How to Choose Running Shoes
Mar 12 '01
The Bottom Line be informed
This is meant for people serious about running that either do not have time to keep up with the new technology or have not been able to find "their" shoe. Good running shoes become increasingly important as you continue to age and injuries become more frequent.
Right off there are a few questions that you should be prepared to answer…
How many miles do you run in a week?
What types of surfaces do you run on?
Do you overpronate or underpronate?
In addition to bring your last pair of running shoes with you…
Were you happy with them?
If not, what would you change about them?
Time…
Realize right now that you will need to spend more than five minutes in the store. Even if the store is not busy and you are the only customer. You must speak with a sales associate, get your feet measured, and try on a few pairs.
Get your feet measured…
Have the sales associate measure both of your feet with a brannock device. An important note here is that this device is independent from the shoe manufacturers so it is more of a place to start than the final answer. With that said the brannock device is accurate and provides a uniform measurement for you to compare each time your foot is measured. The sales associate should also use the brannock device to measure the width of each foot. Always measure both feet. In most cases, one foot will be slightly larger than the other. I hate to involve specific retailers but a good amount of the larger Athlete's Foot stores have a machine that will show where you put pressure on your feet when you are standing still and through a walking stride. These machines then print out a picture of the bottom of your feet that can tell a good amount about what you will need from your shoes.
Pronation…
Pronation is the motion of the foot from heel to toe through the foot strike. Most people begin the foot strike on the outside of the heel and the foot ideally rolls evenly over the forefoot. This describes a neutral stride. If the forefoot rolls too far to the inside through each foot strike then the foot is overpronating. If the foot does not roll in enough then it is underpronating. A shoe designed to prevent overpronation is called motion-control. A shoe designed for a neutral stride is considered a stability shoe. There are no shoes to prevent underpronation but the cushioning category allows the foot to roll in as much as it can. Just a quick note, underpronation will usually be made worse by a motion control shoe. Anyway, if you look at the bottom of your most recent shoes you can determine your stride. Most everyone will begin on the outside of the heel, the real indicator would be the wear on the forefoot. If most of the wear is on the medial (inside) side then you overpronate. If most of the wear is on the lateral (outside) side then you underpronate. If the wear is uniform across the forefoot then you have a neutral stride.
Sales People…
The Sales people are your link to new product. There are plenty of knowledgeable sales people out there, but for every knowledgeable associate there are two that have no clue what they are selling. This is where you need to be informed. There is no point naming good stores or chains because retail employees shuffle around too much. You should at least be asked half of the questions I listed above for the salesperson to get a good idea of your needs. The salesperson must know about pronation, no question about it. The impression that I get is many people think that they know but from a few reviews that I read, many really do not. The next problem is that many get commission and will try to add on items that you do not need or just try to put you in the most expensive shoe. If you feel that you are being taken advantage of then go to another store. The salesperson should always let you take a little jog around the store so you can get a feel for the shoes.
Price…
Running shoes are important and they are priced accordingly. Just because a shoe is a running shoe does not mean it will work for you. Sales aside, the functional running shoes are priced between $70 and $140. A larger price tag does not always mean a better shoe. Sales may work in your favor but they should be a pleasant surprise not the reason for buying a shoe. In the end, you will spend less if you buy the right shoes than paying for injuries later on.
Shoe Reviews…
The most effective shoe information I have found recently has been in the Eastbay catalog. I have yet to find a mistake in the three years that they have been sending me the catalog. I have become increasingly frustrated with runners world. They have abandoned they good and bad feature of each review and their shoe review now reads like a giant advertisement. I have not seen a truly critical review in their magazine for quite a while. I suppose it is easier to just say that all the shoes are good. Though the manufacturers are happier we become less informed of the true performance of the shoe.
That's all for now. I wrote this very quickly so if I missed anything or you have further questions feel free to email me at NIKErunTAF@aol.com
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