If you live for Tough Mudders and P.F. Chang’s half-marathons, you know the right foot gear impacts your performance. What tips for choosing the right shoes should every athlete know to get the perfect fit?
The right pair is an investment in your health and happiness. Here’s how to decide.
If you have a competitive spirit, choosing the right running shoes can propel you to the finish line. However, even weekend warriors and casual exercisers want to engage in their favorite activities free from blisters and pinched toes.
The bottom line: You won’t have as much fun if you’re in pain, which can turn you off physical activity. Yet exercise is crucial for your health, doing so much more than managing weight. For example, it helps mitigate chronic inflammation, a hallmark of various diseases associated with worsening symptoms.
Using these tips for choosing running shoes can prevent injury and pain. Blisters and pinched toes aren’t your only concern. For example, improper footwear contributes to plantar fasciitis development, a condition that can make walking painful.
Additionally, the wrong shoes affect your gait. Moving in unnatural ways can affect multiple joints, like your hips and knees, even your lower back. Get mindful — have your aches and pains worsened as your shoes wore out? Relief could be as close as your nearest shoe store.
Follow these eight tips for choosing running shoes for the best fit and optimal support.
There’s no substitute for visiting a retail establishment and trying on multiple pairs of running shoes to find the best fit. While some online retailers offer hassle-free returns, their rules may vary when it comes to returning footwear. A form-fitting pair of sneakers is an investment in your health, worthy of a decent expenditure — but running shoes are too expensive to take a gamble. Plus, you create unnecessary waste if you buy a pair that doesn’t fit you correctly.
Your feet tend to swell later in the day after walking and standing, and shoes that seemed comfy at 8 a.m. can grow excruciatingly painful by 3 p.m. Therefore, time your shopping. If you’re a shift worker who must maneuver around typical retail hours, plan to go shoe shopping at the end of your shift or after a workout, which also makes your feet expand.
Another reason to try on shoes in person is that some specialty running shoe stores offer gait analysis. They can help you identify and rectify issues such as under and overpronation that can affect performance and injury risk. Pronation refers to how far your foot turns inward or outward when striking the ground.
What if you live in a rural area far from the nearest specialty store and lack access to a podiatrist or orthopedic specialist? You can also perform a self-check. Get your feet wet and walk across a flat surface, such as the cool decking around a pool. Then, observe your footprint:
Do you typically run on the track or the treadmill? A roadway near your home? Or do you head for mountain trails? Your typical running surface lends a valuable tip to choosing the right running shoe.
For example, trail running shoes often feature more protective uppers and durable rubber soles with deep lugs to maintain balance on varying surfaces. Road shoes are lighter in weight with more cushioning — those who run on sidewalks need plenty to absorb the impact and avoid transferring it to their ankles, knees and hips. Those who run on the beach might prefer a truly minimalist shoe with just enough sole to keep sharp bits of seashell from cutting them.
Your feet slide around a bit in your shoe when you run. You need enough space for some wiggle room but not so much that the friction creates blisters. To determine how much is sufficient, use your thumb. Place your foot flat on the floor and press your thumb against the toe. You should have one thumb’s width of distance between your foot and the shoe’s edge.
If you’re a serious runner, you probably track your daily miles, anyway. Keep a written record using an app or a plain old spreadsheet. The general rule is that you should replace your shoes every 300 to 500 miles, although you may need to swap them more often if you run on rugged surfaces or have severe pronation problems that cause uneven wear.
While socks are no replacement for good running shoes, they can add cushioning. Additionally, trying on new shoes with the socks you intend to wear with them helps ensure the perfect fit.
Here’s a common-sense tip for choosing running shoes that many people overlook in their excitement for something new and better. Is there any law that says you have to switch brands or styles once you find the perfect fit? Of course not!
Manufacturers often make several color combinations if you need a change. Finding a pair of running shoes that feels better than going barefoot is invaluable — so stick with the tried and true. There’s no embarrassment in loving a pair so much that you buy an exact duplicate when they wear out.
Few things matter more to your comfort on the track or trail than the right footgear. Use these tips for choosing running shoes to get the perfect fit every time.
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