My Physical Therapist Recommended These Shoes for Trails, Should I Wear Them?

PodcastShoes
Written By Ali Marty

Season 2 of Running to the Castle Podcast w/ Dr. Ali Marty

Episode 156 New Shoes for Race Day runDisney Races

In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali tackles the common question of whether runners should wear new shoes right before a race.

She breaks down why the golden rule of “nothing new on race day” matters, explaining that two days isn’t nearly enough time to properly break in new shoes and avoid blisters or discomfort.

Using her Finisher Framework, she puts shoes into context as just one piece of the bigger puzzle of training and recovery, comparing breaking in shoes to softening stiff jeans fresh from the dryer. 

Dr. Ali also explains the key differences between trail, road, walking, and training shoes, emphasizing why specialized shoes matter for different activities but stressing that race week is the wrong time to experiment. 

Her bottom line: plan ahead with gear, break shoes in gradually, and don’t risk sabotaging your race by making last-minute changes.

Ali Marty

Hi! I’m Ali. I’ve been in the health and wellness space since graduating with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2012. I worked in the typical outpatient clinic with active men and women with orthopedic injuries (shin splints, Achilles tendonitis, muscle and ligament tears, knee pain, IT Band pain, plantar fasciitis, and hip and knee arthritis until 2018 at which point I started Mobile Physical Therapy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the past few years I’ve transitioned to helping women running runDisney races after they’ve had an injury and they want to finish strong and enjoy the rest of their runcation.

https://dralipt.com
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