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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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JOAN BENOIT: What's so
great about our sport

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is that you can do it
anywhere at any time

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and you don't need a lot
of special equipment.

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And you don't need a
particular environment.

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And so when you have
access, anything can happen.

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Running is a great
sport for minimalists,

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but you need to have the
right shoe for the right foot

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for the right time.

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And what you're
looking for in a shoe

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is comfort, durability,
and flexibility perhaps,

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depending on your foot type.

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Making sure you have the correct
shoe for your individual needs

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is critical to your
journey as a runner.

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You need to figure out what
will work best for you.

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Are you running on hard
surfaces all the time?

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Are you running on softer
surfaces like trails,

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and dirt roads, and tracks?

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Are you running in
the city on concrete?

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You know, there are lots
of factors to consider.

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But it's important
to protect the foot

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and to make sure the foot
is responsive in that shoe.

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This is a brand new shoe.

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And it has the outer
sole, which is basically

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the tread, the
midsole, and the upper.

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This shoe is a shoe that
has been worn quite a bit

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but it's not totally worn out.

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You can see the outsole
and the midsole.

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And the width of the outsole
is still pretty impressive.

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So what I would
suggest to people

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is when they get to this
point is that they introduce

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a new pair of shoes like
this shoe at this point

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and then I alternate the shoes
every run so my foot becomes

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accustomed to the
slighter change

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than to this more
drastic change.

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You can see the
profile on the side.

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I've worn it down
right to the midsole.

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That can be a pretty
big change for a runner

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to go from a midsole to a
brand new outsole with a much

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higher elevation.

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And those little changes can
be significant, especially when

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it comes to injuries.

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Save yourself some issues by not
letting it wear to this point,

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because that will potentially
lead to an injury that

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will sideline you for a bit.

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I would just say toss the shoe.

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Give it to a recycling program.

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There are several
different programs.

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And you can find bins
at most running stores

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to put your shoes in.

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And they will be
recycled or repurposed

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for another
population of people.

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You have to be totally
comfortable in the environment

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in which you're training,
because if you're

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in an environment that
doesn't make you happy

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and doesn't give you
joy, then how can you

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expect to demand extra
efforts from your body?

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When I run, I run without
noise except the noise that's

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emitted by nature.

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And that's why I think it's
very important when you're

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finding a balance in your
life in the sport of running,

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you need to be totally
comfortable in the environment

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that surrounds you, because
that environment should provide

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everything that you need
to pursue your goals.

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The four different areas
for me over the many years

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of my career have been
the roads, the dirt roads,

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the trails, and the track.

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It's been said that
shin splints are often

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developed when a runner changes
surfaces all the time so it's

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probably best to find the
surface that works best for you

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and stick to that surface
as much as you possibly can.

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The worst road surface of all,
for me anyway, is concrete.

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And some of the
bigger city marathons

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have sections that
are on concrete.

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And there's a difference in
concrete roads and asphalt

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roads.

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And most sidewalks are concrete.

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So I've been known to run
alongside sidewalks just

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to get off the concrete
and onto the asphalt.

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And I would say less
and less of my training

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now is on the track.

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The roads are where
I feel at home.

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And ironically, when I was in
the Olympic marathon in LA,

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I felt the most at
home on the LA freeway

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because I was running
down the LA freeway

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all by myself where there
wasn't any vehicular

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traffic at the time.

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And I felt like I was back
at home on a foggy morning

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running down the
middle of the road.

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When I was at the
height of my career,

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the track was a big
piece of my training

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simply because the
track doesn't lie.

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It's an exact measurement so you
know exactly what kind of shape

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you're in.

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But you can't test yourself
every day, because if you do,

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you'll run yourself into a hole.

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The impact on the track is
softer because of the surface

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being softer, but you
need to pay attention

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to the torque on
your hip joints,

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especially, and your knee
joints, for that matter.

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There are four
turns to the track.

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And there are two straightaways.

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And so when you're doing
repeat after repeat

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after repeat, that's going to
put added stress on the joints,

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especially the hip joints,
lap after lap after lap.

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So it's good to mix
it up and reverse

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the direction on your cool
down or between intervals

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if you're doing
complete lap intervals.

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The track never gets old even
though it looks pretty simple,

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eight lanes defined.

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And I would stagger workouts.

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I'd go lane one, two, three,
four, five, six, seven, eight,

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and then back in.

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I mean if you're
looking to change it up

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and you're tired of
the roads or whatever,

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you can gain a new awareness
or freshness for what

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it is that you're trying
to achieve via the track.