Pronate or Supinate? That is the question.

Yay, starting to feel like my old self again as opposed to a sneezy anamatron. The energy levels actually kicked back in at around 3pm Friday afternoon - perfect timing for the weekend! In part, I'm sure, due to Friday morning's Bootcamp training session which although I took it really easy; it still managed to blow away the cobwebs and get me feeling brilliant.

{Slight aside - by now you'll realise that my mind wanders frequently and at random and that I'm powerless to stop it so hopefully you'll forgive me! ...But FAB session this morning with SUPERtrainer SUPERfriendly Mel, who really demonstrated that you don't need much space or equipment to achieve a high impact yet inspired and effective workout.

Plus there were loads of new SUPERchicks there this morning, 7am on a FRIDAY!! which I LOVE because a) seeing other people starting out reminds me how far I've come since I stood at the sidelines freaking out that I'd be so far out of my league and just plain ridiculous for even trying (BTW this wasn't all THAT long ago and STILL is me, even now, at the start of ANY running session) and b) it's soo brilliant to see other girls challenging themselves to get fitter and become even more fabulous and c) more SUPERchicks can only mean one thing - MORE FUN!!!}

So as a reward for:

a) making it through a fairly hellish week where my organisation’s effectively been given its notice period and us, "sayonara" (Not loving the Conservatives right now is all I can say).
b) enduring a hellish cold and going to work anyway although I'm now apparently expendable :(
c) to see if I could do something about the hellish pains in my legs and so enable me to dash around like a headless chicken in my impending joblessness.

I skipped (metaphorically you understand - not quite that recovered yet!) off to RunnersNeed in Victoria after work to see if they could kit me out with some pain busting, shin split preventing, superfast enabling, going to empower me through to my target weight TRAINERS - and they did all that *plus*.

Have to admit that now that I own a pair of superduper, highly engineered trainers, I feel a total numpty for never getting my trainers properly fitted in the first place. Actually I feel totally queasy now that I’ve seen footage of me running in my old trainers and the stress I was causing on my feet, ankles, knees and legs - No wonder they hurt. PLEASE FORGIVE ME, I KNOW NOT WHAT I DO, hum, hum, hummmm, hum...

But as queasy as it made me feel, I have to admit: it was very cool to be filmed whilst running and seeing the playback. Plus as it’s just your feet and calves in the clips, there’s no need to worry about any wobbly bits! (I asked RunnersNeed if they can email me the clips of me running in my old and new trainers to upload here as it really is ASTONISHING and they kindly agreed to see what they could do - talk about BRILLIANT CUSTOMER SERVICE! So hopefully I will shortly get the opportunity to make you feel equally queasy!)

However if you fancy getting in on the action yourself, look no further – RunnersNeed are actually laying on a couple of champagne and cupcake ladies only events in August where you can get booted, suited and sorted with all the training and injury prevention advice that a running IGNORAMOUS like me so desperately needs. Check here for more details.

Anyway, the upshot of my gait analysis was that I OVERPRONATE – yup didn’t know what that meant either – and nope it doesn’t mean that I was born with a tendency to spew jibberish relentlessly (though I was and I do) but RATHER that as I make contact with the ground during my “gait cycle” my ankles fall in slightly. So to correct this position back to neutral, I, along with the other 70% of the population who overpronate, should be fitted with trainers that have built in support on the inner heel sections to prevent the ankles falling in and pressuring the joints. Volia:

Admittedly, my snazzy new trainers do feel great and TOTALLY different from the slipper-like trainers I’ve worn up to now. However after my mini tutorial I’m now hyperaware of every ache, twinge and niggle (which I’m fairly sure I’ve had for the last 20 odd years of my life and which I’ve lived with blissfully for the last 20 odd years) but somehow post fitting and now equipped with the correct shoes, I’ve turned into Bambi learning to walk (even when I haven’t got my new trainers on).

Is this normal or is this a sign that my temperature is spiking again? x

p.s. I did ask many stoopid questions, e.g:
Q: “Does your walking position change over time?” (cf. Just as your bra size changes over time and why it is essential you get measured everytime you buy a new bra)
A: NO, once an overpronator always an overpronator.

Q: “Do these trainers come in pink?”
Superefficient Sales Assistant invokes the strength of the Lord to prevent him rolling his eyes as such a spurious request.