Hey everyone, I am chasing some feedback regarding experiences with orthotics…
I originally was professionally fitted with orthotics 5 or so years ago due to some ankle discomfort, prior to racing triathlon…
I have been racing for the past couple of years, predominantly with a focus on HIM distance… In the last 3 HIM races I have completed the run in 1h 40 to 1h 50… Generally I have gone into T2 feeling fairly fresh… Though midway through the run my legs have fallen apart and my pace has dropped from 4.15/km pace to 5min++ pace…
In training for following half IMs I increased my focus on the run and aimed to hold a pace of 4.30/km but again dropped pace…
During the season I generally ran an 18min/5km in sprints and 40min 10km in Olympic…
I am 5.7 and weigh about 58kg so am not carrying much weight and have always thought of myself as a decent runner…
The orthotics in the shoes feel very heavy and I am wondering how much the increased weight is impacting my run performance, possibly more so over the longer distances…
Previously I thought that I was going out too hard on the bike, so in my last race I backed off, though this did not help…
I also understand that removing the orthotics may bring back the ankle issues that were possibly corrected…
I appreciate any responses
I pretty much always race with my orthotics. Raced without them once, didn’t cause any injury but did cause my arches to drop more which felt different, and not necessarily any faster than with orthotics.
When I was at my peak in 2003 I ran 3.25 at Kona and the qualifying race, also ran 1.25 in HIM. So my experience is that I have always used them, I think I run better with them as it maintains my form better than without. I don’t think the slight extra weight is a penalty given what they do.
I don’t profess to be an expert, but if you are falling apart during the run it’s probably due to fitness/pace. A running rule of thumb is you lose about 1sec/mile/extra ounce of shoe (in your case orthotic) if you run at the same HR/intensity. If you don’t have issue an training in them I wouldn’t stop using them for a race. I think you were on the right track by focusing on your biking. Biking more will pay dividends during the run.
You were initially fitted with orthotics to correct an ankle problem/injury.
Makes sense to me to not try to get re injured as this would result in breaching my Rule #1 or tri training or racing
Rule # 1 states " don’t get injured"
if you want to experiment sans orthotic, then try that in a short training run, but a 21 km run on weary legs after a 90 km bike… I’d always be reaching for the orthotic equipped shoes.
Thanks for the feedback guys…
That is why I have been so reluctant to remove the orthotics… As I have not had any injuries that have interfered greatly with training over the past few years…
I got the idea to remove the orthotics after a few of my training buddies commented that my shoes felt like bricks… And then said that they had at one stage had orthotics but had removed them due to weight…
I do most of my run training in asics kayanos for maximum cushioning/stability and due to my foot pronating a decent amount when I run… I do some training and race in a set of asics noosa’s and notice that although there is only a small weight difference I feel much faster in the noosa’s…
A few mates race in racing flats which are lighter again… The orthotics quite substantially bulk up the shoe so after a year of contemplating removing them I though I might try and transition out of them…
No way would I only remove the orthotics for racing… As I have backed off the training due to winter over the past few weeks, I planned on slowly building up my run training without them…
Though after a couple of responses on here I think I might stick with them and adhere to rule no 1 
Also I have been using the same professionally fitted orthotics in my cycling shoes… I have read mixed responses about whether it is necessary to use orthotics in cycling shoes…?
Thanks guys
During training and racing I wear my orthotics in both my running shoes and cycling shoes. If I don’t wear them while running I get plantar f. If I don’t wear them while cycling I get pain behind my navicular.
I am not at the pointy end of the field so a small increase in weight, due to the orthotics, is irrelevant.
I tried very gradually to transition out of wearing them, but I got plantar f. We are all very different and it may work with you. At the first indication of plantar go back to wearing them.
I read somewhere that Craig Alexander races in orthotics. In his prime he was long distance triathlon’s best runner and he remains one of the top runners even now. Orthotics, ultimately, will not hold you back and there are plenty of good race flats with a bit of stability to them (the Saucony Fastwitch comes to mind). If you are concerned with the weight of your orthotics you can get a lighter pair. You’re a light enough that you don’t need some of the heavyweight orthotics that many podiatrists make. Try to find a podiatrist who works with a lot of athletes and understands the advantages of carrying less weight on your foot.
Cheers Ken, I was wondering if some podiatrists specialised in producing orthotics for sports… The ones I have got are just stock standard inserts… I will have a look around.
Cheers
IME orthotics in cycling shoes are more necessary than for running as cycling shoe is rigid, and any lack of support / varus correction will manifest itself in an alignment issue which due to closed loop nature of cycling (ie you are working in a fixed plain of motion) can lead to injuries / power loss more readily than in open loop, ie running… ie in running your body can adapt positionally in space, on the bike you are fixed, save for rotating / dropping hips etc
Thats is not to say the requirements of structure used (ie orthotics) would be the same for cycling as runing, in fact i expect them to be different, one shoe is rigid, the other absolutley dynamic / flexing etc…
As an aside you mention nothting re your thoughts on Id’ing the root cause for the drop off… so many possibles, pooor bike position, poor set up on bike (from a shoes perspective), over biked, under trained at the longer distance at that run pace, insufficient nutrition / hydration etc etc… Pre exisiting functionality issues elsewhere than your ankles… there are so many possibles…
I would suggest getting seperate footbeds for your cycling shoes, check out e-soles for an adjustable platform which you can play with… and check out articles by Steve hogg bike fit re their use and finding the required level of support etc…
Oh and good luck getting it sorted…
Hey Shadwell, yeah thanks for the feedback…
The points about the fixed motion in cycling are interesting and I had not thought about it from that perspective…
I have been trying hard to fix the root cause of the problem during my training and also trying out different things in racing…
I have worked on bike position with a fitter, though perhaps I need to see another one… I feel v comfortable on the bike and I am not setup in a very aggressive position… Though perhaps there are some flaws…
I have worked pretty hard on my bike leg in terms of fitness and strength to get it to a level that I feel strong during training and also during races… I have even tried to back off during the bike leg to save myself for the run…
I have worked on my running training in terms of technique, frequency, distance, intensity and also implemented more brick sessions…
I have tried different things with food/gels in training and racing and don’t see that that is causing me any issues…
One thing that may be an issue is my salt intake during the run… I generally do not consume much salt or electrolyte…
Also I am aware that I may not consume enough fluids on the bike, so will be playing around with this for the next few months…
I am looking to get a coach in the next few months and hopefully he/she can give me more advice…
Thanks