Tip #49: Your Shoes Matter

I'll never forget my first day of track practice in the 7th grade.  I had on my ugly gym uniform and some gleaming white Keds.  Needless to say, they weren't the most comfortable shoes to do track workouts in.  It wasn't long before my coach mentioned that it might be a good idea for me to get some actual running shoes.  What a difference!  Good running shoes are worth every penny.

If you are doing any significant kind of walking and/or running, the shoes you put on your feet are very important!  Your Keds or plain tennis shoes are not going to cut it.  Without supportive shoes, you will be much more likely to get a stress fracture, shin splints, have Achilles problems, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, or IT band syndrome, along with many other aches and pains.

Now, pick your shoe:
1. The first thing you need to do is the water test.  Get your foot wet and step down on cement or a towel to view the impression of your foot.  By this you will be able to determine if you have a flat foot, a high arch, or a normal arch.

2. Figure out what kind of running shoe you will need:

Flat feet: motion control/stability
Normal arch: anything
High arch: highly cushioned

3. Find your brand.  There are many good brands of running shoes out there, but I happen to be a Nike girl.  I've tried them all, and they are my favorite.  If you are a Nike person as well, here are good shoe choices for the different foot types:

Flat feet:  Nike Structure Triax
Normal arch:  Nike Pegasus (my shoe!)
High arch:  Nike Air Max Moto

Some other great running shoe brands are Adidas, New Balance, Mizuno, Saucony and Brooks.  Be sure to replace your shoes every 400 miles, or less, depending on your weight and activity.

Other options:
*There is a new trend in running shoes called minimalist shoes (i.e. toe shoes/foot gloves, etc.).  They basically look like gloves for your feet!  There are benefits to this minimalist type shoe, however, there is risk due to the lack of cushioning and support.  I would not recommend these for a beginning runner, but for somebody who is familiar with good running form, and a healthy foot strike.  If you want to test these out, you may just want to use them for 1-2 runs per week.  Minimalist shoes or most beneficial for those of you who have a normal arch.

*If you want help from someone else to find your ideal shoe, you can go into a specialty running shoe store, and they will analyze your foot to find the perfect shoe for you!

Thank you to my husband who is a runner stud and running shoe guru, for helping me with this post!