Best Running Shoes

Best Running Shoes Available

Picking out the best running shoes for your feet is not a simple task.

Follow the instructions to determine whether your arch is low, high or normal.

The Best Running Shoes are the Ones That Fit Your Feet

And do you run over the ground as opposed to a road or track? If so, you need trail shoes to give you support over rough and uneven ground.

It's easy to pick out cushioned shoes because they feel so good, but it's best if you have moderate to high arches, which leaves out flat footed runners such as myself.

Some shoes are performance training, which means they're lightweight because they're for runners looking for an edge on their competition. If that's you, you undoubtedly know all about which kind of shoes you need and want.

If you're just a runner looking for better fitness and health, you don't need to care about the weight of the shoe. How it fits on your shoe and how durable it is for the money are much more important considerations.

Same goes for racing shoes. If you're out for health and fitness first, race only for fun and to gauge your progress -- don't risk injury or your feet.

Stability shoes are best for runners who need arch support, or who have a tendency to pronate.

There's also a tendency in running now to run barefoot -- or as close to that as possible. The idea is that our feet were designed to run bare foot -- it's what we did for a million years or so. When we close our feet up in shoes they can't move to react to the surface, weakening our arches, lower leg muscles and joints. We know from the many marathon winners from Kenya who run barefoot even on city sidewalks and streets that it can work.

Nike has come out with its Free model of shoe with cuts in the outer sole to make it extremely flexible. It looks like a regular shoe, but gives your foot the benefits of being bare, without the hazard of the bottoms of your feet being abraded by concrete or cut by broken glass or other debris.

You Have a Lot of Choices Regarding the Best Running Shoes

Another interesting mode is the Vibram FiveFingers. They sort of look like a pair of gloves for your feet. The bottoms of your feet are protected, but your feet and toes have the freedom to move.

Nike Lunar Glide is reportedly a great shoe. "Actually, it is rocket science" is their motto. The bottom has lots of BRS1000, which is Nike’s blown rubber.

The Brooks Beast is the model I recently chose for myself, because it gives good arch support and I have flat feet. I don't think I pronate, but its motion control prevents that too.

Adidas has its Supernova Sequence 2 shoe with ForMotion, which adapts to the surface you're running on. They come in versions created especially for women and men -- no unisex shoes.

Given the cost of the best running shoes, nobody wants to try one right after the other, but some experimentation may be necessary. Do the best to examine your foot, then go see a running shoe professional at a running or athletic specialty shoe close to you, if at all possible. I can see how that won't be possible for people in smaller towns. But do make sure to consider the size and width and arch support your foot needs.

Next: Brooks Beast -- one of the best running shoes.