As an athlete and plantar fasciitis sufferer, Mike needed a good shoe orthotic for running and walking shoes. After purchasing the Orthaheel Active orthotic and a pair of Orthaheel flip-flops, he was up and running – literally. And, he was amazed at how he could wear flip-flops all day and still feel great. He says now that his feet feel better than they ever have and, as a runner, Orthaheel technology gives him confidence that he’s wearing the best foot support technology available.
After completing a whopping 11 half marathons, he’s ready to tackle a full marathon and is quite motivated to achieve that goal.
In his first blog entry, Mike gives us details on trail running:
The Mountain Trail Run
The top of the mountain always looked just over the next switchback until I got there. The top didn’t seem to be getting any closer. Sweat pouring into my eyes and covering my body, breathing so hard I swear people on the other side of the mountain could hear me. I began to wonder if this really was the “miracle cure” for injuries or a torturous, slow way to die.
I have been running for several years and was never really a serious runner in my more youthful days. The upside to this is that I am able to PR as long as I train right and do not get injured. Only injuries have slowed me down, stopped me at times and caused me to miss paid for running events with one being a marathon. Running more miles was not the answer as that lead to overuse injuries. I had to do things differently if running was to remain a focal point of my active lifestyle.
A friend told me about trail running…Mountain trail running. Now this is totally different from the running I have been doing. I usually run along the canals in Phoenix, AZ which is packed dirt, fairly level and well… civilized. Well, mountain trails are dirt with lots and lots of rocks of all shapes with sharp edges and very steep inclines. The benefit to this style of running is working different lower leg and foot muscles and in doing so preventing injuries.
Trail running is tricky. One bit of inattention and you’re hitting the ground hard before you know it. In Arizona there are no soft places to land I know. Trail running made me a more attentive runner and along the way a stronger runner less prone to injury. For all the different shoes claiming injury prevention, it is still hard work and effective training that gets the “most mileage”. Don’t get me wrong you still need to run in the best shoes for your feet but it takes more than that for injury prevention.
Time for a run. Talk soon!
-Michael McQueary
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