NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Jog On: Getting off on the right foot

Helen Twose
By Helen Twose
Columnist·Herald online·
6 Feb, 2012 08:31 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Photo / Thinkstock

Photo / Thinkstock

Helen Twose
Opinion by Helen Twose
Personal finance and KiwiSaver columnist at the NZ Herald
Learn more

If I were a car I'd be listed as a low mileage, classic early 70s model, showing some signs of rust, current WoF and rego, with one careful lady owner.

Either through good luck or good management I've never had any major injury breakdowns and I'd like to keep it that way.

Good shoes are an important part of keeping me happily running so I've enlisted the help of sports podiatrist Rob Dallimore. Dallimore has competed in triathlons since his teens, including completing the Ironman distance multiple times, so has about a squillion million kilometres of running on the clock too.

"Most of the injuries I see are from people who have worn shoes for too long, so the shoe has worn out, or have become really good friends with a brand of shoes or a model of shoes and continued with it year-in-year-out without considering they have changed over that time."

Dallimore says it is important to review running style and shoe choices whenever there have been any significant changes. Pregnancy is an obvious one for me, with hormones causing ligaments to temporarily soften, but stepping up mileage or losing just 5kg can have an effect on running style.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The reality is that as soon as you start running you expose yourself to more force than you would normally. There is a very high chance you will develop some sort of injury but if you're on to it and you know what the warning signs are then you can avoid it."

First he takes a good look at my shoes: the Adidas Salvation. I've had them for a little over three years but they haven't been used much in that time. The wear pattern on the sole is even, neither showing excessive wear on the inner nor outer edges.

"Whoever prescribed you this shoe did a very good job," he says.

Yes, it's no accident I am in this pair of shoes. They were in fact picked for me at one of the specialist running shoe stores that include Shoe Science, Shoe Clinic and Smiths Sports Shoes after I'd had my running style analysed.

Even though my shoes haven't been worn much, Dallimore says a shoe has a finite life span. After two to three years the material begins to degrade, particularly if you've done a lot of running in the winter, he says.

Discover more

Lifestyle

Eva Mendes works hard for her curves

25 Jan 10:54 PM
Lifestyle

High heel horror - even with shoes off

26 Jan 04:30 PM
Lifestyle

Retreat for mind, body and soul

31 Jan 08:30 PM
Lifestyle

Victoria Beckham dedicated to health and fitness

01 Feb 07:14 PM

"You draw a lot of moisture into the sole and they start losing a bit of life."

Dallimore recommends regularly checking your shoes for signs of wear. Pop them up on the kitchen bench see that they are sitting up at 90 degrees and not slopping to one side. Also see that the uppers aren't coming apart, particularly around the toe and heel areas.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

After the shoe check it's time to look at my feet - both with and without my running shoes on. This involves standing still, on one leg and flexing my feet before sending me for a walk down the hallway and a jog on a treadmill.

He was able to pick up that I had done gymnastics as a kid, which gave my brain the ability to quickly receive and respond to messages from the foot due to a history of doing off-balance exercises. Swimming as a child had also given me good ankle flexibility. In theory I should have a powerful swim kick.

The upshot was my general biomechanics were "very, very good" and the shoes I was in were still working well.

Anyway, somewhere in my conversation I must have gotten all bedazzled by the collection of Ironman medals hanging by Dallimore's desk and before I knew it I was talking about running a half marathon. That is, ahem, about 200 per cent further than I run on a good day at the moment.

Dallimore says a change in focus means it is a good opportunity to also change shoes. If I didn't have aspirations to run the longer distance the Adidas shoes could have done for a bit longer.

He suggests I try a pair of Saucony Hurricanes, which will take me through to a half marathon, with my Adidas shoes held in reserve as wet weather shoes or for shorter runs.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When I get my new shoes, Dallimore says I need to spend a week or so walking around in them rather than blasting straight out for a run. This allows the forefoot of the shoe to soften up.

He also recommends getting off concrete footpaths and on to a softer surface once you're running 35 to 40 minutes more than three times a week. This can be anything from trails, hard-packed sand on the beach, tarseal roads or even the grass verge beside the footpath.

So what are top of Dallimore's list of shoe crimes? Not Crocs, but over-wearing shoes and being too ambitious with shoe choice. "For the person that is new to running they need to be in the best shoe for that person, not the best shoe on the shelf."

In other news:

* Motivational music could speed recovery.

Events:

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

* Claiming to be New Zealand's most scenic athletic event the Buller Gorge Marathon runs through the West Coast gorge to finish at Westport. Saturday, February 11.

* Head to Auckland's North Shore for race two of the Albany Lakes Summer Series 10km, 5km and kids 2km dash running events. Sunday, February 12.

Twitter: @Jog_On_NZ

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Royals

King Charles: He's a good fellow but not jolly

30 May 08:00 PM
Premium
Lifestyle

I am struggling with infertility - can I skip my sister-in-law’s baby shower?

30 May 06:00 PM
Lifestyle

Education Minister Erica Stanford opens up on family, politics and protecting kids online

30 May 05:00 PM

Sponsored: Cosy up to colour all year

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
King Charles: He's a good fellow but not jolly

King Charles: He's a good fellow but not jolly

30 May 08:00 PM

Steve Braunias reminisces about following a gloomy (then) Prince Charles on a royal tour.

Premium
I am struggling with infertility - can I skip my sister-in-law’s baby shower?

I am struggling with infertility - can I skip my sister-in-law’s baby shower?

30 May 06:00 PM
Education Minister Erica Stanford opens up on family, politics and protecting kids online

Education Minister Erica Stanford opens up on family, politics and protecting kids online

30 May 05:00 PM
How a jar of Auckland hummus became a comedian's tour highlight

How a jar of Auckland hummus became a comedian's tour highlight

30 May 06:41 AM
Sponsored: Into the woods - the new biophilic design
sponsored

Sponsored: Into the woods - the new biophilic design

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search