this with running shoes before but on the other hand I've never run this heavy before....

Yes you rushed

I always break in my new running trainers with lots of walking first and would never plunge straight in to a long run

But you were running at the same weight with the previous trainers and no problem?

certainly the weight won’t be helping and personally I’d wait to lose a bit of weight first because the pressure on your joints will be substantial at 4 stone over.

I would see how many step I do on a long run and try to match that with a decent paced walk

How long is long...?

At any rate, the whole point is that your new shoes should be at least as comfortable as the old ones.
Where did you buy them...? What make and model are they?
Running shoes are made to be good to go, they don't need "running in" as such.
That said, PPs who say they do a short run in new types of shoe first - this is prudent as it clarifies whether the shoe is indeed for you, without leaving you stranded miles from home with painful feet or legs.

4st is quite a lot - no judgement here, I'm 2.5 stone over how much I weighed in my fastest days, and so I speak from experience - too much extra weight does have an effect. If you can find something soft like dirt trails or playing fields / golf courses to run on, that helps a bit.

Yes I was running in my previous running shoes with no problems until I switched yesterday. In fact when I started I was a stone heavier and still no pain of any sort. Losing weight first isn't on my to do list, I'm running for my mental health and there's a long, personal backstory about my weight which I don't really want to go into, I only mentioned weight because I didn't know if being heavier I needed to break the shoes in, previously I've just whacked the new shoes on and job done. I walk lots, but love running!

Long is relative 😁just over 2.5 miles, which is my max at the moment but I've run that before, recently I mean.

Thanks for the idea about running on something softer, there's a few playing fields round here I can incorporate if I switch up my routes. 😊

They are Asics, I've always worn adidas in the past but did a bit of research as my weight has changed since last time I was into running, so I wanted to get something appropriate. It's these: Asics | GT-Xuberance 2 Women's Running Shoes | Stable Road Running Shoes | SportsDirect.com

But weight is relevant if you’re talking about pain and running

however fact that you were running last week and no pain but different trainers - I’d just go for a few long walks in the new ones to get used to them.

Maybe you don't need a stability shoe any more, or maybe the "drop" of the shoe is different to what you are used to (the difference in height between the toe area and the heel). Where is hurting? Do you think maybe you ran faster / harder than usual because your shoes felt fresh and bouncy?
I ran 8 miles in brand new shoes earlier in the week (planned 3 so it wasn't my brightest move admittedly, but that's the top end of my usual distances) and I was fine after, also mid 40s and a bit overweight.

You may find you just can't wear a certain brand of shoe. I can't wear Asics even though I over pronate.

Huge congratulations on getting to those miles in such a short space of time. Took me a year to run 5km when I was in my 40s!

Where did you buy them...? Just asking because the odd retailer has a generous return policy.
Given physio can be 40 or 50 quid an appointment, it's false economy to try to make your body somehow suit shoes that aren't right for it. Annoying and expensive, I know. I remember getting a couple of pairs (in my early days) that weren't right, and they got relegated to walking sneakers very quickly. So frustrating.

Are there any retailers close by where you could try a new pair of the ones you had before, on a treadmill so you can go for more than "to the other end of the shop"? Some running shops do gait analysis too (always listen to your body first tho!).

Hmm I never considered I might not need the same type of support.

It hurts a little on the inside of my ankles, like where the knobbly bit is, and it hurts mostly on the front where the ankle meets the foot, kind of between the midline and the knobbly bit on the other side. Sorry that's not very clear.

Yes I might have run faster here and there, I was having fun 😁

Thanks @MeeThree ! The hardest run was the first one, it took me about 10 minutes to muster up the courage to open my front door and step out to run/stagger...

Maybe so, bit gutted though, it was birthday money and I'm skint (isn't everyone at the moment!)

@Paperbagsaremine it was sportsdirect, we're not near a big town so I ordered online after doing some reading up. So frustrating, I'll have to go back to the old ones for a bit I think, can't afford another new pair at the moment 😕
I'll have a look see if there's a proper running shop not too far away for next time.

@runner55 oh no! Maybe they just need breaking in. Other idea is to try a different pair of socks. Sometimes a slightly thicker sports pair can work if it's pain in your ankles.

Maybe, I might give it a few days then wear them for walking with different socks. See if that helps. If not I guess it's a case of sticking them on eBay and learning a lesson not to buy running shoes without trying them on.
My first pair of runners, that I loved dearly, were a present from my Dad, so I had nothing to do with choosing them but they were perfect! Maybe I was just lucky that time.

I never break in running trainers. Ok, I wouldn’t go out in a new pair and do a really long run in case they didn’t suit my feet but I would do at least 5k straight out of the box. Did someone sports direct help you or did you pick them yourself? You’re probably better qualified than the staff in there if you need advice on running shoes! It might just be due to the way you had them laced if they hurt round your ankles?

It's not so much that they might need breaking in, rather that you need to get used to the difference between a new supportive shoe and the old pair that's probably got a few hundred miles on them.

So I'd keep going with them for a while longer, and see how my ankles adapted to the slightly different action that might have arisen.

I'm assuming from your "having fun" comment that they didn't hurt when you were actually running. So it's possible they've just given some of your ankle muscles a bit of a different work out to usual.

omg no sports direct didn't help me! I did some reading myself then ordered what I'd picked.
I'll try looking at the lacing, thanks.

Yes it was a good run, started to feel a bit uncomfortable near the end but I was happy to keep running. Then once I stopped it was a different story ...

Thanks everyone, I'll take all your advice on board and hope for the best.

I had New Balance 850s (?) that are designed to stabilise over pronation. They ruined my ankles and cost me a fortune in physio because the over-pronation was actually a result of ankle instability rather than foot shape. The shoes forced my ankles in an unnatural way and did a lot of damage. My physio actually advised me to go for really neutral shoes despite me being a rolling flappy mess on the gait analysis video. Since then it's gone so much better! It's possible that you've just got the wrong shoes for your body.

@StamppotAndGravy that's really interesting. I'm hypermobile so it could be ankle instability I suppose. I'd never really thought about why.
Think I might try walking the dogs in them and see how that goes.

I'm hypermobile too. The instability comes all the way down from my hips and ends up with a flappy hopeless bambi run unless I wear ankle braces. Do you have flat feet? If not, the over pronation may be your ankles rather than your feet (disclaimer I'm not a physio!). My stabilising shoes had quite soft uppers over very solid soles which meant my ankles weren't supported enough, but then the very solid sole stopped that movement being countered by a foot roll. I was effectively crunching my ankle sideways with every step.

Thanks @StamppotAndGravy, no flat feet, just crappy ligaments. Washing up yesterday I accidentally bent my finger back so far it popped. That's kind of standard. I think your explanation makes complete sense.