mrs smith1's Journal, 09 May 2011

Not sure if you have a gym membership, but I had a knee sprain last summer & had to stop walking/running for 6 weeks. I was able to exercise using the elliptical & stationary bike instead. Water aerobics are an option too. In general, make sure you have at least 1 day in between walks & that will help with soreness. But the most important thing I think is the shoes. What kind of shoes do you wear for walking? How new are they & how much did you pay for them? I grudgingly spent over $100 on my very first pair of "real" running shoes & never regretted it. It was a WORLD of difference from the first time I walked in them. My joints thanked me profusely. IMO you shouldn't spend less than $50 on decent shoes, & replace them every 6-9 months because the stuff in the sole breaks down over time. I think I got over 400 miles on my first pair before I retired them. Go to a running store for a free gait analysis to figure out what your pronation is, that will determine the level of stability you need to be looking for. 

I got some walking shoes called Trends from Academy not even gonna say how thrifty they were. LOL! Guess I will have to look at it as an investment!! Thanks, I never even heard of the gait analysis... 

Yeah, you can go to any running store & the employees are trained to determine your pronation just by watching you walk back & forth a couple times with your shoes off. There's a neat article explaining pronation on www.runnersworld.com, serach for "Pronation, Explained" & check out the article. The little embedded videos of each of the 3 types of pronation are really neat. The running store will tell you what your pronation is for free even if you don't buy shoes there. They might give you the stinkeye if you don't, but who cares about that, lol. 

Great suggestion on the shoes and evaluation, I have a high arch and overpronation so I choose my shoes accordingly. Remember, stretching, warmup and cooldown are very important, especially if you're my size (and age). I have the best luck with New Balance cross trainers, but everyone has different type of feet and as KS said a running store can help you. Good luck! 

Absolutely! Shoes make all the difference in the world, do go get fitted! If nothing else you will learn what type of shoe is best for you! I wish I had gone earlier as now I have foot issues & I can't do the type of excercise I was doing. Don't forget to warm up & stretch afterwards! Oh, and lots of water!!! If your body hurts, listen to it, knees are important! 

Thanks for the help. I hardly ever stretch before wroking out, I hit the gym running then when my workout is over I stretch and cool down, I know, I know...I will start cause I do cramp alot. 

I never stretch before strength training, but always before & after running.