Run, Jog or “Slog” Pain Free
![Run, Jog or](https://garmaonhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/pronate-supinate-2.bmp)
Learn about the Runner’s Test for Pronation or Supination. (Pics. below.)
If you run and want to run pain free, eventually you need to know your foot type. Do you pronate, supinate, or do something in between? If your running shoe isn’t built for your foot type, running will become more difficult and you’ll potentially develop pain in the feet, ankles, knees and hips. Perhaps even in the calves, which is my issue these days. (No longer… see “UPDATE” at bottom.)
TODAY IS an aerobic day, meaning that as opposed to a day designated to do resistance training (weight lifting, calisthenics and the like) or yoga, it’s time do work the cardiovascular system.
For me, this is moderate aerobic activity, which would be biking or “slogging” at a pace where I could talk without too much discomfort, interspersed by surges to get my heart rate pumping near maximum for a minute or more.
“Slogging” for the uninitiated or young, is running reductionism, two levels removed.
In years past, I actually ran pain free. Didn’t have ill effects, like knee pain, hip pain, calf pain. As time passed and a gray hair or two flowered, my running was reduced to jogging, accompanied to some degree by one or more of the above mentioned “ill effects”.
Now, mostly, I slog. Slogging is the next reduction down from jogging, and two removed from running. I try to slog twice a week, and, yes, it can result in one or more of the ill effects.
OK, with all that said, I peered at my sorry looking running shoes this morning, which were always the wrong shoes for me, and thought, “Maybe a new pair of running shoes will reduce the ill effects and edge up my slogging to jogging.”
Hope springs eternal.
Accordingly, I jumped online to find a good pair of runners. This time, I was determined to find the “right” pair, the shoe that fit me, and that – finally – is the real crux of this story, which is:
Too many people (like me) buy the wrong running shoe because they don’t know whether they are pronators or supinators.
Do you know which one you are?
Do you select running shoes based on pronation or supination?
It’s worth knowing about this. Most running shoes tend to compensate for pronation, because most people have this issue. Lucky them. But if you’re like me, you’re a supinator and thus wearing a shoe built for pronators will potentially wreck havoc on your body. As they say, one body part is connected to another, kinda like links in a chain, so if you’re out of balance in your feet, your ankles, knees, hips, etc. can be deleteriously affected.
A Test for Pronation and Supination
The following information about a test to determine pronation or supination comes to us courtesy of Runner’s World. Here’s what to do to get you on the path to run pain free:
![Wet Test](https://web.archive.org/web/20160213202544/http://images.rodale.com/image/rw/wettest1.gif)
1) Pour a thin layer of water into a shallow pan
![Wet Test](https://web.archive.org/web/20160219045125/http://images.rodale.com/image/rw/wettest2.gif)
2) Wet the sole of your foot.
![Wet Test](https://web.archive.org/web/20160213193748/http://images.rodale.com/image/rw/wettest3.gif)
3) Step onto a shopping bag or a blank piece of heavy paper.
![Wet Test](https://web.archive.org/web/20160219045130/http://images.rodale.com/image/rw/wettest4.gif)
4) Step off and look down
Observe the shape of your foot and match it with one of the foot types shown below. Although other variables (such as your weight, biomechanics, weekly mileage, and fit preferences) come into play, knowing your foot type is the first step toward finding the right shoe for you.
Normal (medium) Arch ![]() |
Flat (low) Arch ![]() |
High Arch ![]() |
Identify Which is You
For those of you who are wondering if it’s worth getting up and finding some cardboard, extracting your feet from their socks, etc., check out these next images.
Perhaps if you identify with one of them and think, “Hey, I haven’t been paying attention to getting runners that fit my foot type, and maybe that’s why: a) I hate running, b) I stopped running, c)I hurt running”, then you’ll become sufficiently innervated to get your feet wet.
Which one is you?
By the way, I continue to search for the perfect supinating shoe for moi, so I can once again be fleet of foot and impervious to aches and pain.
Hope springs eternal.
UPDATE: No longer have calf issues, in part, due to these stretches brought to you by MobilityWod.com.
Last Updated on January 6, 2019 by Joe Garma