Jay is frustrated with his nagging foot pain and is forced to cut back on the miles and cross train. Jessica's progress has totally plateaued despite stepping up her training efforts. Meanwhile, Danielle has been training great but suddenly her legs feel flat and she's got no explanation.

While talking with each of them I could sense their frustration, but luckily for them I've learned that taking a good client history is key to a good intervention. And in each case it was a simple fix that resolved their issue. In fact, you'll probably roll your eyes as you read the solution.

Sometimes The Basics Are Too Obvious To Consider

Jay's foot pain began to evaporate within a few runs as his feet thanked him for the fresh pair of kicks. Dude's shoes had about 800 miles on them, but he'd grown so used to them (and they didn't LOOK that bad) and he just kept running in them. Because he wore them every day, he couldn't perceive the cushioning breakdown.

Problem is, you run a certain way and that shoe is breaking down wherever you put the most stress on it. Eventually certain parts of the shoe become more compressed than others and you can't necessarily see this stuff because it happens to the midsole.

So, let's say you wear down the outside edge of your shoes. If you keep wearing them, then your foot will start to spend more and more time rolled out onto that edge. The shoes are now feeding your problem, perpetuating your tendency to stay on the outer edge of your foot.

You have NO CHANCE to run normally in shoes that are broken down. Your foot cannot interact with the ground properly if it's encased in an unevenly broken down shoe.

Who Doesn't Like Buying Shoes?

Solution: BUY TWO Pairs of shoes. Wear one for 200 miles, then alternate with the fresh pair until the first pair reaches +/- 400 miles. Then donate the first pair to charity and buy a replacement. Continue alternating pairs from now on.

New shoes: simple solution to a potentially dire problem. I almost overlooked it, too, because as my friends will attest, I buy shoes maybe a little too frequently. ((BUT I'M JUST PREVENTING INJURY)). Jay had a good face palm moment when he realized his shoes have been worn for almost a year.

So think about it. Is it time to replace your current shoes?