Cheap shoes lead to painful lesson for this runner

I was born and mostly raised on the Navajo Reservation with values instilled by my father. I was a child of the late '80s, and my need for material items was troubling enough for my dad to make a statement.

"You can't take that with you when you die," he said.

Though the words sounded harsh, I understood them as a reminder that material items don't enhance spiritual living.

I carried that idea with me. Remembering his words, I didn't need to spend money on specially designed shoes. Or so I thought until last summer, when I began jogging and running on a daily basis.

I started out early in the summer running in a pair of $50 shoes I bought on sale. They looked good, were lightweight, and they were designed for running. I didn't need the expensive models I'd seen on the wall displays. I didn't ask for help in picking out running shoes.

So I ran in my discount shoes for about two and half months. Then my knees started to hurt after my runs. I first blamed my weight, or the dirt roads I ran on. I cut back from running four to five times a week, to two or three times a week. But each time, my knees hurt, regardless of the running surface.

I never thought about my shoes being part of the problem because they were still fairly new and still comfortable.

My problem? I have flat feet, which I already knew, but I never knew complications could arise from that.

Though I like to think my flat feet are because I'm closer to Mother Earth, when it comes to running, my flat feet misalign the joints in my legs. And so the knee pain.

After hours of online research and talking to experienced runners, I learned that the right running shoes can compensate for flat feet. My $50 clearance shoes weren't the compensation type.

There are three basic types of running shoes: cushioned, stability and motion control. I recently visited chain stores in Gallup and Farmington to test the knowledge of the sales personnel for purposes of this column.

Most didn't know the type of shoe I was looking for or have detailed information about running shoes other than the model numbers, available colors and that they were out of my size, 13, in most models.

I wasn't looking for cool shoes, I was looking for knowledge about the type of shoes I needed. Not too many of the shoe store workers I encountered knew what I meant when I said "overpronanation," which is the lack of arch support creating an inward roll in the ankles.

But one person knew what I meant, and knew the types of shoes that would best support my feet to create better alignment.

"You end up with injuries because your ankles, hips, (and) knees are out of alignment," said Jeri Hogue, who is a track coach and co-owns Southwest Runners, a running specialty store in Farmington.

At her store, she can perform a walking gait test, in which she looks at the alignment of a person's walk. By doing so, she can recommend a running shoe that matches the person.

She also warned that people with an arched foot also can have problems from wearing the wrong shoe. She said she knew people who had bought the kind of shoe I need, motion control, but unlike me their feet had an arch.
The motion control shoe provided too much support, and as a result, their ankles turned when they ran, creating a different kind of stress but equally undesirable. Those runners needed a cushioned shoe, Hogue said.

And she cautioned that if a foot, leg, hip or back problem persists, people should see a health professional.

She also said that brand names aren't necessarily the best method of picking a running shoe.

"I know a lot of people like Nike, a top selling shoe. There's a lot of other technology out there," Hogue said.

In my case, Nikes were never a viable option, though the company plans to release the N7 this fall. The N7 is Nike's answer to the wide, flat, close-to-Mother-Earth feet like mine, the type of foot they say most Native Americans have. But I've talk to many Navajos, and most say they have arched feet.

Jeri's husband, Eugene Hogue, who co-owns their store, simply said good shoes help your feet.

"(Your feet) are the foundation of your whole body," he said.

For me, I had to get used to the idea of spending more money for something seemingly so simple, a pair of shoes to perform one task.

But if my body doesn't feel good before, during and after running, I'm not going to run and I'll be physically inactive. I don't want that, so I take care of my feet now.

No disrespect to my dad, but I'm not going to worry about what I'll take with me when I die. I'd rather learn to live healthy, including exercise, before my time comes.

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