Which Running Shoe is Right for Me?

A. The First Pair of Running Shoes

So, you’ve decided you want to start running. Congrats! But since we’re surrounded by roads in western world and you’ve probably been wearing shoes you’re whole life, that means you need a good pair of running shoes to help you get started. Maybe you were referred by a medical provider or a friend at the gym to your local running store. You walk into the store, and chances are you’re immediately overwhelmed by all the choices. Suddenly you’re wondering, “where do I even begin?”

B. Many Choices, Many Suitable Options

First things first – the fact that you’ve made it into a running store rather than buying something online means you correctly made the first big decision. The reality is that there is no ONE correction shoe for any individual, but there are likely many. How do you know what that correct shoe is? Well, the truth is that picking the right pair of running shoe is highly subjective, and comfort is one of the most important, if not the most important factor to consider when choosing a shoe. Yes, there are many things to consider based on running terrain, foot type, flexibility, etc, but if the shoe is not comfortable to run in, then it’s likely NOT the right shoe for you, no matter what any medical professional tells you.

Because ensuring that the shoe is comfortable is so important (regardless of style), I recommend against buying shoes online unless you’re buying a model that you’re already familiar with. When buying shoes online, you’re generally making a judgement based on appearance (style) or the reviews of others. But considering how different one pair of feet can be from another, it’s not uncommon to find that a certain shoe one runner loves is the same shoe another runner hates. So try on multiple shoes for yourself at your local running shoe store, and make the judgement call for yourself.

C. How Much Support Do I Need?

There are many myths about shoes that go around, largely promulgated by my specialty (podiatry). The biggest one is probably about supportive shoes. There are many intrinsic and extrinsic features within a shoe that can make it feel more supportive when walking or running, with those details going beyond the scope of this lesson. What people are generally referring to though when they are talking about supportive shoes is the amount of “give” or flexibility in the midsole when stretched side to side or when trying to bend the shoe in half from front to back. Many will say that if you can bend a shoe at all in that way then that is bad, and you need to get a new pair of shoes that is more firm. As a general statement, this is wrong for multiple reasons:

Pronation of the foot (what traditional “supportive” or motion control shoes attempt to reduce) is a normal movement that the foot goes through to attempt to absorb forces when walking or running. Trying to prevent pronation as an end-goal in a foot without pain prevents this compensatory mechanism that the body naturally wants to use.
Most children and young adults can tolerate, and likely benefit, from shoes with lower stack heights (i.e. less cushion under the foot) and less stiffness in their shoe. Less supportive shoes will allow for more recruitment of the smaller muscles in the feet and force the soft tissues to adapt and strengthen especially if they’re challenged under certain conditions (running on grass, single track trails, or playing a sport with lateral movements). It is for this reason that cultures where kids grow up walking and running around without shoes tend to fair better than western cultures where children and adults that primarily get around in shoes don’t always tolerate minimalist style shoes as well. Additionally, because shoes with lower stack heights and less intrinsic support challenge the muscles and ligaments in the feet better than the contrary, children will receive more proprioceptive feedback (think: awareness of body position in space) from the ground, enhancing their balance and likely making them more robust and less injury prone down the road as they grow into their bodies.

If you believe that motion control shoes truly are reducing pronation in the foot, then there are certain injuries that would likely be worsened by wearing them (see my lesson called “Injury Considerations When Choosing Shoes“).
It’s possible that shoes with too much support can cause injuries simply because the person wearing them has adapted to walking or running for many years and miles with neutral or less supportive shoes and their body does not respond well to the sudden restriction in motion. This brings us back to our Golden Rule, which is that comfort is the primary factor to consider when choosing which shoe is right for you.

D. When Do I Know I Need a New Pair of Shoes?

The age-old consensus has always been that a running shoe needs to be replaced after about 300-500 miles. This broad range has become less and less of a sure thing with the continued advancement of lighter and lighter midsole materials because of the major shoe companies choosing to value performance over durability with some of their models. This is especially true with the advent of many variations of “super shoes” that are being sold at a high-ticket price despite being advertised as only being durable enough for a single marathon performance. With some of the cornerstone models that the major shoe brands will have on their 30th+ edition (think the Asics Gel Cumulus, Brooks Glycerin, Nike Pegasus), the 300–500-mile range will be more likely to ring true. Beyond that, how else can you know?

There is again, a kind of subjectivity to deciding when it’s time to move on to a new pair of shoes. Here are some points to consider:

The outsole on the bottom of your shoe is going to wear out the most at the area where you apply the most pressure. If you are a heel striker it will likely be on the lateral rearfoot of your shoe. If you are a midfoot striker, then you will feel it probably under the balls of your feet. Wherever it is that you apply the most pressure, if you are consistently running you should feel a noticeable difference between how it feels on day one with the shoe and on the day you decide to move on. For me, I don’t like feeling as though it’s sore under the balls of my feet or as though there is less material between the shoe and the ground with each foot strike. Once I start to feel this sensation, that is when I decide to ditch my shoes for a new pair.
Some runners will start to develop a new injury out of the blue while training in a pair of shoes they’ve been wearing for a while. This can trigger them to realizing they might be due for new shoes, and once they switch, miraculously the injury slowly starts to resolve. So, if you’re been training in a pair of shoes for an extended period of time and to develop an overuse injury, that may be your notice to consider swapping out your shoes.
If you start developing a foot injury for the first time or experience a previous injury worsening despite wearing new shoes, this may indicate some changes progressing in your feet that do require shoes with certain specifications catered to your injury or foot type. If this is the case, I will again refer you to my lesson, “Injury Considerations When Choosing Shoes“.