Things You Should Know Before Buying Your Next (Or Your First) Pair of Running Shoes

This post is for everyone who plans on coming into a running specialty store to get their new shoes, just some helpful advice to get you started.

• Bring your old shoes in! A shoe can tell a whole lot about how you run. I am not kidding. To a sales associate who has been trained in the art of selling shoes, we can tell if you need more stability, less stability, if you are a forefoot runner, if you are a heel striker, and many other things. Bring them in, let us look at them, and it will help a ton. There was a customer that I worked with once who brought in her last 3 or 4 pairs of shoes. You wouldn't believe how well this helped me. I was able to see what she liked in the past and how her gait had changed, which all this information led me to grabbing her next pair. 

• Know your shoe's name! I cannot stress this enough. Now when I say name, I do not only mean brand, I also mean model. Coming into a store and responding to the question, "what shoe were you in previously?", With a: "I wore a Nike (or insert brand here)" Knowing the brand tells us nothing, and neither does the colors. This can be avoided by bringing in your shoes, however, there is no problem in having a knowledge about your shoes. Many times, the model name is on the top of the tongue, or on the outside heel. Knowing your shoes name can help you know the specifics of a shoe, whether it is neutral or a stability shoe, whether it has a ton of cushion or the normal amount, you can find out a lot easier when the new models of it come out, and many more things. 

My current selection of running shoes, from top left, Brooks Transcend, Saucony Triumph 11, Saucony Omni 12; Bottom row: Nike Pegasus 31, Saucony Echelon 4, Saucony Kinvara 5

•  Wear socks that you normally would running, or at least bring them in with you. If you plan on trying on shoes during your lunch break and are wearing tights or other socks that are thicker or thinner than what you typically wear, the shoes you try on are not going to feel the same as they would with your other socks. Yes, many running stores have sample socks if you need them, however, most of the time, its slim pickings and there might not be one like you have.

• Let us know what you're planning on using the shoe for. Running and walking are very similar activities, as they both use a forward, or backward motion, just at different speeds. A lot of times, if you add an activity where your feet do side to side motions, you are going to be looking at different shoes. Let your salesperson know so you don't run into issues or have problems that could have been solved earlier.

• Wear comfy, athletic clothing. This is especially true for stores that have a treadmill that you can test shoes on. Running in a pair of shoes can tell so much more than walking in them. So, to get the full feel of a shoe, ask if you can take them on a test-drive. Many places will allow you to, as they know you can fall in love more, or hate the shoe that you're trying on after running in it. Being in comfortable athletic clothes will help with this.

• If something doesn't feel right, speak up! I know how nerve racking it can be, buying a pair of shoes that you plan to run in for a while from a person who seems to know everything about running that there is to know. This is true for newer runners, definitely. However, we want your opinion! If just something about the cushion just isn't sitting on your foot in the right way, if the back of the shoe feels funky, if the tongue sits oddly on your foot, or whatever, let us know! Also be verbal about what you like and dislike about a shoe. Sometimes saying that you like one thing and dislike another, us salespeople may think of a shoe that fits exactly what you're looking for.

• Your feet are bigger at the end of the day. Over time, being on your feet causes your feet to swell. Coming in later in the day can help an associate find a better fit for you.

• Going along with fit, prepared to buy one of the largest shoes in your closet. Again, I cannot stress this enough. Whether running or walking, being on your feet makes your feet expand. When the salesperson measures your feet, they are only looking at foot size. Running shoes should be at least a full size bigger and walking shoes, at least a half, if not a full, size larger. This is to accommodate for the swelling. If your foot swells and your shoe is too short, you can run into blisters, black toenails, even toenail loss, and other problems. All these issues can be solved by going up in size. Take for instance, my foot measures size 6.5. Yes in my dress shoes and heels, I buy a 6.5 or a 7. I don't want those shoes slipping or moving off my feet in any sort of way, and I'm not in them particularly long. Now my running shoe size is 8.5, a 9 in some brands. I go up in size because after years of issues with blisters and black toenails, I experimented with size increases and found that an 8.5-9 fits my feet the best after swelling. If you run in a shoe for the entire lifetime of the shoe, and then come back and tell me it is too big, then we change. Trust me, you are going to want that bigger size.

• Another thing about size, nobody knows your size. Frequently, when I tell people that I am grabbing shoes in a size that is bigger than they normally wear, they panic. However, when they try it on, they soon learn there is nothing to worry about, but many people do. I'm curious, and I'm asking everyone here, but what is the concern with going up in size? Many times, when the size is larger than what they are used to, people will tell me that it feels good, however, they will ask to try it on in the smaller size. When they get the shorter shoe on, and I check and tell them that I wouldn't feel comfortable putting them in this size, they are confident that the big size wouldn't work. 8 out of 10 times, these people who choose the smaller size, come back to exchange for the larger one because the one they were sure was going to work, didn't. So I ask again, why?

• There are many different colors in shoes nowadays, but it is not always the best idea to shop for color. When you come to a specialty running store, you're there to get a proper fit for your feet, something a big-box store doesn't offer. Yes, going in and saying, I love bright colors, or I never wear so-and-so color, is not bad, but going in and saying, I need a purple shoe, does not help us. Get fitted, try on some shoes, and when you find a shoe that fits and that you like, maybe then ask if there are other colors, or if not, remember that colors fade and get dirty. Remember the Nike Pegasus I talked about a few months ago? They were beautiful! Now, they're brown. :( In today's running world, shoes are getting brighter and brighter, people never notice the color of your shoes, only the fact that they look like they're glowing. Yes, looking cute is not a bad thing, but running really is not a cute sport. Sorry folks, but look at race pictures you're in. We all usually look like were not enjoying this. If others really don't care, why should you, you know? I have run in the ugliest shoes to the most fun colors, and I have yet to have someone come up to me and tell me that my shoes are ugly. Yes, its fun to have your favorite color on a shoe, but is it the necessity? 

Speaking of great running pictures...This was taken when I was in high school. I look like either I am the meanest person around, or I hate what I am doing. I don't even have shoes on! I told you, it really doesn't matter. 

• Running shoes are expensive. I am giving you this warning now, so you do not go into shock upon checking out. The average price of a high-end running shoe today is between $115-120. Its a lot. However, the shoes a specialty retailer are going to be the ones that last and have the best quality and technology in them. The more money you put into a shoe, the more shoe you are buying. You spend $50 on a cheap pair you found online? You're going to get $50 cushioning, and $50 worth of miles out of them (100-300 average miles). Now you want the most cushioning? Those shoes run about $150, however there is much more cushioning in them, giving you more miles (400-600 avg miles). A normal high end shoe will give people approximately 300-500 average miles.

• Mile averages for the lifetime of a shoe are that only, averages. The amount of miles that a shoe can hold varies person to person. It has many deciding factors to it, (weight, running style, how often you wear them, what activity you use them for, how old they are, and so forth). Each person may see different mileage returns. Say Johnny, (who weighs 300 lbs, runs, and wears them everyday as a kickaround and running shoe), bought the Asics Cumulus, and he only got 279 miles in those shoes before he thought they were worn out. Now Danny, (who weighs 198 lbs, uses these shoes only for running, and rotates them with other shoes), he got 800 miles before he retired his Cumulus. Every person is different, and how you treat your shoes will effect the lifespan of a shoe.

• Just because a shoe worked out for your uncle's cousin's girlfriend, does not mean that it is going to work for you. Everyone's feet are shaped completely different. Hell, your right foot is going to be different than your left! Yes, we can try on the one that your friend recommended, however many people come to find that it is not what they expected. Every person will tell you that such-and-such brand makes the best shoes that have been ever made. Even I am a little bias. Saucony is my love, but I have been in them for 5 years, and that is what my feet enjoy. Yes, I have tried different brands, but I still return to my favorite, look at the picture above! I have 4 different pairs of Sauconys in my shoes selection. The next person might tell you New Balance, and so forth. What I am trying to say is, go into the store with an open mind. Try different things and see what brand works for you.

• Give the shoe an entire lifetime before you judge it. You see this in more with people who switch brands or models, but the shoe is going to feel odd or even defective until it is broken in. Take a look at your old shoe. Feel the inside. You feel the imprint of your foot in there? That shoe has molded around your foot and now is an individualized shoe that fits your feet correctly. Do the same with your new shoe. Hmm.....no foot this time. Giving your shoe the full mileage can tell you if it worked or not. "But this shoe has 50 miles on it now and I still don't like it a whole lot.." A shoe's shape and feel can change from one mile to the next. Just because it felt horrible at mile 50 or whatever, doesn't mean that it wont feel like heaven at mile 150 or not. The opposite is true as well! It might feel great at mile 100, but at mile 150, it has started to bother you. I know, when you buy a shoe, you want it to feel 100% wonderful for the entire ride, and you may find that shoe, many people do, however there many many shoes that once they are past their break-in point, feel much better. Give the shoe that feels the best a try. If you know that it doesn't work for your feet after 200 or 500 miles, let us know. Knowing what you didn't like about the shoe can help us find a new shoe for you. 

I think this is where I leave you now, so go out there and take this information to heart when you buy your next pair of shoes. Whether you are a first time buyer, or you have been running for 50 years, this can help you out.