Bill,

What do the soles of a pair of your well worn shoes look like?  Are they worn more on the inside or outside?

If so, then you need to get a pair of running shoes that are made for your feet, either pronated (roll your foot/feet in) or supinated (roll your foot/feet out).  I roll my feet to the outside so I needed a pair that was made for someone supinated.  Others in need, most others, need shoes for pronated.  It makes a world, WORLD, of difference.  New Balance has just about the best selection for running shoes and great information on the subject.

You may wish to consider visiting an podiatrist.  My S.O. visited one for her feet and while I was there, I thought "what the hey"...  I found out so much about my feet that I ordered a pair of orthotics.  Best 300 I ever spent.  Well, not really but you know what I mean.

Prior to wearing the orthotics, I would look down at my feet while running on ground or the treadmill and the feet were always splayed outwards.  My right more than my left (left pointing to around 10:30 and my right about 2:00).  If left unchecked this would cause me great discomfort and injury down the road.  After installing the orthotics in my running shoes, my feet now point dead ahead.  A lot of the aches and pains I experienced while running went away.

Something to think about.

Oh yes...

If your feet are not up to running and you have access to a treadmill, climb aboard and set the speed to about 3 mph (the average walking speed) but set the incline to something greater than 7%.  The cardio benefits of walking like this for 30 minutes equals or surpasses that of running for 30 minutes at double the speed.

I second the vote for New Balance. The only sneakers I'll wear.

Another great tip for your back is change shoes at lunch if you stand all day. My lower back problems disappeared when I started changing my shoes and doing more core work. The Tempur-pedic mattress didn't hurt either.


BTW, Bill, your new picture looks great.

The different degrees of pronation would greatly benefit from a visit to the podiatrist.  If you were to have a pair of custom made orthotics, of the proper material, they would compensate for the differences and bring everything back into line.

If you lived in the South Jersey or Philadelphia area I could recommend a podiatrist, although for some reason, I doubt you live 'round these parts.

Woah, you're not wrong there! Competely different - Well done Bill! I need to do the same thing in the new year, 'cos Jonny Round Boy is getting rounder by the day!!!

Thanks guys for the comments.  Now if I could only get younger and better lookin

Tinker.  I really just came to the realization that I have foot issues so I have not as yet explored anything but some commercial shoe sites and message boards.

I would think though that a sports medicine center would have a properly trained podiatrist who might better be able to address your issues.

I can say that for a neutral gate, the ASICS Gel Nimbus 9 are about as cushioned as they come and feel like you're running feet are landing on foam....they just didn't properly support my feet.

If I do run across something I'll shoot it over to you though.

GreenGA, thanks, New Hampshire here.  I'm lucky to be situated between UMASS and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical centers which have renowned sports medicine facilities (and are Blue Cross participants) so I'll probably look for a podiatrist attached to one of those hospitals.

Emmanuel,  I have an office at the BAE in Hudson on 3a but don't get in there much lately.  I now know not to answer the phone when I see you on the caller ID