Migration Post: Gear - Running shoes

This post first appeared on Running For Fatties in June 2011.



If you've looked into running at all, you already know that shoes are the single most important item you can own as a runner. Easy, right? You have a pair of cross-trainers buried somewhere from that foray into whichever sport(s) you've tried. All you have to do now, is dig them out. WRONG. Over time, the materials used to make shoes start to degrade. No, it won't be like the half-eaten apple you lost for a few weeks in sixth grade. You probably won't even be able to see a difference, but you'll feel it in your feet.

Ok fine, so new shoes then. Hit the clearance rack, grab the first pair that fit, and we can get this thing rolling. Wrong, again. It turns out that there are several different types of running shoes based on your feet and running style. First off, make sure that they are actually running shoes. Not basketball shoes, not cross-trainers, and not walking shoes.

There are a couple of different ways to determine your foot type and stride. The easiest way is to find a running store. Yep, they have whole stores for running. Crazy, right? I mean, how the hell do they get away with a whole store for running stuff?! Anyway, back to your feet. Once you locate a running store, chances are that they offer free foot analyses. Depending on the place, this could be a laser scan of your foot, measuring, watching you walk/run, or something else entirely. At my local running store for example, they have a treadmill with a video camera trained on your feet. Each member of the staff is trained to go over this video to look for foot strike, pronation, and other mysterious things. The result of this analysis will be knowing exactly what kind of foot type you have, and therefore what kind of shoe you'll need. To find a store near you, start here: http://www.runnersworld.com/store/search/1,7978,s6-240-417-0-0,00.html

If you don't have a running store near you, or don't want to go to one, there is an at-home version. Less precise, but its a start. You'll need, a tub of water (bath tub, plastic tub, whatever, as long as your foot fits in it) and a brown paper shopping bag. Cut the sides of the bag so that the bag will lay out 3-4 feet or so. Dip your feet in the water, and walk across the paper with as normal a stride as you can manage. Now, look at the prints.

The type of arch you have is closely related to your pronation (a big fancy word for how much your feet roll to the inside when you walk or run). Like everything else, moderation is key. Too much, or too little pronation causes injuries. If you have a neutral arch, you likely pronate a little bit, so you'll want to look for a stability shoe. If you have a high arch, you likely don't pronate enough, so you want a neutral cushioning shoe - one that has little arch support, and will encourage pronation. If you have a flat arch, there's a little more information needed. If there is a clear curve inward at the arch, you'll likely need a stability shoe. If it looks straighter, or even curves out from your foot, you'll need to go all the way to a motion-control shoe.

A couple of other miscellaneous tips. Running shoes DO NOT need breaking in. That thought that goes through your head that goes something like this, "Hmm, they're pretty good, maybe a little tight in the heel, but they just need a little breaking in and then they'll be fine..." Nope, that doesn't fly. If they don't fit right in the store, they never will.

On the date of your first run (or run/walk), write the date on the inside edge of the sole of your new shoes. Later, this will help you to know when its time for new shoes. Running shoes will need replacing earlier than you're used to. In general, you'll want to replace them about every 500 miles or so. As soon as your feet seem to be getting more tired than usual on a run you've done before, your shins start to ache, or if your hips or back start to hurt, and its been about that long, start looking for new shoes. Keep in mind, this will be aches and pains that are unusual. There will be usual pain, after a while you'll get to know the difference.


Update April 2017: The majority of this is still true. The only thing I would add is that I know longer write the date on the sole of my shoe. There are apps for that! If you use any kind of fitness app or wearable, there is likely a section for tracking your gear usage.Most activity trackers even do it automatically as long as you tell it which shoe you were wearing for a particular activity.

Also, the 500 mile rule is not so absolute. Firstly, the miles count during any activity. So for example, if I stop by the grocery store on my way home from a run, that distance counts even though I'm not running. In addition to that, the 500 mile rule is a guideline for the 'average runner'. What in the holy hell is an average runner?! If you weigh more than an 'average runner', you put more stress on your shoes, so your mileage on your shoes will be shorter.

The Runner Girl Loses Her Mind

Yep, I’ve done it. I’ve lost my mind. I have officially decided to train for and run a half marathon. (Cue lame joke about only HALF losing my mind…)

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of running a half for a while now. I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with the 5k distance. I’ve done a couple of 10ks. But I noticed that my motivation to run was even lower than it normally was. It was damn near impossible to get my butt out the door because I no longer had a goal.

Last summer I decided to make a healthy living change. I may write another post about that later, but for the purposes of this post, the important thing to know is that I didn’t set out to lose weight necessarily, just to make it so that vegetables weren’t mythical creatures in my diet. But surprise, surprise I started losing weight. After 6 months or so of slow and steady decline, I stalled big time. It also happened to be getting toward spring and I was feeling cooped up and antsy from a long, cold winter.

And then I lost my mind.

It occurred to me that it would be great to get out and run again. Also, that as long as I don’t finish every run with a cheesecake, it may also re-start the weight loss.

So, I started researching different half marathon training programs. It didn’t take long to realize that most half marathon training programs are WAY too athletic for me. Here’s the thing – I just want to run the whole thing and finish. I don’t care about my time. I don’t care about speed work. I don’t want to fartlek. I just want to gradually increase my mileage until I can run for 13.1 miles. That’s it.

I finally stumbled upon the blog Anchors Aweigh and her half marathon training plan. In the post she explains that after having similar frustrations, she and her sister just made their own plan.

Mind. Blown. It seriously hadn’t occurred to me that that was even a thing.

So, working with her plan as a basic backbone, I wrote my own!

Now here are the caveats: this plan assumes a basic level of experience with running. I could run 3 miles. It would suck, but I could do it. My longest run ever was 6 miles. I wanted only to run the whole thing and finish – I’m not worrying about time or pace or building my overall athleticism. The general format is two weekday runs (I do Tuesdays and Thursdays) and a longer weekend run (I do Saturday). The weekday runs are half the distance of that week’s long run.

So that’s it. I am currently in Week 4 and so far so good. The half marathon that I have my eye on doing is downhill through a canyon, so once I get up to 6 mile or so long runs, I plan to start doing my long runs down canyons since I’ve heard that it’s important to train for the downhills.

If you have thoughts, I’d love to hear them!

Migration Post From RFF: Why This Blog? Why Running?

This post originally appeared on my previous blog, Running For Fatties in June 2011.



One of my favorite paradoxes is fat people and exercise. People snidely say that fat people should get off our asses and exercise. But holy crap, look at their faces when we actually do! Those super fit people (think, overly perky girls in nothing but glorified undies) sneer, roll their eyes, and just generally adopt a 'holier than thou' attitude.

Also, I love how everyone says that exercise is so easy. Well of course they say that, the people doing the talking are those same perky pains-in-the-ass. So, when a fatty (like me) does decide to bite the bullet and commit to a serious exercise regimen, it is a) really easy to get discouraged, and b) really hard to find honest information about what to expect.

That's where this blog comes in. I have spent the last several months developing myself into a running neophyte. I've seen injuries, puzzled over running gear, got lost in shoes, and discovered a ridiculous amount of information about myself. So, I have chosen to graciously share the result of all of my information gleaning. I will tell you the truth. At times it won't be pretty. It can be pretty embarrassing. It will often be snarky. But most of all, I hope that it will be informative.

So, why running? To be honest, when I was coming to the decision that I wanted to find a way to exercise, I was pretty broke. Running seemed like a pretty good solution: no gym membership needed, no expensive equipment, no set schedules, just me, my feet, and a place to run. Also, I had never been able to run a whole mile at a time, ever. Never, ever. Not even as a kid. So, the idea that I could do that seemed pretty cool. I had also recently run across a beginner's running program to prepare you for a 5K race (more on that program later). And so, I took the plunge.

Where am I now? I've been training for 3 1/2 months. I did in fact hit that 1 mile mark - and I kept going. My plan is to run my first 5K race on the 4th of July. Wish me luck!

Update 4/2017: 

Wow, I was serious about the snark! I did indeed run my very first 5k on the 4th of July, 2011, and I ran the whole thing!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new and (hopefully, somewhat) improved running blog!

I started the blog Running For Fatties a few years ago after being frustrated with the lack of information available about how to get started with running, especially for those of us who aren’t naturally athletic. And were never athletic. And are maybe fat.

When I chose the name, the shock value of the word ‘Fatties’ was intentional. I intended for it to make it clear that not only do I have no problem with being fat, or even just being considered fat, I wasn’t going to pussy-foot around with it either. Running is different when you’re 5’8” and 125 lbs, than when you’re 5’2” and 200 lbs. The information that I wanted to know about (is it possible to run in shorts and still have any skin left on your inner thighs? Does the crotch and inside leg area of anyone else’s shorts ride all the way up until it looks like you’re wearing a diaper? Can I do anything about those things? Do sports bras exist for bigger boobs that don’t have the same size/weight/feel of armor plating?) that’s - what I wanted to talk about. I was frustrated with the stale platitudes about running only requiring a pair of shoes, about how a good pace should be where you can keep up a conversation, or how a 5K isn’t really a race. I wanted to acknowledge that running while fat (or chubby, heavy, fluffy, or whatever else) is fundamentally different, and that there’s nothing wrong with it. I wanted to embrace my fatness AND my sport, and hopefully help others to do the same. I had this idea that the blog and Facebook page name were a linguistic middle finger to all of the people who wield the word ‘Fatty’ like a weapon. I was owning it.

However, over the years it was pointed out to me that many people don’t feel the same. Many people are insulted at the idea of associating themselves with the term ‘Fatty’. Fair enough, I don’t particularly like it either. But it was my metaphorical middle finger! And then I realized recently that I was starting to react differently to the name. I started to tell a coworker about my blog and found myself not wanting to say the name out loud. When I did, I turned bright red.

I’m still pretty proud of my middle finger of a blog start. Now though, I find that it’s time for an evolution. And so here we are. Welcome to the home of the Reluctant Runner Girl. The one who said that she’d run ‘When pigs fly.’ The one who still refuses to do a race that doesn’t have a medal at the end – and not a cheapy one either. And the one who still hasn’t figured out why the crotch of my running shorts bunch up like that…

Over the next little while I will be migrating posts over from the old blog with updates as needed. I will also be writing updates about how I fell off the running bandwagon, tried to hop back on (but chubby white girls can’t jump), and got there eventually. We’ll talk injuries, do gear reviews, and write race reports that focus heavily on the perks.

So welcome aboard, it’s gonna be a fun ride!