Thanks all. Yes, I'd definitely like to ween myself off of orthotics. Unfortunately, I'm a little ways away from being able to do that at the moment. I was battling a case of PTT (posterior tibial tendonosis) that kept me from running for a few months last OS. The orthotics definitely helped with that, and I'm back to running semi-comfortably now. I still get some soreness after long/hard runs, but there's definitely been improvement. I'm optimistic that with continued stretching/strengthening I'll get past it, but PTT is notoriously chronic. For the moment, I'm either in shoes with orthotics or my Oofos sandals 100% of the time, and that has helped immensely. Even walking around barefoot, or in shoes without orthotics for a little while causes soreness. So, while I'd love to ditch the orthotics eventually, I'm not keen on finding out the hard way that I wasn't quite ready to ditch them.
@John Katsoudas I wonder if "one run" aka a race, would really set you back that far? My guess is it wouldn't destroy you if the other 364 days a year you were really diligent?
@Coach Patrick Yes, you may be right in that it would probably be OK. I could probably even attempt a treadmill run or two to get a sense for how much soreness, if any, I'd experience in the VF's without orthotics. The only problem is that it's a fairly expensive experiment to try out my brand-new size 12.5 VF's on the treadmill, only to realize that they're not going to work for me without orthotics, and then I can't sell them as new.
Thanks for posting about this exciting topic guys and extra thanks to @Al Truscott for the data. I'm looking to get some 4% for racing next season.
To piggy-back on @Al Truscott 's comment about "forcing me to use my own internal resources to get all those bones in my feet and ankles to work as they are supposed to." I switched my "every day" walk around/work shoes from retired running shoes to Vivobarefoots (minimalist, with options for more formal looking shoes for various occasions) in 2010. I think it has dramatically strengthened the small stabilizing muscles in my feet and calves. It also stretched out my achillies overtime going from an everyday shoe with a ~10 mm drop to zero drop minimalist shoe. And when/if I go hiking in vivo barefoots, or do a lot of walking in them, then I really notice my feet and lower legs getting strong. I think this switch helped decrease my personal running injury rate in my feet & lower legs.
Trying out the newer Flyknit version of the Vaporfly with speed laces, I discovered that they work just fine without cinching down the laces. I ran with them that way in a duathlon yesterday, and saved a few seconds in each transition with no impact on my run. I could probably ditch the laces altogether, but then I wouldn't have a place to attach a Stryd pod.
Comments
Thanks all. Yes, I'd definitely like to ween myself off of orthotics. Unfortunately, I'm a little ways away from being able to do that at the moment. I was battling a case of PTT (posterior tibial tendonosis) that kept me from running for a few months last OS. The orthotics definitely helped with that, and I'm back to running semi-comfortably now. I still get some soreness after long/hard runs, but there's definitely been improvement. I'm optimistic that with continued stretching/strengthening I'll get past it, but PTT is notoriously chronic. For the moment, I'm either in shoes with orthotics or my Oofos sandals 100% of the time, and that has helped immensely. Even walking around barefoot, or in shoes without orthotics for a little while causes soreness. So, while I'd love to ditch the orthotics eventually, I'm not keen on finding out the hard way that I wasn't quite ready to ditch them.
@John Katsoudas I wonder if "one run" aka a race, would really set you back that far? My guess is it wouldn't destroy you if the other 364 days a year you were really diligent?
Putting "Coach" hat back on now...
@Coach Patrick Yes, you may be right in that it would probably be OK. I could probably even attempt a treadmill run or two to get a sense for how much soreness, if any, I'd experience in the VF's without orthotics. The only problem is that it's a fairly expensive experiment to try out my brand-new size 12.5 VF's on the treadmill, only to realize that they're not going to work for me without orthotics, and then I can't sell them as new.
@Scott Dinhofer Fyi, I saw a pair for sale online for just $3000.00, looks like you got a deal!
Thanks for posting about this exciting topic guys and extra thanks to @Al Truscott for the data. I'm looking to get some 4% for racing next season.
To piggy-back on @Al Truscott 's comment about "forcing me to use my own internal resources to get all those bones in my feet and ankles to work as they are supposed to." I switched my "every day" walk around/work shoes from retired running shoes to Vivobarefoots (minimalist, with options for more formal looking shoes for various occasions) in 2010. I think it has dramatically strengthened the small stabilizing muscles in my feet and calves. It also stretched out my achillies overtime going from an everyday shoe with a ~10 mm drop to zero drop minimalist shoe. And when/if I go hiking in vivo barefoots, or do a lot of walking in them, then I really notice my feet and lower legs getting strong. I think this switch helped decrease my personal running injury rate in my feet & lower legs.
Trying out the newer Flyknit version of the Vaporfly with speed laces, I discovered that they work just fine without cinching down the laces. I ran with them that way in a duathlon yesterday, and saved a few seconds in each transition with no impact on my run. I could probably ditch the laces altogether, but then I wouldn't have a place to attach a Stryd pod.