by Dr. M.F. Weisenfeld with Barbara Burr
Once a podiatrist's typical patient was an older woman with corns. Today, with millions of Americans running, jogging and staggering along highway shoulders (pavement is bad for the feet), the podiatrist is becoming as familiar and as useful as the family dentist. Many of Weisenfeld's patients are serious runners, including Kathy Switzer, the first woman to run officially in the Boston Marathon, and the information he provides comes from his practice in New York City. Wonder if you are running properly? "The wear pattern on the soles of your shoes shows you how you run," he observes. If there is a wear spot behind the big toe, he says, put extra padding under the toe and make sure your heel hits the pavement before the ball of your foot. The writing and editing in this book are clumsy; the same sentence, "Warts are caused by a virus, and they're contagious," appears twice on page 124. But it is a handy paperback for runners to keep next to their Crisco (for dry heels in winter) and one percent solution of Gentian Violet (for blisters and athlete's foot). (St. Martin's Press, $4.95)
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