Orthotics - Educate me....
I looking for some advice on orthotics. I have had tired, sore feet lately and I am wondering if I need more support. I am currently running with Hoka Bondi's and Kinvara's before that. I know Hoka's have a pretty flat foot bed. On a whim, I bought a set of orthotics at REI last week and gave them a shot on a 5 miler yesterday.
They made the shoe a bit tighter and added a ton of arch support. Initially, it felt like I had soda cans under my arches. But, they made the shoe feel much stiffer and I felt like I had more to push off of. As a result, my cadence seemed to come back up (hoka's seemed to have brought down my average by a step or two) and i felt I had a faster run. Without really focusing, but I was running hard, I was 40" off my PR on a little 2.5 mile grade near my house.
After the run, my arches felt a bit sore, but the good kind of sore. This morning, my feet feel good.
So, regarding orthotics, I am now officially interested. What does a guy need to know? Any sizing thoughts (the toe box seems tighter now)? Custom made? Specific benefits? Any causes for concern? Pro tips?
Comments
I tried orthotics a few months ago, but it didn't work very well for me. I have pretty flat feet and low arches, so I thought arch-supporting orthotics would help with sore, tired feet that I would ocassionally get. It turned out not really helping at all, and even made the problem worse. I'd run with the orthotics, and my feet would basically fatigue after a few miles. Wtf?
It turns out for whatever reason that I apparently run better without all that support. Previously, I was running in Asics-GT2000's with Superfeet inserts - lots of support and cushioning. I switched over to Kinvaras, and I ran without any problems at all. The most frustrating part was that I basically lost almost three weeks of running during my build to Oceanside 70.3 because of the orthotics, which made me think that my feet were really messed up. I only realized that the inserts were making things worse when I did a short test run in my minimalist race flats to assess how much the orthotics were actually helping me, and discovered that my feet felt fine.
I still don't really understand how orthotics can fatigue my feet so much, but it might be worth trying going minimal-ish and working your way up. Did you have any problems in your Kinvaras? Could be that all the extra support from the Hokas might be causing issues, like how my Asics were causing problems for me (even without the orthotics).
Maybe I should switch back to my Kinvaras and see how they feel? I don't WTF I am doing.....
Yeah, I think this is a very individual thing that you'll have to figure out by trial and error. If it ain't broke...
Seeing that my Kinvaras are doing really well for me, I'll probably be only training in those in the near future. In fact, I have two brand new pairs in my closet that I've stocked up from clearance sales
. Custom orthotics are pretty expensive, and unless if you know you're getting a tangible benefit from wearing any sort of orthotics, I wouldn't invest in a set (I'm certainly glad I didn't!)
Get evaluated by a podiatrist or orthopaedist. If they agree that you could benefit, they'll send you to a place (or do it themselves) where they take a mold of your foot and make you exact custom insoles. They are highly specific to the kinds of problems you have. It can also take a couple of iterations, as they raise and lower the heights of various bumps on the orthotic...and they may do that before making a permanent one for you. The insoles themselves are probably $100-200 per set. But if they are life changing, they are worth every penny.
I got overuse/knee injuries when I started running back in my mid 20s in grad school (late 80s) and couldn't get rid of them until I got orthotics and started running in the tank-like "stability" shoes of the day. They totally solved my problems...except that I also had to wear them all the time just walking to avoid pain.
All that said, when I switched my stride to more of a forefoot type a few years ago and moved to more minimalist shoes (Zoots and then Newtons), I have completely abandoned wearing my orthotics to run, though I still usually wear an old pair to walk in.
I am just sort of playing around because of this strange soreness in my right foot. I switched to my Kinvaras for a light treadmill brick run yesterday and they felt great. I may try my Hoka's for longer stuff and use the kinvaras for intervals? I am not sure. One note about switching to the Kinavras, they brought my cadence back up a few steps versus the Hoka's.
Not sure. I may go see a chiropractor I know. He is the founder of a really great local running club and knows a ton about running related issues. He is a wicked smart guy! My father is also buddies with a podiatrist....
We shall see....
In the past two years i've ditched my very expensive orthotics, worked on cadence and am currently running in Kinvaras, for what it's worth.
tom