1 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,480 Everyone, welcome to the Doctors Running Podcast where we, a 2 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,840 group of doctors, physical therapy, talked about the art 3 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,040 and the science of the things that we're putting on our feet. 4 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,880 Today we're going to do a little recap just as some things that 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,000 I've thought about and learned throughout this last year and 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,760 experience with a couple different shoes that I want to 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,240 talk about And that thing that I want to talk about is length. 8 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,600 So I've done a podcast before talking about fit as part of the 9 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:34,600 run cat, which you, if you have a list of that would really 10 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,040 encourage you to try to go, hey, when you're looking for shoes, 11 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,560 how do you really decide what works for you? 12 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:41,880 What might not in terms of all the different factors that some 13 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,040 of the research has found tends to be the most significant. 14 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,560 And believe it or not, a lot of the bio mechanical factors don't 15 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,160 always relate. So definitely go check out that 16 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:51,880 episode. But what I want to talk about is 17 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,840 length is one of the most common questions that we get is, hey, 18 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,200 how much room should I have at the end of the shoe? 19 00:00:57,360 --> 00:00:59,720 How much room should I have between my toes and the end of 20 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,560 the shoe? What does fit play anything into 21 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:04,200 any certain types of pathologies? 22 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,880 What do I need to think about in terms of fit and the arch? 23 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,080 So I want to talk about all of those things today and give you 24 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,920 kind of what I've learned and what I've thought about over the 25 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,720 last couple years, especially this last year as we've gotten a 26 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,440 couple of shoes that have actually fit long and realized 27 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,200 some of the biomic mechanical implications, some of the injury 28 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,360 implications just give you some stuff to think about. 29 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:28,880 So what is length? Length really refers to how long 30 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:30,960 the shoe is, right? So you have, you put your foot 31 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:33,520 in there and there should be at least a little bit of room 32 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,440 between your toes and the end of the shoe. 33 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,720 If there isn't any room, your toes are going to be hitting the 34 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,080 the very, very end of the shoe. And there's a risk for a various 35 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,000 number of things. Obviously, comfort is the first 36 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:45,360 thing. If your feet are pressing up 37 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,000 against the end of the shoe, it might not be comfortable. 38 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:51,000 You're very much at risk for things like blisters or pressure 39 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,720 type injuries if you're kind of moving and sliding and there's 40 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,440 excessive pressure from like say a toe guard, which is what this 41 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,200 thing is right where it gives a little bit more structure to the 42 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,360 front of the shoe, you can get pressure injuries, blisters, all 43 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:03,640 kinds of stuff. The other thing that can 44 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,240 sometimes you can compensate with and you'll see this in 45 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,560 certain people is you can actually get toe curling. 46 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:12,720 So if a shoe is too short, people will curl or flex their 47 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,240 toes to try to make this shoe a better length, and we'll talk 48 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,120 about how that might impact a couple pathologies. 49 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,080 That's not really the best thing you want. 50 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,560 You really want a shoe that allows your feet to stay in a 51 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,040 neutral position, right? So your toes don't have to be 52 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,360 curled, They don't have to be excessively extended. 53 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:30,720 They can handle in a neutral position to be somewhat 54 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,360 comfortable without way too much room or too little room. 55 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,680 Okay. There's some pathologies we'll 56 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,960 talk about, but again, you really want a shoe that actually 57 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,480 matches your feet. One of the biggest things that 58 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,040 I've noticed overtime is I've worked with patients and kind of 59 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,160 just looked at, hey, how's the shoe working for you? 60 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,440 And people don't even come to me for that lip, so they're usually 61 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:51,800 coming in for some injury. I've noticed a lot of people 62 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 that will wear shoes that are not fitting them lengthwise 63 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,400 appropriately frequently. The most common reason is they 64 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:59,120 have a shoe that's way too narrow for them. 65 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:01,640 So they went up multiple sides to try to get somewhat of a 66 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:03,760 width and their feet are still hanging off the side of the 67 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,800 shoe. That really means that shoe's 68 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,800 not working for you. Your feet shouldn't be hanging 69 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:08,280 off. Decide. 70 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,200 I know we're not talking about width, but you're all these 71 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,960 factors. So width, how wide this shoe is, 72 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,960 the length, how long it is and the volume, how much room you 73 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,400 have up and down height wise should all match together to 74 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:22,200 match your foot type. And sometimes that can be really 75 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,240 hard because we're all trying to find shoes that fit our feet and 76 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:28,800 none of these companies are designing shoes for any of us. 77 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:30,960 I mean they're based on a couple people or some a couple 78 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,680 averages, but they're not based on us as unique people. 79 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,400 Our feet are different and some of the challenges that you're 80 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,200 going to experience here is what I'm going to list. 81 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,720 So our feet are all different, they're even different side to 82 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:43,000 side. I don't know if you've noticed 83 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,600 that people don't have, are not symmetrical at all. 84 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,480 It's actually very normal to have feet that are two different 85 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,040 sizes. How big those sizes very much 86 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,680 depends on the person. I can tell you my left foot is 87 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,400 longer than my right foot. My left foot based on using a 88 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,640 brannock device, which I'll be very surprised if you know what 89 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:01,520 that is. I'm probably dating myself a 90 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:03,400 little bit before working in running stores many years ago. 91 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,240 But those are those like metal things that you put your foot 92 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:07,800 on. It tells you what your true size 93 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:09,520 is. I don't know how many stores 94 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,840 actually have those anymore. Somebody comment below and let 95 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:13,800 me know if if those actually exist anymore. 96 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,320 They still sell them on Amazon. They're really expensive for 97 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,839 what I think they're worth, But so my left side is technically a 98 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,600 size 10, my right side is actually a nine and a half. 99 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,720 I always accommodate to my left foot and deal with the 100 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,720 consequences on the right side. I've just gotten used to that 101 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:29,640 over the years. Sometimes it's more pronounced 102 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:31,960 for certain people. Unfortunately, nobody really 103 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,120 sells shoes, at least in major running brands that are that, 104 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:36,560 that don't. Nobody sells shoes that are 105 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:37,960 different sizes on left to right. 106 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:39,680 Brooks actually did that briefly. 107 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,840 I believe they do not do that anymore, but that used to be a 108 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:44,920 thing. So generally we have to find the 109 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:46,920 foot that's the longest length and there's going to be some 110 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:49,720 variability that is normal. Don't freak out about that. 111 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:51,600 It's totally normal. It's more abnormal to have feet 112 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:53,920 that are truly the same size. So don't freak out. 113 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:56,240 So you got feet that are different size, length. 114 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,920 You've got feet that will change throughout the day. 115 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,800 The length, width, and volume of your feet are going to change 116 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:03,320 depending on what time of day it is. 117 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,600 So if it's early morning, your feet are generally going to be 118 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:08,400 the smallest and shortest they're going to be throughout 119 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,920 the day. As you go throughout the day. 120 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:12,440 You've been standing, you've been walking. 121 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,280 It is very normal for blood to start pooling in your feet to a 122 00:05:15,280 --> 00:05:16,840 degree. If you have massive pooling, 123 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:18,440 that's not normal. You should go see a medical 124 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,600 professional for that. But some degree of swelling and 125 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,360 change in length of your foot is totally normal as you go 126 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:26,160 throughout the day. It's just gravity, right? 127 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,360 As you've been supine or like laying flat or whatever 128 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,200 position, supine, prone, sideline, whatever. 129 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,600 When you've been lying down, gravity doesn't influence blood 130 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:36,800 flow as much when you've been upright, standing most of the 131 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,320 day, gravity is naturally going to cause a little bit of pulling 132 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:40,960 in your feet. OK, the more you move. 133 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,720 Sometimes that can offset that, but it's naturally for you to 134 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,120 going to change sizes throughout the day. 135 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:48,720 That's why generally it suggested if you're going to try 136 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,240 a shoe on, it might be best to do that later in the day or at 137 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,040 least midday, because that's going to give you the best 138 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,000 average of what your feet are truly going to be. 139 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:57,400 And that's also why it's very common. 140 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,440 You'll try a shoe on at the end of the day and then try in the 141 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,600 morning and go wait, This feels long. 142 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,160 Or you try a shoe on in the morning and then you run it in 143 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:06,360 the evening. You're like, wait, why does it 144 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:08,000 feel short? That's that's why. 145 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,160 OK, that's normal. That happens. 146 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,880 OK, the other thing that can also happen is people have 147 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,360 different shapes of feet. So even though we're talking 148 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,560 about length here, where the arch of the shoe is where all 149 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:23,200 this stuff, that can vary depending on like how the shoe 150 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,280 is designed and your foot can vary. 151 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:27,600 So you might have a shoe where you actually have to go up or 152 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,040 half down, half size just to get something like the arch to fit. 153 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,000 OK, you can modify that. And fortunately a lot of shoes 154 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,800 don't have high arches, so this usually isn't as big of a 155 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:38,320 problem. I'm also someone who's not 156 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:41,160 really sensitive to that, so I don't usually think about it. 157 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:44,000 I've been trying to think about it more, but people are going to 158 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,560 have different size feet and different shape feet. 159 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,880 So length is one piece, but let's talk about how length can 160 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:51,960 actually impact that. And one of the things I really 161 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,920 want to encourage you is, I know I mentioned this earlier, if you 162 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:59,000 are having to go like 2 sizes up in a shoe just to get adequate 163 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,320 width, that is not an appropriate shoe for you, OK? 164 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,640 You are wearing a shoe that's way too long and that's going to 165 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,840 cause its own problems. One of the biggest things you 166 00:07:07,840 --> 00:07:10,800 need to think about is that a shoe is an extension of your 167 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:12,160 foot. And one of the shoes that made 168 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,080 me think the most about this was the Salomon Eslav Phantasm 2 169 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:17,920 this year, which is a super shoe that I bought. 170 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:21,680 I was really interested in it and and I bought it and it went 171 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,000 it's totally out. I don't know when they're going 172 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,920 to restock them but they're not available at the moment so I 173 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,280 can't send this back for resize. And I found this shoe fits truly 174 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:35,040 1/2 size long so when I was running in it when I you know I 175 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:37,040 was like why is there so much extra width. 176 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,400 And what I found is, again, shoes should match the bio 177 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,440 mechanics of your feet. So especially with carbon plated 178 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:47,360 shoes, the rocker, the plate needs to line up with your first 179 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:48,960 toe. We've talked about this before, 180 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:51,640 it needs to light up with the mechanics of your first 181 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:55,400 metatarsal joints because that's where you normally pivot from. 182 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,400 If you are not lining up with that, you're going to be 183 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:01,280 pivoting early or late. Depending on where you are. 184 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:03,120 Later is usually a little bit better. 185 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,680 So that's why I usually encourage a longer heel, a 186 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,840 longer forefoot rocker. But if the apex of the rocker, 187 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,920 the major point that it comes from, is too late, it's going to 188 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,440 make the shoe feel really stiff. A shoe that I was really 189 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:19,320 apparent this became apparent with is the Adidas Adios Pearl 190 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:21,920 one, which it has super late rocker. 191 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,280 And the shoe just felt so stiff because where I was towing off 192 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,920 was too early, so I was hitting an area of the shoe that wasn't 193 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:30,920 really moving and I was trying to push off. 194 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,039 And So what ends up happening is your calves have to work a lot 195 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:36,840 harder, your toe flexors have to work a lot harder. 196 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,159 And it just puts a lot of stress through a lot of different 197 00:08:39,159 --> 00:08:41,159 structures that help you push off because you're trying to 198 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:43,360 push off an area that doesn't normally flex. 199 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,720 So this became apparent with this shoe where I found that 200 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,800 doing easy runs and temple runs did not feel good in it. 201 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,440 I'm like this shoe cost like 275 bucks that that should feel 202 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:54,880 good. For all of that, it's because 203 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,040 the length wasn't matching. When I started running really 204 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,000 fast, the additional stiffness actually started to feel really 205 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:02,360 good. So I did a mild time shell 206 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:03,560 against my students in this shoe. 207 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:05,840 And when I was running really fast, although the kind of fit 208 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,120 was a little off it, I could really push through because 209 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,840 that's when that stiffness actually came in handy. 210 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:15,320 So that's it was a great example of me going with a length is 211 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,040 super duper important. It's an extension of your foot, 212 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,560 and if you have a shoe that's not fitting you the right 213 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:22,080 length, you're going to be pivoting. 214 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,160 And the mechanics of the shoe may not match your foot. 215 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,160 So it's good, might feel stiffer, it might feel a little 216 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,520 bit normal, it might flex in a weird place, It might be 217 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,520 flexing, for example, instead of flexing. 218 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,680 And I'm holding a model of foot instead of flexing right where 219 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:36,600 your first metatarsal joints are. 220 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,720 Metatarsal phalangeal joints. It might be flexing over your 221 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,720 toe joints with like your your your distal interphalangeal 222 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:45,040 joints, your approximate phalangeal joints. 223 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,440 These joints aren't supposed to extend right, Which is what 224 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:50,800 you're doing is you toe off, they're supposed to flex. 225 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:53,640 So if you're excessively extending through an area that's 226 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,240 not supposed to do that, it might cause you some issues. 227 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,760 OK. So that's why again, length is 228 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,280 really, really important. And if a shoe is too long for 229 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:04,760 you, it's going to make your calves and your toe flexors and 230 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:06,360 all the and it's going to, it could potentially put more 231 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:08,880 stress through structures like your plantar fascia because it's 232 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:11,080 too long and you're pushing through a stiffer shoe. 233 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,000 That's just how it works. Doesn't necessarily mean you're 234 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:15,600 going to get injured. I'm saying it's going to put 235 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,520 more stress there. It doesn't necessarily mean 236 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:19,800 you're going to get hurt. It just means it might make the 237 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:21,960 shoe feel a little bit stiffer. That's normal. 238 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:24,880 Unless of course you have a shoe like 0 shoes, which I'm holding 239 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,560 up now, which there's no stiffness of the midsole. 240 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,240 So no matter where you toe off, it's going to flex with your 241 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,280 foot. So that's not really an issue 242 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,640 for a more minimal shoe, although you might because 243 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:38,560 they're usually so wide, you might get some additional 244 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:40,160 sliding. And that's the other issue with 245 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,920 having a this long is you are going to need to really lock 246 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,480 down the shoe, or else you're going to be sliding back and 247 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,800 forth and that can cause blisters on the bottom of your 248 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,520 feet. So again, a shoe that's too long 249 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,160 can be a little bit problematic, but we'll talk about how, why 250 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:54,640 that might be a benefit for some people. 251 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:57,760 A shoe that's too short is probably it is even worse 252 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,080 because a shoe that's too short is going to cause you to do 253 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,920 things like curl your toes. You're going to be slamming into 254 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,640 the end of the shoe. You can get bruising on your 255 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,280 distal toe joints, which actually is very, very common, 256 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:09,640 right. So if you're sliding back and 257 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:12,160 forth and slamming into the end of the shoe, you can get 258 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:16,280 blisters, you can get trauma to the end of the toes. 259 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,120 It does happen. So I think a shoe is too short, 260 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,160 not great. The other really common thing 261 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:23,800 that I mentioned is people will often flex their toes to shorten 262 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,080 the shoe up okay, which yes, technically does accommodate 263 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,880 that, but you're asking the muscles that flex your toes, so 264 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,120 there's two ones or two major ones. 265 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,600 Your long toe flexors would start up like behind your calves 266 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,040 and then your short toe flexors. So if those are contracted 267 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,680 constantly over the entire time that you're wearing the shoe, 268 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:44,840 let's say you're going for an hour run or let's say you're 269 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:48,640 wearing these all day long for 8:00 to 11:50 hours a day, you 270 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,760 are keeping these muscles in an isometric contraction for that 271 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:53,320 long. I don't know if you know this, 272 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,960 but muscles usually don't like to contract for that long. 273 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,320 A lot of muscles like to contract and then relax. 274 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:02,440 OK, contract, relax, turn on when they need to, turn off when 275 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:04,480 they don't. There are some muscle groups in 276 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,040 our body that can do this all day long, like your neck 277 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:08,640 muscles, your back muscles to your core. 278 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,000 Those are muscles that can contract all day long. 279 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:14,520 Some of these more smaller intrinsic muscles don't always 280 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:17,000 want to do that because they don't have the size and capacity 281 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,720 to handle that. So you're asking for these 282 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:21,520 muscles to get stiff, painful and uncomfortable uncomfortable 283 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:23,760 unless you have trained them to be able to tolerate that. 284 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,040 So that's probably not the best position. 285 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:28,960 You really want your toes to be in a more neutral position in 286 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,480 the middle, not flexed or excessively extended all the 287 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:34,440 time, So the muscles can be at what's called a neutral length, 288 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:36,520 which is where they're usually the most comfortable and the 289 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,440 most efficient. So that can cause a lot of toe 290 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,800 flexion issues. A lot of times people will start 291 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,560 getting pain in the bottom of their foot or arches and that 292 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:48,800 usually will be diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, which really 293 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:50,840 make sure, if anybody diagnosis you with that, make sure they've 294 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:52,920 actually examined you. And actually make sure that's 295 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,000 coming from the plantar fascia because you have a ton of stuff 296 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,440 on the bottom of your foot that is not your plantar fascia. 297 00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,880 So a lot of those small toe flexors that I mentioned 298 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:02,720 earlier, those muscle bellies are on the bottom of your foot 299 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,040 and also get irritated. So it's very common for those to 300 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,720 be painful in this situation where the shoe is too short. 301 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,840 Now, to be fair, your plantar fascia actually does get put on 302 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:15,600 a lot of stretch when you flex your toes, because it starts at 303 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,560 your heel and goes all the way to the very, very beginnings of 304 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:21,600 your toe joints. So if you flex your toe joints 305 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:24,640 up, it technically puts tension on the plantar fascia, which is 306 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:26,120 great for a short period of time. 307 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,400 Like when you're running, when you need to toe off and you need 308 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,680 to create a stiff foot, that's a great time to create tension 309 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:33,240 there. But you don't want that there 310 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,360 all the time because that tissue, like anything else, can 311 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:37,360 get irritated. The plantar fascia is kind of 312 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:39,840 like a tendon, It doesn't get as good a blood flow, and it takes 313 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:41,720 a lot longer to heal and things get irritated. 314 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,240 Which is why when you have plantar fasciitis, it seems to 315 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,600 take forever to heal. Guess what? 316 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:48,760 But that's normal. It doesn't get the normal blood 317 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,800 flow that other things do. So if your toes are very, very 318 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,720 flexed all the time, you are technically put plating the 319 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:57,920 plantar fascia on stretch and you're holding it and yanking on 320 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,520 it every time you toe off. So that might, it might not. 321 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:03,000 Everybody's different. Everybody has different 322 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,760 tolerances and things like that. That influences, that might also 323 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:07,720 influence your risk for plantar fasciitis. 324 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,160 That is not confirmed. There's not a lot of shoe stuff 325 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,800 that's confirmed with that. This is just clinical and 326 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,240 anecdotal stuff, so just be aware it's anecdotal. 327 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,760 I am admitting that to you. But that is why you want to find 328 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:23,240 a shoe that fits really the bet the true to size to you. 329 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,840 That's why we talk about the fact that, you know, I'll always 330 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:29,080 reference does this shoe fit true to size for me? 331 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,040 And I'm going to encourage you. If you're reading our reviews or 332 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:35,760 anybody else's reviews, find someone whose feet seem to fit 333 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:37,760 similar to you. That might take one or two pairs 334 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,360 of shoes to test out. Not everyone's going to have the 335 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:44,360 same size feet as me or the same relative like relevant fit. 336 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:47,120 So if let's say I'm a size 10, that's typically what I go for 337 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:48,440 in the majority of shoes out there. 338 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,640 You might fit a size 9 or a size 11 or size 87, whatever. 339 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,520 Just you have to figure out is your are your feet matching to 340 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,920 kind of what mine are in like as a reference, OK, you might not, 341 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:02,080 you might be a quarter size down for me or like and that might 342 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:03,600 your fit might not be some of mine. 343 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,200 So again as always try to find someone who has a similar fit to 344 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,520 you that you can relate to. That might may or may not be one 345 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,360 of us. I hope it is, it might not. 346 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:16,200 So find somebody that is so that's why we always comments on 347 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,600 how long this shoe is because that we want to give you an idea 348 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:21,680 of hey, should you think about 1/2 size down, should think 349 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,160 about 1/2 size up the Salman S Lab Phantasm and also the on 350 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:27,480 cloud boom echo or two shoes where I go, you know what I 351 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:30,160 might really consider 1/2 size down. 352 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,600 You might have a different experience but I actually 353 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:36,520 modified the Salman S Lab Phantasm by putting some extra 354 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:40,200 an arch pad back in the heel to shorten the shoe up and all of a 355 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,440 sudden the transition was way better. 356 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:44,760 The heel was a little awkward because my heels sitting a 357 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,440 little farther forward, but it the toe off was a lot better. 358 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:51,560 So I was like, Yep, 1/2 size better would probably be fine. 359 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,080 Although please don't quote me on that because I can almost bet 360 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,520 you money that Salomon probably might fix that with the newest 361 00:15:57,520 --> 00:15:59,840 with the next round of these shoes. 362 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:02,560 And that's the challenge with certain companies that don't put 363 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,600 out as good a volume. You don't know how age batch is 364 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:06,640 going to show up and there is variability with that. 365 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,120 My first experience with that was with the Adidas adios tempo 366 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,000 series like way back with like version three or four when I 367 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,320 realized shoes could be totally different lengths depending on 368 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,040 market and and factory settings. So just be aware of that's 369 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:24,000 throwing a never mind. So you're probably asking at 370 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:25,960 this point. Hey, he's been talking for 16 371 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,080 minutes. How do I know how a shoe is 372 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,560 supposed to fit me? So for normal running, For road 373 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:34,520 running, normal running. Actually, I shouldn't say road 374 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:36,360 running. For normal distance running, 375 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,880 short stuff, moderate distance stuff, a shoe should fit. 376 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:43,000 At least what I was told. The kind of key thing is 1/2 to 377 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,240 full thumbs width between the end of your longest toe and the 378 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,000 end of the shoe. I know that's not the most 379 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,560 scientific thing because everybody has different thumb 380 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:54,640 sizes and different thumb width. So again, it's not this, it's 381 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:56,960 this. If you can see me, Kay, that's 382 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,000 just a general rule of thumb. I made that junk before. 383 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,240 I know it's terrible every time I make it, but that's a general 384 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,160 rule to go, hey, just to make sure you have enough room there 385 00:17:06,319 --> 00:17:08,960 when you put the shoe on, it shouldn't feel like it's way too 386 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:10,400 long. And you can test that by 387 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,640 actually, like, walking and running in the shoe. 388 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,359 If you feel like a kind of sliding back and forth or just 389 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,720 feels like there's too much room, that's maybe a shoe that's 390 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,640 too long. If you feel like your feet are 391 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,680 hitting the end of the shoe, that's definitely too short. 392 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,319 Your toes should not be hitting the end of the shoe because if 393 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:28,600 they are, when you're just standing and walking during 394 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:30,400 running, you're going to get more translation that's going to 395 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,160 bug you. So the half to full thumbs with 396 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,000 is actually works pretty well. I've yet to have that fail on 397 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,160 me. Again, it's anecdotal. 398 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:39,640 Nobody's ever done research on that, but it's just a good way 399 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:41,360 to go. Hey, is this a good test? 400 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:42,960 Shoes are going to fit different though. 401 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:45,080 Toe boxes are a great thing again. 402 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,840 So you can have a I've just discovered this with the Mizuna 403 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,640 Wave Rebellion Pro series where you can have a shoe that has a 404 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,720 wide forefoot but the toe box tapers. 405 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,600 And the difference between that is the forefoot is where your 406 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,200 metatarsal joints are or metatarsal phalangeal joints 407 00:17:58,200 --> 00:17:59,840 are. The toe box is where your actual 408 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:01,560 toes sit. So those can actually be two 409 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:03,960 different things. So sometimes when things taper 410 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,360 really quick, again, if there's a quick taper, the distance 411 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:10,440 between your longest toe, it could be your it could be your 412 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,040 big toe, your hallux, it could be your second toe that might be 413 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:14,640 hitting on the shoe. So you might go, hey, I might 414 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:16,560 need something a little bit longer. 415 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:21,520 So you should have a little bit of room between your toes and 416 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:23,960 the end of the shoe. It shouldn't be too much, it 417 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:25,360 shouldn't be too little, too little. 418 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,000 It should be right in a certain amount. 419 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,960 And that's where the thumb rule kind of comes into play. 420 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:34,200 Just to throw in some additional stuff for you. 421 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,080 If you are wearing insoles, that's also going to take up 422 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:40,880 more length than rooms, so there are specific shoes meant for 423 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,080 insoles. This is answering the first 424 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,200 people question people ask is, hey, how do I do length with 425 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:46,040 insoles? So there's two really great 426 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,240 shoes out there that I really, really are my go to for 427 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:49,600 recommending if you need insoles. 428 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,440 The Brooks Ghost Max and the Saucony Echelon 9 are two 429 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,840 phenomenal shoes that are actually designed to take 430 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:57,000 insoles. And the reason they're designed 431 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,600 to take that is that when you take the the factory insole out, 432 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,840 it's actually really thick. It's really that they prepared 433 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:06,160 this so that when you took that thing out, there'd be a little 434 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:08,600 extra room and volume in there so that when you put an orthotic 435 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,360 in there, there's already space for that. 436 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:12,320 A lot of other shoes don't do that. 437 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:15,720 The insoles are a little bit thin or as I've learned, the 438 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,080 insoles are actually designed to go with the shoes. 439 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,680 So if you just yank the insoles on a lot of shoes, you're taking 440 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:22,480 away something that the shoe was designed with. 441 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,240 So just be aware of that. But if you want a shoe that can 442 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:27,680 take orthotics, you're going to want a shoe that is designed 443 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,480 specifically for them. So that's where the Ghost Max, 444 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,200 Saki Echelon 9 are going to be. Two really, really, really good 445 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,960 ones. The size might get modified if 446 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:36,760 you put something like an orthotic in there. 447 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,280 You might need a half size up because it's often times 448 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,440 orthotics are naturally going to take up a little bit more room. 449 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:44,200 That includes lengthwise, another group that are going to 450 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,160 have to think about this. And this is a great question 451 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:50,640 because somebody asked do Rd. shoes and trail shoes, do they 452 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:51,800 fit? Do you need to get the same 453 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:52,280 size? Are they? 454 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,520 Should they fit different? The answer is very commonly 455 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:57,640 those two will fit differently. And the reason why they're 456 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,240 frequently fit differently is because trail shoes will often 457 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,720 have much thicker uppers. This is actually not the best 458 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,600 example. I was grabbing the soccerty, one 459 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:09,560 of these soccerty Endorphin trail series. 460 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:13,640 Trail shoes were often have much thicker uppers and that's 461 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,280 because when you're running on trail, there's a lot more jury, 462 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:17,560 there's a lot more hazards and you need. 463 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:20,640 Need additional protection here? OK, a road shoe will often have 464 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:22,520 a thinner upper because you really don't need protection up 465 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:23,440 top. You just need something that 466 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,840 holds you on the platform. Now that's changing because a 467 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,600 lot of the trail uppers are getting thinner, but there's 468 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:31,400 something you need to be aware of because often times when 469 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,000 people are talking about trail, they're also talking about being 470 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,280 on their feet for a lot longer. An eight mile run on technical 471 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,040 trail is a very different thing than an eight mile run on road. 472 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:42,840 The technical one is going to take a lot longer and sometimes 473 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:45,840 take double the amount of time. If you remember what I talked 474 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,120 about earlier is that the amount of time on your feet and the 475 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:51,840 amount of like the amount of like the throughout the day can 476 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:54,280 affect things. Running can also make an impact. 477 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,320 So if you're doing a short run, your feet may not change that 478 00:20:58,320 --> 00:20:59,880 length that much. OK, because they're not going to 479 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:02,480 swell that much. If you're out there for 1234 480 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:05,320 hours, you may have noticed, hey, my shoes don't fit the same 481 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,320 as when I first started. And because just like going 482 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,120 throughout the day, when you run, you're pounding on your 483 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:13,720 feet, it is very normal to get a little bit of capillary rupture. 484 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:15,680 And that's just normal. Don't freak out, but a little 485 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:17,840 bit of swelling in your feet. And so your feet are going to 486 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:20,800 change size throughout the run. So when you're on your feet for 487 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,200 longer a trail shoot, you actually might need a little bit 488 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:26,480 more room. They'd often try at times. 489 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,400 Chill shoes can fit just a little bit short because upper 490 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,360 is a little bit thicker that the sizing can be different. 491 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:34,040 So just be make sure you test that. 492 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:36,800 The other group that needs to be aware of this is ultra 493 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:38,080 marathoners. So there's a lot of old. 494 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:39,760 Most ultra marathoners tend to be on road. 495 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,080 There's a couple on I'm sorry, on trail. 496 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,040 There's a couple on road, which I totally get. 497 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,200 But when you're on your feet for hours, sometimes days at a time, 498 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:53,560 feet are definitely going to change length and size as you're 499 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:56,520 doing a long, long trail run or an ultra marathon. 500 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:58,600 Because you're pounding, pounding, pounding, your feet 501 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:00,240 are going to swell, swell, swell, swell. 502 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,720 So a lot of ultra marathoners will intentionally get a shoe 503 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,040 that's 1/2 or full size up. It makes total sense because 504 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,240 they know their feet are going to swell throughout the length 505 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,360 of the run. The things you need to be aware 506 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:15,520 of is that when you do that, OK, you're going to be towing off 507 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,920 through a different spot. That might mean the first part 508 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,320 of your ultra marathon. This shoe actually might feel a 509 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:22,840 little bit stiffer because you may not be hitting the right 510 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,680 rocker. But as that goes on, all of a 511 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,840 sudden you go, oh, all of a sudden the shoes got smoother S 512 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:30,680 to shoe. Is that your foot finally 513 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,120 swelled enough and changed enough that it's actually 514 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:34,600 starting to match where the mechanics are? 515 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:36,920 So ultra marathoners are kind of in a challenging boat because 516 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,880 your feet are going to change, they're going to change width, 517 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,320 size and width, volume and size, slash length. 518 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:45,480 So trail shoes can be a really hard thing. 519 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,800 And so yes, often times trail shoes may need to fit a little 520 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,520 bit different because the uppers are thicker and based on how 521 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,280 long you're going to be out there, that also can impact. 522 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:56,200 You might need a half size up because the last thing you want 523 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,920 is your toes suddenly getting smashed because they're swelling 524 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:02,120 and getting a ton of those bruises and and stuff and things 525 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:03,120 there. So that does happen. 526 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:04,760 So trail shoes often can fit different. 527 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,640 The other challenge with trail shoes is that yes, you need a 528 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,200 little, you sometimes need a lot of length, but you still need to 529 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,240 have good security. So the thicker uppers can help 530 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:16,280 with this, but you're on uneven terrain and this goes into width 531 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,160 and other things that were not necessarily the focus of this. 532 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,600 But trail shoes need to fit different because you need more 533 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,320 security in a trail shoe than just need a road shoe. 534 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,160 Unless you're doing some crazy technical road route, which 535 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,680 there's variation in that, but a lot of Rd. is going to be fairly 536 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:32,840 straight and flat, there's not going to be a lot of things that 537 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:36,160 are jostling you back to forth. Trail will definitely do that. 538 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,480 Where you need to have a shoe that stays locked in on your 539 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,520 foot all the time, which can be really challenging to get that 540 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:43,160 optimal fit. And you're not going to know 541 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,480 that in a store. I'm be totally honest with you, 542 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:47,720 a lot of trail shoes, you're going to need to go test them 543 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:49,360 and go, hey, can they handle this? 544 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:53,440 What happens to my toes? Unless the store has like 545 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:55,840 different training things you can test on, you're not going to 546 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,160 know until you'll get out there. Because and trail shoes, I've 547 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,880 had more trouble getting an optimal fit than I have Rd. 548 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:02,280 shoes. So yes, they fit different. 549 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,720 Yes, length becomes more important if you get a longer 550 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,160 shoe because you know if you're going to swell. 551 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,600 There are some biomechanical things that happen to use to get 552 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,120 except that the shoe might be stiffer. 553 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:14,040 That's just how it goes. The other group that needs to 554 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:15,880 think about this is those with pathology. 555 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,480 So we've had a lot of questions. Hey, what size do I need for 556 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:20,520 bunions? What size do we need for hammer 557 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:24,360 toes, for plantar fasciitis, for for Alex, like Valgus, for stuff 558 00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:27,360 like that. Just know that the shoe that you 559 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,440 pick not only needs to have enough length, it needs to have 560 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:32,080 enough width. So a lot of those issues, So 561 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,400 bunions for sure, Alex, Valgus, which is where your toe is 562 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,280 adduct, your big toe is adducting inwards or going 563 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,160 outwards, sorry, it's actually technically going lateral is the 564 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:42,680 correct term. It's going out. 565 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:47,000 A lot of this comes into having shoes that are pushing your toes 566 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,680 inwards because they're not wide enough. 567 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,240 Many people will get shoes extra long to try to compensate for 568 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,640 that. But then the challenge is, like 569 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,000 I mentioned earlier, you're towing off in an area that's not 570 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,240 necessarily, it doesn't have to say, have the right stiffness. 571 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,440 So often times what you'll compensate by doing is 572 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,320 collapsing in to get around where that stiffness is. 573 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:09,480 And you'll pivot off the medial side of the shoe, which ends up 574 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:12,040 actually putting more pressure on the inner side of your toe, 575 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,560 which can create more pressure there, which is something that 576 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,560 can cause and influence bunions over many, many years. 577 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,960 OK, that is why having a shoe that's not only long enough but 578 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,000 also wide enough is really important because you should be 579 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,200 able to have be able to spread your toes out a little bit 580 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:27,600 unless you're running a track spike and then it's short enough 581 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,400 hopefully that you don't have to do this for too long, you should 582 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:32,920 be able to spread your toes a little bit with any shoe. 583 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,000 If you feel like you get the right length with the shoes too 584 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:39,200 narrow, that might not be the right shoe for you. 585 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:40,840 That might be something you have to consider. 586 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,040 So a lot of the things that I talked about to do with with 587 00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:46,480 width and if you are trying having to go exercises up to get 588 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,960 the right width, you might not have enough room. 589 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,120 There are a lot of good options that have wider toe boxes out 590 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:54,640 there now. Fortunately some two really go 591 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,160 to standards has been Ultra and Topo who have done a phenomenal 592 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,200 job. Obviously more minimal companies 593 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:01,920 like 0 can certainly come to mind. 594 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,960 But if you want a more normal shoe with cushioning, Ultra and 595 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:07,280 Topo have done a really, really good job with this because not 596 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,960 only the shoes make shoes that are true to size, but they also 597 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,160 have really wide toe boxes. You don't have to necessarily go 598 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,480 up size and a half to get enough room because there's already 599 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,600 enough width in there. Both companies make really great 600 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,360 shoes, not just for running but also for walking. 601 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:25,120 I will say the Topo. The Topo, Sorry, I can barely 602 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:27,200 pronounce companies names in English as it is. 603 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,440 The Topo Atmos and the Ultra Via Olympus 2 are two really awesome 604 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:33,760 shoes that have a little bit more cushioning and really wide 605 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:36,600 toe boxes for those that stand all day and want a shoe that 606 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,760 actually fits them. True to size, those can be 607 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:40,640 really good options. They obviously have full lines 608 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,200 you can take a look at that match what your feet need. 609 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,720 But for a lot of those things you want to make sure that you 610 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:49,160 have enough room in the shoe. For hammer toes, that's another 611 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:50,800 question. You really need to make sure you 612 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,240 have enough length. Hammer toes often happen because 613 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,280 of excessive tightening of the toe flexors. 614 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:58,440 You can even happen because of some pathology, or they can 615 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,080 happen because your shoe is too short and you're shortening your 616 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:02,480 toes Just to be able to deal with this. 617 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,320 And when I say shoe too short, there's two variations of this. 618 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:08,480 As I've discovered recently, there can be a too short because 619 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,440 the actual length is too short. There can also be a too short 620 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:15,240 because the toe spring or the upper curve at the front of the 621 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,080 shoe can be too aggressive and your toes are actually getting 622 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,120 getting extended more than they want and you'll short. 623 00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:22,720 They'll shorten to try to basically create a true to size 624 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,280 fit. So watch out for shoes with 625 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,080 excessive toe spring. And the toe spring is different 626 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,560 than a forefoot rocker. Toe spring is how much your toes 627 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,400 are held in extension. Forefoot rocker is the actual 628 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,360 curve at the bottom of the shoe. So if a shoe is too short, has 629 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:38,240 too much toe spring, you might still curl your toes and that 630 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,560 might create some additional pressure or create put you at 631 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:42,800 risk for things like hammer toes. 632 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:44,960 Rear toes either get stuck in that position from a joint 633 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:47,440 perspective or the toe flexors get shortened. 634 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:49,760 The last thing is plantar fasciitis, and I mentioned this 635 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:52,160 earlier that a shoe that's too short where you shorten your 636 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,640 toes up and you put more stress and tighten that thing up all 637 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,120 the time or shoot it's too long where you have to push off 638 00:27:57,120 --> 00:27:59,280 harder. And the plantar fascia is part 639 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,240 of your gastro oxalate and your calf complex to help transfer 640 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:04,640 forces you push off. If you're trying to toe off to 641 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,880 something that's too stiff, that actually can increase the amount 642 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,960 of symptoms through your the amount of strain through your 643 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:15,120 plantar fascia. So things like often times we 644 00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:17,200 give people orthotics and sifting agents for plantar 645 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,800 fascia with plantar fasciitis, which can be helpful from an art 646 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,600 perspective if it's if you're not towing off in the right 647 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:24,440 place, it can actually put more stress there. 648 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,720 So stiff shoes. In some cases stiff and hard 649 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,440 shoes can actually be a risk factor for the development of 650 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,840 plantar fasciitis. Doesn't mean super soft shoes 651 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:33,720 are any better for it. It's finding that best amount 652 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:36,240 for you. But again you want to make sure 653 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:40,080 things are just right and that really goes back to making sure 654 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:43,200 your your shoes fit just right. And that's going to mean you 655 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:45,000 probably need to try them on you to find out. 656 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,760 Use that half the full thumbs with from the longest, your 657 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:51,520 longest toe, not somebody else's and you need to go hey, where it 658 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:53,920 it doesn't feel like I'm towing off in the right area. 659 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:55,960 So you can't just stand there and go, how does it feel you 660 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:57,400 actually need to walk run in and go. 661 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,840 Am I actually towing off? Does it feel smooth as I go over 662 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:02,800 the forefoot? Does it feel like my toes are 663 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:05,320 head to the end or if they're sliding around, that's going to 664 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:09,440 help you get a a better fit. If you do need to get a longer 665 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,880 shoe, like if you're doing an ultra marathon and you know your 666 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:13,840 feet are going to swell, or if you're somebody whose feet 667 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,080 naturally soft throughout the day, you just need to know that 668 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,240 the shoe is going to feel a little bit stiff initially. 669 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,640 That is normal. You have to figure out if you 670 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:23,920 can tolerate that first of all, and if it's worth it in the long 671 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:26,120 run, and that's just something you need to do. 672 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,320 If you are doing this with a shoe and you find you don't have 673 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,080 enough width, you might want a shoe that fits wider right? 674 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:38,080 Ultra 0 Topo. All these other companies have 675 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:40,360 shoes that are whiter, so you can you have the stuff out 676 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,080 there. If you're wearing an orthotic, 677 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:44,360 please get a shoe that's actually meant for orthotics. 678 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:47,760 We've talked about this extensively, but the Ghost Max 679 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:49,480 and the Stock and Echelon are two great ones. 680 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,360 Please avoid stability shoes, and we mentioned this before 681 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:55,680 because stability shoes are not made, made are not made to be 682 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:57,800 used with orthotics because they already have stabilizing 683 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:00,600 elements in them. So how that's going to interact 684 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:03,560 with orthotic we don't know. So unless if you're trying this 685 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,560 for the first time, typically try to get a neutral shoe with 686 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:10,600 that or try to get something that has enough length and room 687 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:12,840 to begin with. So those are just some of my 688 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:13,840 thoughts. Some of the things I thought 689 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:17,240 about with some of the shoes over the last year in 2023, I 690 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:20,360 know we're releasing this in 2024, but I hope that helps give 691 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:21,840 you an answer. And I know it's not the most 692 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:24,080 technical thing is that have to full thumbs with, but that's 693 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:25,200 right. This is really important. 694 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:28,640 And these kind of things can contribute to pathology in 695 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,640 certain people, though we don't have a lot of evidence for this. 696 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,440 It's mostly anecdotal, but it also can be a tool that you can 697 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:34,840 mess with. You can create a shoe that's 698 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:36,200 longer for you. If you know your feet are going 699 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,680 to swell, you can try to get a shoe that fits true to size or 700 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:42,320 modify things for you. And that's kind of the the end 701 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,680 of this is that you need to find something that works for you as 702 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:46,800 an individual. Nobody likes that infant, that 703 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:48,960 answer. But you have to find what your 704 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:50,960 feet like. You have to find how wide they 705 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,360 are, how long they are and that's going to vary a little 706 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:55,560 bit with every company. And that's why we try to do this 707 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:57,920 and go, hey, we're going to test these shoes out. 708 00:30:57,920 --> 00:30:59,480 Sometimes we're lucky enough that companies send stuff, 709 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:01,800 sometimes get to buy it and we're going to be going to tell 710 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:05,160 you, hey, if you if one of us has a foot that's similar to 711 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:09,640 yours, hopefully you can learn from our how do I say this, our 712 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,600 successes and our failures, we find issue that doesn't or 713 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:14,000 doesn't work and that's why we do this. 714 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,200 So if we can help you with that, that's great, but we also help 715 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:18,960 you learn what's best for you so you could start making those 716 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:21,040 decisions. As always, we hope this helps. 717 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,080 We're trying to put out as much great stuff as possible. 718 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:24,960 There's a lot of really great things that are coming in 719 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,120 24/20/24. They will hope you'll stick 720 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:28,920 around for. But in the meantime, hope that 721 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:30,480 was helpful and hope you have a great new year.