The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Get off the couch
Second Sole in Mentor gives tips to get into running
The hardest part is getting off the couch, Alexandra Delzoppo said, so the last thing you want after you’ve made the decision to start running is to get an injury that pushes you right back on the couch.
That motivation factor is really hard to get, she said, and so when someone is motivated to go out and start, the last thing you want is to pick up an injury from something as marginal as wearing the wrong shoe.
Delzoppo is a certified pedorthist who works at the 8791 Mentor Ave., Second Sole running store.
She said the store’s staff will do a brief assessment.
“We ask them to take off their shoes, just kind of say, ‘are you dealing with any current pain, or historically have you dealt with any problems’ and then we have them take a walk away from us and back toward us and we have a look at their feet,” Delzoppo said.
They’re looking to see what foot type the person has: “do they have high arches, do they have flat feet, are they fairly neutral?”
“In terms of different styles of shoes, there’s two main categories
“Do a 5K. How does your body feel? How did things go? How did the training go? Work your way up to a 10K. Then work your way up to that half marathon.”
—Alexandra Delzoppo, certified pedorthist at Second Sole in Mentor
of footwear: they’re neutral (or cushioned) shoes and then there’s stability shoes,” she said.
A high-arched foot, for example, doesn’t absorb shock that well, Delzoppo said. Putting that foot in a neutral shoe helps the body absorb the shock.
Delzoppo said wearing the wrong type of shoe can lead to “all sorts of issues” like shin splints, and IT band issues.
“My role here as a pedorthist is I actually sit down for one-on-one assessments with people,” she said. “They book a time slot to come in and see me and in that assessment I bring in a variety of shoes and they fill out an intake form and let me know their history of injury, surgeries, their current activity level, what their hopes to do are.
“And from there I do a more in-depth analysis where I do look at them seated, standing and walking and look at them biomechanically. How does their structure interact with the ground? Is the foot and ankle collapsing inwards that’s causing internal torque on the knee which is why they’re dealing with knee pain? Is that knee pain coming more from a glute weakness?”
In addition to shoes, Second Sole offers insoles, both off the shelf and ones Delzoppo custom makes.
“Really the first step is going into your local shoe store and having a proper evaluation done to see what category of shoe you should be in and then if you need something beyond that — it’s not quite working for you — we can swap it.”
Doug Middleton, a manager at Second Sole, said that on average running shoes last for about 400 miles.
“The shoes can look pristine,” Delzoppo said. “Personally, I do a lot of running indoors and my shoes look brand spanking new when I need to retire them. Although visually they look still fine, that foam does compress, break down, wear down. You may not be able to visually see it but it is important to kind of track your mileage and go ‘OK at this point I do need to be replacing them.’” Worn-down shoes can lead to injuries too, she said.
“With that repeated contact in certain spots, that shoe then becomes more compressed, more broken down, so each of those motions is more exaggerated each time you come down in that exact same spot.”
As a way to get into running, Delzoppo recommends finding people to run with.
Finding people who will run with you and meet at a consistent time can help keep up motivation.
“You’re meeting people, so you’re more likely to show up and go through the run,” she said.
Middleton said that Northeast Running Club meets three or four days a week and is one of the biggest groups of runners that gets together. The group has people from all ages, from 8 into their 80s.
“Whether you’re interested in running your first 5K or are looking for support to complete a 50K, there’s a place in this club for you,” the Northeast Running Club stated on its website.
The group has been around since 1982 and stated that most of its members live in Lake County, but they also have members from Geauga, Cuyahoga and Ashtabula counties.
Finding a group to run with can also help add a sense of safety, Delzoppo said.
“I love running trails; I won’t run them by myself,” she said. “I look for groups. I found those groups, personally, on Facebook. It was just a matter of becoming part of a local run group and then hearing where people are running. People will post what distance they’re planning to run, but then you can kind of go and do your own thing. At least you’re amongst other people. You have that feeling of being safe.”
Middleton said that setting goals is important. He said that at Second Sole they carry race calendar books that show races throughout the year. He added that going to watch a race can also spark motivation.
Delzoppo said to have something you’re working toward, but to start slow. “Do a 5K. How does your body feel? How did things go? How did the training go? Work your way up to a 10K. Then work your way up to that half marathon.”
Delzoppo said one of the biggest reasons people don’t stay consistent with running is because they don’t have a schedule.
“Find what works for your schedule,” she said. “If you know from 8:30 in the morning when you leave for work until 9 p.m. at night you’re on the go and at 9 p.m., you’re so exhausted the last thing you want to do is exercise, maybe wake up at 6 a.m. and do your run first thing in the morning.”