Choosing Running Shoes

Choosing Running Shoes for Best Results

When you start to run, one thing that complicates getting started is choosing running shoes, because there are a lot of choices and you can't just go to a local store and buy a pair of Keds sneakers any more.

First of all, there's the size of your foot to consider. Most people don't have to think about this, but my feet are a size 13. I forget the exact width, but it's wider than average, so I have trouble finding shoes my size right off the bing bang. I once bought some shoes from somebody on ebay, just using the size. They were a size 13, but too narrow for me so I had to send them back. The seller refunded 75% of my money, but I was stuck with $25 plus a postage cost of $10, so I was not a happy camper and will never buy shoes on ebay again. If you've had success with doing that -- and I know that you can get tremendous bargains in discontinued athletic shoes that have never been worn -- then great. I worked with a guy who got an $80 pair of shoes for about $20 or so, and they fit him just fine, so he was happy. But he was also not a runner. He just wore them in his daily life. He was a bodybuilder, but that's another story.

Choosing Running Shoes is Not Easy for Beginners

Then you have to consider what kind of running you're going to do, and where. There are trail shoes. There are performance training shoes. There are racing shoes.

Unless you are already a serious runner, in which case you undoubtedly know already which kinds of shoes you need and which brands you prefer, then just stick with basic shoes that protect your feet from the stress of the constant pounding, and maybe adjust for irregularities in your stride and your feet.

Again, unless you're already wild about racing, you should focus on running for health. And you want it do it long term. You should want to improve your fitness for now, and for decades to come, and still be running out there when you're 100 years old, whether you've ever run a race or not.

And that means not only conditioning yourself to improve your strength, heart capacity, lung capacity and circulatory cardiovascular health, but keeping your feet and leg muscles in good shape. You want to remain injury free, because injuries keep you from running, and that's not what you want.

So your next job is to learn about your feet and whether your running stride is biomechanically perfect or not. If you're like me and have low arches (flat feet), you may need motion control shoes. They're also for people who have a lot of pronation, which means your feet facing out to the side instead of straight front to back. They provide more strength and durability.

Stability shoes are for people with milder pronation and low to normal arches.

If You're Not Experienced, Let a Professional Help You in Choosing Running Shoes

Cushioned shoes are for people with minimal pronation, so they have good biomechanical running strides. And they strike the ground with the front or middle of their feet and have normal to high arches.

If you plan to run cross country a lot, then you should check out Trail shoes, which are designed to withstand rugged off-road environments.

Beginners don't need to think about Performance Training, Spiked or Racing shoes. You have many miles to go before you'll need to investigate those types of shoes. See the video below.

The good news is, that after choosing running shoes, the actual running seems a lot easier.

Next: Running Shoes for Flat Feet -- us runners with flat feet need different shoes.