What is the 'best' running shoe?

There is only the best running shoe for you. Because each runner is unique in how much they train, and what their running style, there is no “perfect” running shoe. The best running shoe for you depends entirely on the shape of your foot, your bio-mechanics and on the amount of running you do. Running shoes are designed to protect your feet from the road, provided traction on different surfaces, cushion the landing shock and support your feet. Not too much to ask, or is it?

Key points on picking the right running shoes:

If you experiment – you’re like 90% of runners out there.. Picking the right shoes for running is more of an art than a science. Many runners experiment with different brands and models until they find just the right fit, feel and functionality. To shorten your trial and error path follow these steps:

 

Feet can be easily divided into three categories:

Low, high and neutral arches. Someone may have called you flat footed in the past, no it doesn’t mean you are slow. Stand up and put weight evenly on both feet. Look at your arches. Does your arch almost touch the floor? Does your foot or ankle roll in? People with low arches tend to have stability issues like over pronation. (We’ll get to that in a later article)

Is your arch really high? Can you almost fit a golf ball under your instep? (Don’t do that- golf balls are hard) The high-arched foot usually has the opposite problem. That means your foot rolls to the outside or “supinates”

Or Lucky you, you’re somewhere in the middle – OK you’ve got lucky genes. The neutral foot is the easiest to fit and assuming you have no other structural issues you can run efficiently and comfortably with a lot of shoe designs.

 

 

 

 

RUNNING SHOE GUIDE FOR DUMMIES

Introduction

Part 1: Everything you always wanted to know about running shoes, but were afraid to ask.

Part 2: Cushioning technology for the non-rocket scientist

Part 3: How much stability do you need in a running shoe?

Running shoe Myths

Note: just because you have flat feet does not necessarily mean you must use a stability shoe.

We find many runners with flat feet do not pronate excessively. These runners have been running in clunky, heavy stability shoes for years.

Running shoe Myths

"I'm a big guy, I need a stability shoe". Just because you are in the Clydesdale division does not mean you need a stability shoe. Many gravity-challenged runners can run in a good cushion shoe.