As many of you have probably already found out, the Bates Lite 924s are backordered most places unless you want to pay a little more.

I just ordered a pair from GetFitNow.com. I will let you know how long it takes for me to receive them.

http://store.yahoo.com/getfitnow/bates924.html

I was talking to a SEAL motivater where I live and he was telling me not to start running in boots. He said why put the extra strain on your body now when you will get plenty of that at BUDs. If everything goes as planed I should be at BUDs in a little less then a year but I was wondering if I should start traning with boots at my A school once i get there or not, and would it be beneficial to me?

Ryan,

I do not agree that you should not run in boots before you get to BUD/S. I was a First Phase BUD/S Instructor for 3 years and it was my experience that lower leg injuries are the number one injury in BUD/S and one of the biggest obstacles for students to overcome. It is in your best interests to train one day a week in boots for a while to build up the strength of the bones in your legs. Yes you will get a lot of pounding at BUD/S make sure you can take it!

I would not go hog wild and do all of your running in boots. I would break myself in. Do your PSTs in boots though. You will not be running in $150 running shoes at BUD/S. You will have to do all of your chow runs in BUD/S, 6 miles a day in boots on the road in formation.

I say start running in boots once a day, then after a couple months go to two days a week. If you are running 2 to 3 times in boots after 6 months and do that for 6 months to a year with proper technique and stretching lower leg injuries will not be an issue for you.

Kory

Thanks for the advice. Thats what I was thinking to because it didnt make sense to me to not train in boots and just wait till you get to BUDs where you will be in them all day long. Can I ask how long ago you were a 1st phase instructor? And is that how stress fractures occur, people not used to running in boots and end up having bad form?

I was a First Phase Instructor from 1995 to 1998. I think that biggest reason guys get stress fractures is that they are not prepared. They also get some injuries and alter the mechanics or their running gate or stride. This will cause under stress on the lower legs and thus stress fractures. Read my post on knee pain prevention and that will get you started.