Jogging Journalist: Pronate, supinate and running late
Ever wondered what pronation and supination are?
Community news reporting calls for journalists to step into a community and hear its heartbeat, record the daily struggles and joys of the residents. To take things up a notch, Berea Mail journalist, Danica Hansen has decided to take part in Stella Athletic Club’s Couch to 10km Challenge. Watch her journey unfold in the diary of The Jogging Journalist. Today we bring you the ninth post in the series.
WITH all the rain we’ve had, you might think the Couch to 10km runners were let off from training this week- but coach Dave Beattie has been as stringent as ever.
The sun came out just in time for the team to hit the pavement on Tuesday, although this journalist was still reporting on the floods when training stared at 17.00. My idea to buy new shoes also flopped as the days flew by with too much to do. But, I promised you a piece on pronation and I will deliver.
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Pronation refers to the way a runner’s foot lands on the ground. Runners who pronate will often notice that the inside edge of their shoe is worn. Conversely, shoes that show wear and tear on the outer edge will indicate supination and neutral runners might find that their shoes are worn toward the center of the sole.
Beattie told me more: “Pronation is when your foot rolls inwards. Most people pronate to some degree. When you pronate you are pushing off the ball of your foot as you run.” After frequent leg injuries, Beattie decided to visit a specialist and have orthopedic inserts made. He told me about the process.
ALSO READ: Jogging Journalist: Blisters, backache and…a pronation?
“You run down a matt and computer takes multiple images of your foot as you land. Then they create a mold to fit your foot. This prevents your foot from rolling as you run. Your left foot and right foot are different in how they hit the ground. It important to go to specialist running shoe shop and take a pair of old shoes for them to have a look,” he added.
After close inspection, it seems that I am a neutral runner- so for now, I’ll plod on with the shoes I have. Wish me luck!
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