Category — sport

I’ve been pretty much off the running for the last few weeks. Despite my initial optimism that I’d only be out of the game for a short while, it’s been considerably longer than that! The tricky part being that my knee feels perfectly fine when going about normal business. I can walk for miles without issue. Running for a few minutes develops pain which lingers for the rest of the day. So I’ve been going easy on the knee, then trying to run again, realising it’s not good, waiting a bit longer, trying again, etc etc. Not ideal.

I have, however, been deliberately keeping active. Using the cycling machine amongst others in the gym, going climbing, and even walking Ben Lomond.

But, after 6-or-so weeks, my NHS physio appointment finally rolled around. So, dutifully, I went along. Much like my previous private physio appointment, after lots of prodding, bending, poking, lying, sitting, standing, walking, hopping, and stretching, the physiotherapist figured that I need to strengthen my left leg and maybe get my shoes checked out. This, I felt, was a largely useless response from the NHS.

I did, however, decide to be pro-active, and so took my shoes to another running store in Glasgow, run4it. After a little bit of questioning, a quick look at my feet and my shoes, the woman I was dealing with (the store manager, no less) figured that the shoes looked about right for me. But to get a better idea, had a look at me walking around, and came to a different conclusion.

The shoes I’d been recommended previously offer some arch support which, given the way that my feet pronate when analysed from standing, seems quite reasonable. Indeed, it sounded reasonable to me! I don’t have flat feet by any means, but the term that everybody keeps using is that my feet display a fair amount of mobility. Not a big deal in itself, and quite common, and arch support is the normal deal.

However, run4it noticed that my arches don’t fall when I’m walking. My feet may be capable of pronating, but this doesn’t seem to be a problem when walking. So they tried me in a new pair of shoes with no arch support at all, and they liked what they saw. These new shoes offer a little heel support, which essentially guides the foot so that it rolls in the correct direction on striking the ground — just that little bit of support my feet might appreciate when running.

The old shoes, with the arch support I apparently don’t need, have probably been altering my gait ever so slightly, stressing the muscles on the outsides of my legs, and ultimately leading to the issues I’ve been experiencing. This all sounds like a good explanation to me. I’m maybe just a bit miffed that I’ve got a pair of running shoes which never hit tarmac.

This doesn’t get me out of muscle strengthening exercises, but it might get me back into the running sooner, if indeed these shoes are my shoes. I went for a very easy 2km run earlier on today and didn’t feel any pain, which is a good sign. Maybe I’ll be back on track before I know it.

I’m aiming to take it easy for a little while, cautiously training on that knee and certainly not training on it too fast. Once I’m back up to speed, maybe I can find a whole new way to destroy myself!