Can you believe it? This is episode 100! And after 100 episodes, Coaches Valerie and Caroline still get one question more than anything else. Want to know what it is? Tune in and find out!

Timestamps of big takeaways

What kind of shoes to buy?

[1:28] Shoes, first of all, should be very comfortable. That's number one. You need to put that shoe on and still feel like you can stand the same in your shoe as you can barefoot.

[01:50] Shoes should also be flexible. For endurance runners, we need flexibility, and full range of motion.

[02:29] As a child, Coach Valerie underwent botched surgery. Her nerves had been damaged and toes were fractured. As a result, she was told that she'd never play sports or even run. She's still experiencing discomfort today.

[03:58] Coach Valerie shares what it was like trying to buy shoes to wear while teaching aerobics and the experience she had looking for the perfect shoe for running and aerobics.

[08:01] The reality is that selecting a shoe that you're comfortable in is more important than the shoe itself for most recreational runners. Shoes are supposed to protect our feet from the elements and the ground.

[08:56] Too much cushion can actually cause people to lose their connection to the ground making them more likely to heel strike.

Buying a barefoot shoe

[09:56] If you want to buy a barefoot shoe, use it as a regular walking shoe to get your feet used to being barefoot. Many people buy barefoot shoes, and get injured because they don’t understand how to move correctly.

Ankle stability

[10:53] When your feet touch the ground, they touch the ground completely. When the foot is in flight, it can do whatever it wants, but gravity has power over it. The faster someone runs, gravity becomes even more of a factor. A heel strike, pronation, or supination can be a natural ankle motion, but if the foot lands on the ground, pronated or supinated, that's a problem. That means active landing.

[11:58] Coach Valerie explains how the foot should touchdown - initial contact should be ball of foot, and then the rest of the foot.

[13:15] Coach Valerie reiterates that the shoe is not the most important factor in running pain-free.

Pressure, support, and work we put into our feet

[17:58] If you're feeling back pain, shoulder pain, or hip pain, start at your feet. It's not about the shoe.

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