Pro Nader

Haha, no, I'm not into Ralph. I learned today from my friendly shoe salesman that I am a pronator! (See the diagram to the right)

According to Wiki, "the pronated foot is one in which the heel bone angles inward and the arch tends to collapse." An individual with a tendency toward "knock knees" has overly pronated feet. The consequences of a pronation habit include foot pain, knee pain, shin splints, achilles tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis.

Thanks to these bad boys, I ran almost pain free today. I also ran 10 minute miles again! For well over a month, my feet, knees, and hips have screamed at me every time I have attempted to run. I have felt like screaming too! It has been excruciating and miserable. I have also seen my running time become over 2 minutes per mile slower. It never occurred to me that my running shoes were the culprit of these maladies. Come to think of it, they are 2 year old running shoes. YIKES! Time for an upgrade. I am thankful that my injuries have not been worse.

So, whether you are a pronator, a supinator, or just plain "normal", the moral of the story: REPLACE YOUR RUNNING SHOES!