About Me

My name is Brian Goldman and I am 36 years old.  After several years of cycling I was looking for a change of pace that would fit into my lifestyle.  I am married with three young children and have found it difficult to find time to go on long bike rides.  In April of 2013 some friends from work started running and I decided to tag along.  I never really enjoyed running, but had only run on treadmills in the past.  My first run was as 3 mile struggle and I averaged around 12:30 minutes/mile, having to stop several times to catch my breath.  Over the next few months I progressed and was running at an average pace of 9:30 minutes/mile.  Unfortunately I started developing shin splints.  Over the next year I dealt with one injury after another from IT Band issues, to tendonitis, to hip pain.  I spent countless hours researching injury prevention and even went to a running coach to change my form.  I ran my first half marathon on April 26, 2014 (the American River Parkway Half Marathon) with an average pace of 9:12 minutes/mile.

I now love running and have a passion for helping other people get through their running pain so they too can enjoy running. The blog posts will include information about various injuries, including how to differentiate between them and different treatments options.  Because there are numerous products that aid in the prevention and treatment of running injuries, I will also be doing product reviews from time to time as some of these items have been key to keeping me in the running game.

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor and all of the information and advice that I provide is strictly my opinion based on research that I have done.  I recommend having a doctor diagnose your injuries and recommend treatment options for your injuries. 

Pick a shoe, any shoe!

With so many different types of shoes available for runners today, how do you choose which pair would be best for you? Should you wear a "stability" or "neutral" shoe?  When I started running I was running in a $40 pair of Nike shoes that I got at the Nike Outlet.  The person who was helping me pick out shoes had no idea what they were talking about other than what shoe size I should get.

I went to Fleet Feet and had them do an analysis of my gait (how I walk/run) so I knew what shoes I should be wearing.  I would strongly recommend having an analysis done.  Fleet Feet (and most likely any running store) should do this analysis for free.  They told me that I have a neutral gait.  While the analysis that you get in a running store is not taking into account if you are a fore foot striker, a heal striker, or even if your running form is correct.  It does give you a place to start, especially if you are new to running and have not tried out different shoes.

I have three pairs or running shoes now.  I have the Nike Pegasus 29, Mizuno Wave Enigma, and Mizuno Prophecy 2.  The Mizuno shoes are my favorite.  Shoes that feel good to you might feel completely different to someone else.  Each brand is unique and will feel different, so go to a store that will allow you to try the shoes out.  The shoes should feel good when you try them on, so don't think that they will feel better over time.  Fleet Feet will allow you to return your shoes if you do not like them.  It doesn't get much better than that.

It is very important to take into consideration how many miles your shoes should last.  Most shoes should last between 300 and 500 miles.  Some people have journals so they can log every mile that they run in every shoe that they own.  While this is free to do, if you have several pairs of shoes, this could really be a real pain.  I recently came across a new product that is amazing.  It is called the Mino.  It automatically tracks your shoe usage and lets you know when your shoes need to be replaced.  You put the Mino pod under your insole and then you check it every few weeks.  The Mino is about 2.5 mm thick and you can hardly tell that they are there.  Your shoes are intended to protect your feet for a set amount of miles and after that, you dramatically increase the chance of injury.  I think the Mino could quite possibly be the product of the year in 2014.  It has been featured by Runners World and you can purchase your Mino at http://www.runmino.com/ for $15 plus tax and shipping.