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WHAT'S NEW
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A guide to buying running shoes
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What to look for when choosing fitness-friendly footwear.
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By Karen Bridson
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Match your feet to the shoes
Once you know what category your feet fall into, you can then pick a shoe from the three main shoe categories:
•Motion Control shoes are very firm, supportive shoes that help to stop your foot from rolling in when you run (this category is for severe over-pronators).
•Stability Shoes are not quite as firm as motion control shoes, but offer a range of support for over-pronators of varying degrees.
•Cushioning shoes provide lots of great cushioning and no corrective support. These shoes are for supinators or those with neutral feet.
Different manufacturers are known for wider or narrower shoes and provide different cushioning technologies, so it's good to try on different models within your shoe category to see what fits best for you. You should take your shoes for a test run. Walking won't do it. Many stores will actually let you not only run around the store in them, but take them outside for a run if it's a dry day. But even that sometimes won't tell you if the shoe will ultimately be uncomfortable. That's why some stores will let you exchange the shoes if you take them home and run in them indoors only -- on a treadmill or a track.
Other considerations...
Feet also swell when you run, so you should make sure you have a finger width of room at the toe. Running shoes also have a life of about 800 K, so it's important to keep a log of your mileage.
With all of these things to consider, it's easy to see why it's important not to pick a running shoe based on what it looks like or the success someone else has had with the model. By making sure you are in the proper shoe for your feet, you'll have the best chance of running injury-free.
Shoes should be:
•be finger-width at the toe
•be snug in the heel
•fit the shape of your foot
Don't
•think about what the shoe looks like
•pick based on the success others have had
More tips
•Get a video gait analysis if possible.
•Buy shoes late in the day or after a run (as feet swell during runs), try them on with socks you plan to wear.
•Bring any orthotic devices with you. Get advice from the person who made your orthotic on what kind of shoe you should wear to avoid getting fitted with a shoe that does the job the orthotic is supposed to do, thereby overcorrecting the problem.
Karen Bridson started running over 10 years ago and transformed herself from an unfit person, who couldn't run half a block, to a marathon runner and instructor in Toronto. Bridson is the author of Run for It: A Woman's Guide to Running for Emotional and Physical Health, (Burford Books, 2002).
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