My feet go numb on the eliptical machine. What is the best type/brand of sneaker to buy? Is there anything I can do to prevent this problem? Thanks Amy

Reply - Janet
Amy all the major manufacturers of running shoes (Nike, Adidas, Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, Reebok, Saucony, etc) make good shoes and it's hard to say that there is ONE shoe that's the best.  It kind of depends on your foot shape, your arch height, your body weight, etc.  My recommendation would be to go to a good technical running shoe store and have the salespeople there help you select the proper shoe for your foot.  Avoid shoes that are "cross trainers" because they generally don't have as good support as running shoes.  You can expect to spend $60-$120 on a good pair of running shoes but the investment is well worth it.  In addition to the proper shoe, you should also consider the other possible factors that might be playing into your situation -- things like inadequate flexibility (calves especially) or perhaps training errors (ramping up the incline too much or increasing duration too fast). Best of luck - hope you're able to find a good running shoe store in your area.  Janet Hamilton, MEd, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong Coach

Hi Janet I have emailed this issue to you before but came across in today's local paper. Here is link: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/life/story.html?id=55d13207-e8cd-4ba8-84af-be3a155a74b5&p=1 What do you think? Could you please comment.

Reply - Janet
Chris, I couldn't access the info since I'm not a subscriber to your newspaper but I'm gathering from the title that you're questioning the wisdom of stretching.  As I've said before - the research is not clear in terms of indicating a reduced risk of injury in those who stretch prior to activity - and in fact seems to show a trend in the opposite direction.  In other words there seems to be an association between pre-activity stretching and an increased risk of injury.  There are lots of animal and in-vitro studies that have examined the strength of various tissues (muscle, tendon) and have found that immediately after stretching, there is a reduced tensile strength and the tissue seems to fail at a lower load. Keep in mind that these studies are done on muscles that have been removed from their previous owner (a rat or some other animal model), and also keep in mind that the loads, stretch loads and stretch durations have not always been to what would be considered "normal".  Next take into account the cross sectional studies on injuries in runners and you're faced with another dilemma -- they all seem to define "injury" differently.  Some only define an injury if it interrupts training for a certain time period, others only if you went to a doctor regarding it.  In addition, the cross sectional studies were often done via questionnaire and there was no standardization of stretching protocols. 
My personal bias is as follows:
You need enough flexibility in the muscles involved for the task at hand - and a bit more in reserve for the unforeseen situation (like tripping and falling?).  You need balance of flexibility, and you need strength in those muscles throughout that entire range of motion. 
Running injuries are almost never "caused" by one thing and they're almost never "resolved" with only one intervention.  You can't "stretch away" an injury.  You have to deal with all the aspects that brought it on - flexibility issues, strength imbalances, training errors, biomechanical factors.  Only then can you anticipate some level of consistent success in training.  Hope this helps. 
Regards! Janet Hamilton, MEd, RCEP, CSCS, Running Strong Coach