What Shoe is Right For Me?
Wearing the right shoe makes all the difference. The problem is figuring out which shoe is the right one for me. Time to do some research and figure out what my feet need to walk comfortably and safely given who I am.
One of the most common thing suggested is to look at a worn out pair of shoes and look at the soles. Pay attention to where the most wear is. This is a pair of my worn out comfortable shoes.
The other thing I hear is that I need to know my gait, my pronation. What? REI has a lot of information about that. You can spend time learning all about what each thing means, how it is determined, why each is important and figure out the details of your feet. I did it, a long time ago, and now I have forgotten it.
If you do not have time to figure it all out, here is a link to with a simpler questionnaire by Runner's World that will give you a starting point on shoes you should consider trying out. They are questions you can answer, height, weight, and stuff like do you run/walk on a road or trail. The question about the arch of my foot I was not too sure about. My solution was to wet my foot, and make a foot print. I then matched my footprint to the options given. Runner's World questionnaire.
The scary part was the results it generated for me the first time:
Your results are based on the following profile. Each number is a percentile ranking from 1 to 100. You can learn more about these ratings here. To get different results, you can start over or revise your search.
The questionnaire said no matches were found. I tried again by adjusting two of my answers. This time it said:
Weight: 100 Profile: 100
Heel Cushioning: 30 Forefoot Cushioning: 35
Stiffness: 99 Stability Features: 67
Karhu Strong 5 for $120
Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3 for $210
$120 for a pair of shoes I will wear 3 to 4 months. It's a starting point, I can make due with less heel cushioning and forefoot cushioning because I can always get shoe inserts. The stiffness, profile, and stability features there is not working around. What to focus on and what to skimp on is a personal choice. I made mine and you will make yours. Another link on Runner's World can do a search for a shoes meeting a certain criteria. Enter the numbers and fiddle with them a little to get other shoe recommendations. This method did not produce options for me. Runner's World search based on certain criteria.
A year or so ago I had already been through this process of figuring out which shoe works best for me. Runner's World has another link where you can enter your favorite shoe and find comparable shoes. Warning: their list is not exhaustive. But it is worth a try. Runner's World search for comparable shoe.
Another way to figure out which shoes works best for you is to visit an actual shoe store and have them help you figure it out. Once you have some options, you can revisit the previous Runner's World search for comparable shoes and get even more option. Try them all on and see what feels best. Keep in mind when you try them on in the store that most likely you will be standing on carpeting. Try standing and taking a few steps on hard flooring.
Last bit of input, I like to try shoes on after I have been walking around a bit. My feet are tired and a bit swollen. This will help me figure out if shoes are too tight. When my feet are cold, shoes feel loose. When my feet are warm, shoes feel tight. Since I will be walking in these potential shoes for a mile or two or more, my feet will definitely be warm. If my shoes are tight I will not be able to walk very far.
So after all that searching these are *some* options suggested to me:
Asics GT - 1000 2
Asics GT - 2000 2
Adidas Supernova Boost Sequence 7
Brooks Ravena 5
Nike Zoom Structure+ 17
New Balance 860v4
Saucony Guide 7
As you can see, one way or another, you are going to need to spend some time figuring all these things out. Your feet will thank you just like mine did. I am not a real runner, yet. I can walk and if my feet hurt I will not be able to walk as much and neither will you. Let me say it again. It IS worth investing some time to figure it all out.
One of the most common thing suggested is to look at a worn out pair of shoes and look at the soles. Pay attention to where the most wear is. This is a pair of my worn out comfortable shoes.
The other thing I hear is that I need to know my gait, my pronation. What? REI has a lot of information about that. You can spend time learning all about what each thing means, how it is determined, why each is important and figure out the details of your feet. I did it, a long time ago, and now I have forgotten it.
If you do not have time to figure it all out, here is a link to with a simpler questionnaire by Runner's World that will give you a starting point on shoes you should consider trying out. They are questions you can answer, height, weight, and stuff like do you run/walk on a road or trail. The question about the arch of my foot I was not too sure about. My solution was to wet my foot, and make a foot print. I then matched my footprint to the options given. Runner's World questionnaire.
The scary part was the results it generated for me the first time:
Your results are based on the following profile. Each number is a percentile ranking from 1 to 100. You can learn more about these ratings here. To get different results, you can start over or revise your search.
The questionnaire said no matches were found. I tried again by adjusting two of my answers. This time it said:
Weight: 100 Profile: 100
Heel Cushioning: 30 Forefoot Cushioning: 35
Stiffness: 99 Stability Features: 67
Karhu Strong 5 for $120
Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3 for $210
$120 for a pair of shoes I will wear 3 to 4 months. It's a starting point, I can make due with less heel cushioning and forefoot cushioning because I can always get shoe inserts. The stiffness, profile, and stability features there is not working around. What to focus on and what to skimp on is a personal choice. I made mine and you will make yours. Another link on Runner's World can do a search for a shoes meeting a certain criteria. Enter the numbers and fiddle with them a little to get other shoe recommendations. This method did not produce options for me. Runner's World search based on certain criteria.
A year or so ago I had already been through this process of figuring out which shoe works best for me. Runner's World has another link where you can enter your favorite shoe and find comparable shoes. Warning: their list is not exhaustive. But it is worth a try. Runner's World search for comparable shoe.
Another way to figure out which shoes works best for you is to visit an actual shoe store and have them help you figure it out. Once you have some options, you can revisit the previous Runner's World search for comparable shoes and get even more option. Try them all on and see what feels best. Keep in mind when you try them on in the store that most likely you will be standing on carpeting. Try standing and taking a few steps on hard flooring.
Last bit of input, I like to try shoes on after I have been walking around a bit. My feet are tired and a bit swollen. This will help me figure out if shoes are too tight. When my feet are cold, shoes feel loose. When my feet are warm, shoes feel tight. Since I will be walking in these potential shoes for a mile or two or more, my feet will definitely be warm. If my shoes are tight I will not be able to walk very far.
So after all that searching these are *some* options suggested to me:
Asics GT - 1000 2
Asics GT - 2000 2
Adidas Supernova Boost Sequence 7
Brooks Ravena 5
Nike Zoom Structure+ 17
New Balance 860v4
Saucony Guide 7
As you can see, one way or another, you are going to need to spend some time figuring all these things out. Your feet will thank you just like mine did. I am not a real runner, yet. I can walk and if my feet hurt I will not be able to walk as much and neither will you. Let me say it again. It IS worth investing some time to figure it all out.
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