Gait analysis

On Saturday morning I went along to see the good people at Runaround Sports in Worcester for a gait analysis. The only assessment I had ever had before was very informal, and given the volume of running I do now compared with back then, I figured it would be wise to get it done properly.

Since that initial assessment, I have always run in neutral (cushioned) shoes, and during that time, I have never suffered with any significant injury. Recently, however, my calves have been quite tight and my hips sore. I wondered whether any of that could be pinned on my gait, but apparently not. It turns out I do have a neutral foot plant after all. In other words, I don't overpronate and I don't need stability shoes.

I invested in another pair of neutral shoes (Mizuno Waverider 14 - see what ransacker has to say about them here) to see me through my training for the Berlin Marathon. My first impression is that the Waveriders are a bit on the bulky side and not as swift as the Brooks Launch. On the plus side, they're well cushioned and apparently quite durable. For this reason, I'll be using them for the lion's share of my mileage and saving the Launch for speed sessions and the marathon itself.

The analysis

In the videos below, you'll see that I land on the outside edge of my heel and my foot rolls inwards to absorb the shock. I push off again with virtually all of my toes, suggesting normal pronation. If I overpronated my foot would roll excessively inwards and I might push off using only my big toe.

Barefoot - walking speed

Brooks Launch - 8 mph

Mizuno Waverider - 8 mph

As for the niggles, I guess they must be down to overtraining. I'm fairly confident my hip pain can be traced back to a run about six weeks ago when I pelted it up a massive hill. Too much too soon, I think. As for the tightness in the calves, I think that might be down to some stiffness in my ankles, especially on the left. I'll be asking my osteopath about this on Friday.