Your running shoes above anything else will make or break your running experience. The following is a guide to ensuring that your "rides" are the best for you.
Tips
1. Have a basic understanding of your foot type and how your foot works: For insight into figuring this out for yourself, click here.
2. Buy a reputable brand: Adidas, Asiics, Brooks, Nike, New Balance, and Saucony. You want to get the technical (aka, high-end) models of these shoes.
3. Buy from a store that specializes in selling running shoes: We highly recommend that you go to Fleet Feet or Charm City in Annapolis, PJ Shoes and Sports or Vernon Powell the Athlete here in town, or the Adidas store at the outlets. Fleet Feet and Charm City truly are your best bet because every store associate is expertly trained to fit you properly for your shoes and they have everything. Please avoid going to Foot Locker, Famous Footwear, Sports Authority, Modells, and the Nike Outlet. Do not buy your first pair online. Go in to be fitted.
4. Select a shoe model with a lot of cushioning. The sales associate should not only measure your foot, but also watch you run or walk, check the wear patterns on your current pair of shoes (it's good to take in an old pair of sneakers), and check your arches. If the sales associate does not do these checks, ask him or her to.
5. Select shoes with a large toe box to allow your forefoot more normal movement: Also find shoes with mesh-relief areas to accommodate issues with your foot like bunions or corns. Stitching across these sensitive areas will cause irritation.
6. Try on shoes that are at least 1/2 size bigger than your dress shoe and go later in the day to purchase them. I think you should go up a full size. Reason: your feet swell when you run, so you want to have a lot of room so that you don't get impingement, tendon, or fascia injuries from ill-fitting shoes. The size is big enough if you have a thumb-width space between your big toe and the end of the shoe while you are standing and your arch feels supported. All running shoe brands recommend that you size up, so they are designed to prevent slippage in the heal. If you find a pair of shoes that feel great but slip a little in the heal, we or the sales associate can show you how to lace them so they don't slip.
7. Try on shoes with the socks you typically run in. And if you wear an orthotic, try on the shoes with your orthotics slipped in.
8. Do not leave the store with a pair of shoes without test running in them. Again, the sales associates will recommend that you run in them around the store. Try on more than one brand for comparison. For example, I've noticed that the Nike Vomeros have a lot of padding under the toes as opposed to the Saucony Trigons or Hurricanes, which have more padding in the heal. Test running in a couple different brands will help you determine whether the shoes support your gait.
9. A note about SuperFeet: Replacement insoles can be very helpful for correcting poor foot mechanics; however, they can be tricky. There are several different types—soft, semi-rigid, and rigid (i.e., SuperFeet). Main factors to consider when choosing an orthotic include type of foot, type of shoe, distance you plan on running, and so forth. Unless you normally wear an orthotic, try running without one, paying particular attention on your cross-training days to stengthening your core muscles. A strong core will stabilize your gait and correct foot issues that cause pain. If you do go with a rigid orthotic, like SuperFeet, be sure that you do not pair it with a shoe that already has stability or motion control. These insoles work best for people with high arches fitted into a high-cushion shoe.
Costs
Good, technical running shoes are not cheap—between $85 and $125/pair. Don't cut costs on your rides...you can make up the expense by purchasing your running clothes at Wal-Mart, Target, or Little Rascals.
