#259 Mailbag! Does Heel Drop Affect Knees? Is Heelstriking Bad? Stability Recs? More on Megablast

Time for another round of Buy or Sell, where we force ourselves outside of our "it depends" comfort zone and make things black & white. David, Matt, and Nathan get together for hot takes only. They argue about performance enhancing drugs, max, stack shoes, the state of Nike, and much more. We want to hear your hot takes too! Leave a comment or email us at doctorsofrunning@gmail.com.Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:29 - In For Testing, Powered by Skratch Labs12:28 - Buy/Sell: Runners who have used PEDs should get lifetime bans28:09 - The market needs to lower the average stack height of shoes35:42 - 2024 was a better shoe year than 202543:06 - People are not running slow enough54:26 - Nike has lost its edge in running innovation59:00 - The 800m is harder than the mile1:03:04 - Wrap-up

6 Aug 1h 3min

Matt & Andrea are back with another installation of Between Two Feet, where they contrast their different experiences in a shoe. In this edition, they share another polar experience they had with the Hoka Rocket X 3, a super shoe that features a surprisingly good amount of stability. See why these two feet felt differently about this new release. Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:02 - In For Testing10:27 - Hoka Rocket X 3 Overview13:04 - Andrea's experience in the Rocket X 329:15 - How to know why certain shoes work for you37:30 - Comparisons with the Cielo X 1 2.045:06 - How to test super shoes before a marathon53:57 - Wrap-up

30 Juli 58min

Foot pain and knee pain are all too common ailments for runners, but it can be hard to pin down the source or figure out how to treat it. Nathan and Matt team up to take a look at some common sources of forefoot, heel, plantar, and anterior knee pains. They explore different possible causes, strategies for rehab/strengthening, and things to look for in shoes. Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro2:22 - In For Testing11:38 - Diagnosing Nate's foot pain24:32 - Plantar forefoot foot pain27:46 - The impact of shoes on plantar pain32:48 - Heel & plantar fascia pain36:04 - Maintaining a healthy foot42:10 - Anterior knee pain44:43 - Shoes & knee pain49:06 - Preventing & rehabbing knee pain53:27 - What about running form?1:00:16 - Wrap-up

23 Juli 1h 1min

Join Nathan, David, and Matt as they continue answering you the mailbag questions they started on our 250th episode! They explore how different foam compositions can affect injury pathologies, the science behind shoe rotations, adapting to super shoes, and much more. We love hearing your questions, so email us at doctorsofrunning@gmail.com!Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Stryd’s Race Power Calculator eliminates the uncertainty of race day by analyzing the course, weather, and your personal capability to create a custom power target. This lets you pace with precision—conquering hills, battling headwinds, or enduring heat without overdoing it. With Stryd, you’re strategizing for your best performance. Ready to own race day? Visit ⁦stryd.com⁩ today.Chapters0:00 - Intro1:18 - In For Testing17:54 - Foam composition's effect on injury & pain23:56 - Shoe shelf life29:26 - Finding the right shoe for ultramarathons35:48 - Helping run retail customers understand how to find the right shoe45:02 - Adapting to super shoes without running in them much54:23 - The science behind shoe rotations1:06:56 - Wrap-up

16 Juli 1h 7min

We've got a special mailbag episode for our 250th episode! We've put together tons of questions from long times friends of the podcast (Drew from Weartesters, Tina & Evan from Brooks, and more!) and from our listeners. Matt & David discuss pre-race rituals, post-run snacks, their worst shoe color, GOAT shoe rotations, and much more (shoes as ice cream?!). Want to hear your question on our next mailbag? Email us at doctorsofrunning@gmail.com.Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/This episode is sponsored by our friends at Running Warehouse. We're all about variety here, which is why we love the large selection of options they offer online. You can find all of today's best shoes at ⁦runningwarehouse.com⁩ today. Also, did you know we have our very own DOR page there? Find all of our team's favorite Running Warehouse picks at the official ⁠Doctors of Running shop⁠. Chapters0:00 - Intro1:22 - In for Testing14:52 - Treating plantar fasciitis in youth athletes21:46 - Worst shoe color ever26:46 - Things we wish shoes did better to help runners33:00 - Pre long-run/race rituals38:02 - How much does drop matter with soft midsoles42:52 - Favorite post-run snacks45:12 - What would you wear for a run across the US?48:38 - Potential impact of over-40mm midsoles56:38 - If midsoles were ice creams, what would they be?1:03:28 - Building a 3-shoe rotation from any shoes ever1:12:50 - Wrap-up

9 Juli 1h 14min

As we head into the back half of the year, it's time to make our picks for our favorite shoes of the 2025 so far. Matt, Andrea, David, and Nathan put together a 4-shoe rotation from their 2025 favorites: daily trainer, long run, workout shoe, and race shoe. We want to hear your picks! Email us at doctorsofrunning@gmail.com or leave a comment.Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/This episode is sponsored by our friends at Running Warehouse. You can find all of our favorite shoes of the year so far at ⁦runningwarehouse.com⁩ today. Also, did you know we have our very own DOR page there? Find all of our team's favorite Running Warehouse picks at the official ⁠Doctors of Running shop⁠. Chapters0:00 - Intro2:10 - Favorite Skratch product of the year7:31 - Favorite daily trainer of the year31:08 - Long run shoe41:20 - Workout shoe52:08 - Race shoe59:12 - Most intruiging brand1:05:16 - Wrap-up

2 Juli 1h 5min

Strength training and cross training are some of the best things runners can do to help their performance, and we're passionate about them here at DOR. Nathan, Matt, and David join up to share their keys when it comes to strength & conditioning. They'll give you practical strategies on how to approach strength training in a way you can consistently accomplish, because the best routine is the one you can do on the regular!Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!Chapters0:00 - Intro1:14 - In for Testing17:52 - An overview of strength & cross training22:34 - How do our strength & conditioning needs change as we age?28:30 - How do things change depending on what kind of races you're training for? 39:42 - Our Top 3 keys for strength & conditioning52:48 - Wrap-up

25 Juni 54min

You know we love stable neutral shoes at DOR. Matt & David join up to take a look at the state of stable neutral shoes in 2025 and give their favorite picks. They define some key terms like sole flair and sidewalls, then share their favorites for daily training, speed work, and races.Get your DOR Merch: https://doctors-of-running.myspreadshop.com/Get 20% off your first order from Skratch with code: DOCTORSOFRUNNING!This episode is sponsored by our friends at Running Warehouse. We're all about variety here, which is why we love the large selection of options they offer online. You can find all of today's stable neutral options discussed in the shoe at ⁦runningwarehouse.com⁩ today. Also, did you know we have our very own DOR page there? Find all of our team's favorite Running Warehouse picks at the official Doctors of Running shop. Chapters0:00 - Intro6:00 - An overview of "stable neutral"20:06 - Stable neutral daily trainers29:36 - Speed options36:38 - Sole flare41:12 - Lower stack height47:20 - Wrap-up

18 Juni 55min