How to Choose a Shoe ~ What about $ ~ What Store?
Jul 26 '02 (Updated Jun 26 '05)
The Bottom Line Seek expert advice. Your running shoe is the most important part of your training.
I finally return to write about my 2nd love, running and the shoes that go along with the ride. I haven’t given much thought to choosing the “right” shoe because I’ve run with the Saucony Procyon since its inception, however, they recently decided to discontinue its production. I have to go back to searching for the shoe that has everything I need.
TWO IMPORTANT THINGS FIRST:
Running shoes are running shoes. Cross trainers and court sneakers do not classify themselves for running. If you are not serious about running, please do not continue reading.
If you are new to the sport, I urge you to go to a running shop first. Do not go to a store in a mall that has high school kids working. Find a store that has “runners” working. Ask the sales person what their favorite race is; ask them how many miles they log a week. If they look at you funny and inform you that “I just work here,” go somewhere else. You need a person that loves the sport and knows what they find important to help you take care of your feet.
OK, with that out of the way …
This is my thought process into runners choosing the right shoe:
Price – Let’s be honest. I’m not going to pay over $100 for a running shoe considering that I am a pretty average person when it comes to weight, pronation, and miles run per week (OK, maybe I go overboard on the miles). I’ll cover each of these later on in more detail. Unless you completely go outside the mean for any of these 3, you do not need a special shoe that kills your motivation to run by killing your bank account.
I find that AFTER I find my favorite shoe I need to go to the epinions comparison pricing or mysimon.com and plug in a search for my shoe and find the best offer. Buying last season’s model is a great way to decrease cost and you can take advantage of shoe discounts and online specials. I will often buy shoes 2-3 pairs at a time to be more cost effective. Another benefit to buying online is that you do not have to deal with sales people that have never run more than 10 miles a week trying to get commission. Come on, go watch TRL and leave the running to me.
Weight – The heavier you are, the more cushioning you are going to need. Heavy runners will destroy a shoe in no time if it’s made for a light to medium built runner. A heavy runner is classified over 180 pounds. I know this doesn’t seem fair, however, you do not see too many large runners on the road. When buying a shoe and you are “heavy,” you need to specifically search for a cushioning shoe and it might mention being built for heavier runners in online descriptions.
Pronation – Pronation is the rolling of the foot from heel to toe. A proper or “neutral” pronation is hitting the outside of the heel and up to ball of your foot evenly across the front. This is how your foot reduces the stress of impact. “Underpronation” is not enough evening out so the outside of your foot takes most of the shock instead of finishing in the neutral position. “Overpronation” is too much roll across from the outside to the inside of your foot. Look at your shoe you walk or run in. If the outside is worn, you underpronate. This may lead to tight Achilles tendons and calves. A worn inside of the shoe is caused by overpronation and can lead to hard, loud pounding of the feet and weak ligaments of the feet and ankles. I underpronate and look for a shoe that mentions stability. A stability shoe builds up the areas you are trying to prevent from striking too much and helps you prevent injury and loss of energy through an inefficient running form.
Miles Run Per Week – A running shoe lasts from 300-400 miles before you need to get a new shoe. The number of miles you run a week does not have as much to do with the shoe you purchase, however, it is important to consider if you are going to be logging over 35 miles a week. Your shoe requires 24 hours to reform in most cases so you get optimal cushioning and support. If you are running everyday and even 2 times a day, you might want to think about getting a couple pairs of shoes to rotate and to even have on backup for those rainy days. There are shoes out there that claim to be more durable, however, they are heavier and the ounces do count on longer runs.
And some more thoughts:
True Size – After that 2nd puberty spurt our feet don’t seem to change too much, so we are comfortable knowing our shoe size. You need to ask the sales person if the shoe runs true to size. Most online stores will inform you during you selection of size if it fits true. Before you buy online, you might want to at least try the shoe on at a store to get your best fit. Wear socks you run in as well instead of those dress socks you wore to work and then to the store.
Christoff questioned the validity of a 2nd puberty spurt in the comments section.
J. Geoff Malta, MA, EdM, NCC Adolescent Therapist states that during the late teens and early twenties, some men grow a bit more and develop more body hair, especially chest hair.
Perhaps it's an American water thing or just for the lucky few that are physically blessed.
Running Surface – Most shoes are made for roads, bike paths, and hard packed trails. If you are planning on running only trails and bumpy terrain, you will want to look for shoes specifically named “trail” shoes.
Racing Flats – Racing flats are said to only benefit runners that can run under 7-minute miles in races over 5 miles. I have found that flats help me in races and in track workouts where you not as concerned with stability and cushion. I agree with most experts that estimate that an extra ounce per mile will add a second. I run with an 8.6 ounce Fila Racer as opposed to a 12 ounce training shoe. I save over a minute in a marathon which helps considering that they are lowering the Boston Marathon qualifying times. Racing flats break down in about a ¼ of the time a training shoe does because they do not offer much cushion or durability.
Online Resources – An Internet search will help you with any question you could possibly have and every site has their own experts on choosing that right shoe.
That’s about all I can handle typing tonight and probably all you can stand reading at one or two sessions. As always, I’m more than willing to address personal questions. If I cannot answer it, I will find a teammate that can. Recovery sleep awaits …
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nchoward
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