Be kind to your feet | Path to cross country

Treat your feet well

The one thing almost every super runner needs is running shoes. Since each person's feet and running posture are different, there is no "shoe selection program" suitable for each runner. The best way is to try more and choose the most suitable one.

For better performance, wear the running shoes that you plan to use during the competition and adapt them in an environment that is close to the actual track. Even if you are wearing the same type of running shoes for a long time, it is better to try on and run in before the match to make sure the shoes are fit and not rubbing.

In the game, the feet will swell, especially when the distance is more than 50 miles. Therefore, while choosing suitable shoes to reduce friction and blisters, it is also necessary to consider that shoes can be “compatible” with swollen feet.

Tips: In the adaptive training, you can wear running shoes, and wear a pair of thick socks to simulate the swelling of the foot. Wide running shoes on the toes allow enough space for the feet.

Although some people will wear ordinary running shoes to participate in off-road horse racing, but the three characteristics of the professional cross-country running shoes, "stability", "friction", "protection" are common running shoes do not have.

stability

Stones, roots, and uneven surfaces are all common problems in trail running. Therefore, cross-country running shoes need to have better stability than ordinary running shoes.

Compared with the "stable" model of ordinary running shoes, the "stability" of cross-country running shoes is different.

Similar to ordinary running shoes, cross-country running shoes can also increase stability by increasing the heel wrap, using a supporting shoe upper, or a double-density midsole.

However, it is so simple? They also have other "treasures" to improve stability:

For example, some shoes use a thin but denser midsole to bring the feet closer to the ground. This reduces the risk of sprained feet and allows the wearer to rely more on body conditioning to coordinate movements. There are shoes that use an external bracket design in the heel and outsole areas to widen the sole and increase stability.

Friction

In general, shoes increase friction by increasing the contact area between the sole and the road surface. For example, in the Moab area of ​​Utah, USA, if a high traction type rubber is used for the outsole, the friction on the stones can be increased.

Mud and sand require a different approach to increase friction: deepen the groove in the sole. If the running route becomes muddy and sandy, shoes with deep grooves on the soles of the shoes can more effectively prevent runners from falling when they stop and turn. However, the soles of this design tend to be heavier, and in many cases the shoes are not as heavy as possible.

Protective

Obstacles such as stones and roots that can be seen everywhere on the mountain road not only require the trailing running shoes to have stronger stability, but also require it to provide better protection to the feet.

Most cross-country running shoes have a protective plate in the midsole to prevent the shoes from being pierced by hard objects and reduce excessive stimulation of the feet when stepping on hard objects.

Trail running shoes provide protection not limited to soles. To strengthen the protection of toes, the same can not be slack, to avoid the majority of bump damage. At the same time, the fiber materials on the left and right sides of the shoes can also prevent the feet from being injured by protruding stones and roots.

The integral design of the tongue and upper prevents some foreign objects from entering the shoe. Of course, sand traps can also be used to prevent dust and particles from falling into the shoes. The value of this small device is surprising for preventing blisters and reducing friction in shoes.

About waterproof and breathable

In the case of running for several hours, the sweat in the feet and the water vapor inside the shoes will continue to accumulate. If you are at the edge of a pond or skip stones in a small stream, it is possible to further wet your shoes.

When continuous rainfall occurs, the effect is limited even when wearing waterproof shoes - over time, the water on the trousers will gradually collect and infiltrate into the shoes.

Like the western section of the Weihe River, we need not even mention waterproofing.

However, when there is deep snow or mud in the area, or when the weather is bad and the water in the area is serious, the shoes with waterproof layer will work.

In the spring and summer warm season, the air permeability of cross-country shoes is especially important. But can breathe, but also through some of the other into the shoes, if the mesh is too large, it is easy to enter sand, straw and dust and other debris, it is best to use more dense mesh, or fiber material upper shoes.

Or as described above, the integrated tongue can also prevent foreign matter from entering the shoe from both sides of the tongue. If you want to completely eliminate foreign objects in the shoes, the best way is to prevent sand.