A Buyers Guide to the Right Running Shoe

Everyone wears shoes, and they wear all different types of shoes. Shoes for work, shoes for hiking, and so on. So why should running be any different? The right pair of shoes can make the world of a difference. It can prevent injuries, help with running form, provide support for the foot arch, heels, and lower back. Oh and of course make you look stylish while running. This is why runners make such a big deal about what type of shoe they wear and run in. Though with so many out there what brand and shoes should you buy?

To be honest it really depends on the person and no one brand is better than another. I ran in Saucony for a really long time. All throughout my high school career and 2 years into my college career I change to a different shoe brand, On. However, I know many people who enjoy the feel of Brooks and New Balance over Saucony or another brand. Though if you are new to running you might not have any idea where to start because there are so many brands. In my experience, the easiest way to find out what shoe is best for you it to go to a store the specializes in running shoes. Most will let you try them on and run on a treadmill with. Also, they tend to give you many different opinions to choose from. Though if you don’t have time for that here are my recommendations.

Saucony

Most of the shoes that Saucony makes are slender and narrow. If you have a large width in your foot I would stay away from these.  Also, they tend to have low ankle support because of the design of the shoe. The good things about Saucony are that one they have great soles that reduce the impact of your foot on the ground, and they tend to be lightweight and comfortable. Really good for shorter distances such as 5k’s and possibly a mini-marathon.

Brooks

Most of their shoes are a little heavy, though provide great support and comfort. They have some of the best ankle supporting shoes and most of their shoes have really thick soles. This provides with some great shock absorption, but after about 6 miles your feet start to feel like bricks. However, if you like comfort and support these are the better shoe for you. Also, these shoes tend to be wider so the wider foot people can be much more comfortable in them.

New Balance

This is the middle ground, dare I say the balance of the two other. I would recommend this to beginners who haven’t really ran long distances before. They provide good support, are comfortable, and have shoes for both types of feet, wide and thin. However, there is some drawback to them. They tend to have low ankle support which means if you have trouble with your ankles then I wouldn’t get these. Also when I wore them they didn’t have a tight fit on my foot and rubbed my toes and heels which developed blisters.

 

That is really all the suggestion that I have for buying the right shoe. I can’t tell you what shoe to buy or what brand because everyone has different feet. Though I can tell you that getting the right shoe is important.