Getting used to less support?

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2010-02-08 5:42 PM

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Subject: Getting used to less support?
I currently run in Asics Gel 1140 and they feel very comfortable.  I just bought some Zoot Ultra Tempo 2 shoes and I'm wondering how I should go about acclimating my feet to them.  I want to use these shoes for racing because they seem like a pretty good triathlon shoe.  I tested them out on a 2.5 mile treadmill run earlier.  I realize now that maybe I should only have ran a little in them and then put my regular shoes back on.

I could definitely feel the difference due to less support in that I was using muscles that I don't normally use to stabilize my feet.

How do most people go about acclimating their feet to a less supportive shoe for racing purposes?  Do you just build up little by little wearing them for a fraction of each run and slowly increasing?  Is it ok to train with more support but race with less?  Or should I work towards eliminating the support?

Thanks!

2010-02-08 5:48 PM
in reply to: #2662195

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Wallingford, PA
Subject: RE: Getting used to less support?
I switched from your basic running shoe (Saucony Grid) to a lightweight trainer (Adizero's) last year. I switched over gradually. I started with one short run per week in the lightweight trainers - for me that was about a 2 mile run. Each week, I added about a mile to one run per week in the less supportive shoes. When I got up to about 4 miles, I added a second short run in them, extended that over time, etc. I found my feet feeling much happier in the lighter shoes pretty quickly, so within about a month and a half I was doing pretty much all of my running in the less supportive shoes, but everybody's different, so you might adapt faster or more slowly than me. So, start with some short runs, see how you feel, and extend your mileage in the new shoes depending on how your feet and leg muscles are adapting.
2010-02-08 7:49 PM
in reply to: #2662204

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Subject: RE: Getting used to less support?

I will second the slowly overtime recommendation. Not everyone can run in racing flats or lightweight trainers.

2010-02-08 11:36 PM
in reply to: #2662195

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The Whites, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Getting used to less support?
Gradual progress, x3. I'm switching to barefoot running for some of my training runs, and I started at 10 min runs, then eased it up a little each week. Now I'm up to 30 min runs and starting to bring up the speed. I went through one session where I had some ankle soreness afterwards, but that was it.

You are substantially changing what is going on down there, so take it easy. There is plenty of advice out there about switching to lightweight, minimal, or barefoot (I'm generally following Chi Running - not an apostle, but I like a lot of the stuff about relaxing your extremities and the step-by-step progress). For racing, you'll generally want to train how you'll race and race like you trained, so get used to whatever you want to use now.

Good luck!
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