Buying the Right Running Shoes

Running shoes are commonly called as sneakers. In fact a sneaker would be something you walk around, more like fashion accessories designed to look cool at the mall whilst running shoes are highly technical footwear that should provide stability and cushioning. If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might as well have running shoes.

Finding the right type of running shoe is something of an art, or "a science and a feel". The science part begin with the shape of the arch of your foot, which anyone can determine at home with this quickie experiment : dunk your foot in water and then place it on a brown paper bag. If you see a "C" shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch, which suggests you're an under-pronator. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet and are likely on over-pronator. See something in between? That's a normal arch, which usually translates into some pronating but not a whole lot. Pronation isn't as sinister as it sounds; it's merely the flattening of the arch as you move through your step, which makes your foot roll inward.

Pronating loosens up the structures in the foot and allows it to adapt to changes in the ground. But if it happens excessively, you have problems. Of course, under-pronation comes with its own host of maladies because your foot doesn't absorb shock effectively. Without proper cushioning, that's a recipe for stress fractures, knee and hip issues.

Luckily for runners, the shoe technology has come a long way. What was available back then, you wouldn't use as walking shoes today. A piece of rubber with vinyl top, no arch support and no cushioning. Now, manufacturers focus on foot biomechanics and devote extensive resources to designing products that can correct practically anyone's stride.

Remember, it's not a fashion show when you're running. You want the heel securely in place. You don't want to be squished in so that either the inside or outside of the foot feels like it's protruding. Anything that's rubbing, or even just feels off, is a sign to slip into another pair. The easiest way to solve the size conundrum is to visit a specialty running store and give a trained person there as much information as possible about your running habits.

The fact that running shoes have a tendency to run small may mean the right size is as much as a whole size larger that what you would opt for in a dress shoe. That somehow tends to be easier for men to swallow. But for some women, it is hard to get over wearing a size 10.

It's wise to hold off until the late afternoon to make your purchase, to allow for any swelling that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also dictate sizing choice : the rule is you need a finger's width from your longest toe (whether that's your big one or not) to the end of the shoe. Once your shoes has covered 500 miles, they're ready for retirement. Don't wait till you can see the pavement through them before you decide to get a new pair.