If you’re just getting started with marathon running, sprinting, or many of the other sports that involve you spending a lot of time on your feet, you might be wondering if you need special shoes, and if so, why you might need them.
Initially, many believe that specialized equipment in many different sports is unnecessary, or that these special pieces of equipment don’t really make much of a difference at all. In reality, though, specialized shoes for different activities are some of the most important things you should consider purchasing if you’re serious about the sport.
In fact, even if you aren’t training for anything in particular, and you just hope to run to help you get into shape, you should really consider purchasing trainers.
Below are a few reasons that this is important.
Protection For Your Feet
Your feet are very sensitive and very precious. While barefoot running is becoming increasingly popular, it can be dangerous. Depending on where you plan to run, you might find nails, needles, or broken glass. Even if serious objects aren’t found where you commonly run it’s highly likely that there will be rocks on your path. Even small pebbles can cause damage to your feet if you aren’t equipped properly.
Granted, most shoes will still protect you from these objects. However, the hard surfaces you’ll be running on can still cause damage to your feet, knees, back and neck if your shoes aren’t built for this specialized task.
Injury Prevention
Trainers have special padding to help decrease the impact on the joints throughout your body.
If you have any doubt, you might try running with trainers for a few minutes, and then try to run in your regular casual shoes. You’ll very likely notice a huge difference in how your knees, back, and feet feel.
Running in a pair of flat, unpadded shoes could result in injury or chronic disorders in your knees, back, or neck over time. Although these effects aren’t always felt immediately, medical research shows that frequent running, although good for your health in many ways, can cause damage to your joints if you don’t use the proper equipment, run on appropriate surfaces, and use appropriate techniques.
One common injury that occurs in the foot is a stiffness in the fascia that runs from your heel out to your toes. This fascia needs to be flexible to give you mobility in your foot. Without proper support, you could end up with crippling pain in one or both of your feet. Often times, the pain flares up instantly and unexpectedly, which could lead to bigger problems like a fall while you’re sprinting.
Without proper equipment, you could even end up with stress fractures in the bones in your feet or legs.
Of course, your back is the supporting structure for you entire body, and is a very common area to have pain later on in life. Running causes a shockwave to be sent from your feet all the way up your back.
Don’t take unnecessary risks with your health. Instead, take some time to browse and buy cheap trainers and keep yourself protected.
