Picking the Right Running Shoe

posted in: Blog, Running 218

Where do you like to run? Do like like to stay on the trails and run over technical terrain or is pounding out the miles on a nice fast road more your speed. For most of us it includes at least a little of both, but it's a good first question to ask yourself when considering a new pair of running shoes.

jacksonhole.com
hotelchatter.com

The type of support you need has to be considered as well. Are you lucky enough to have a nice neutral stride? There are a wealth of good solid neutral shoes to choose from. Maybe you find yourself over pronating a bit, collapsing to the inside as you stride off the forefoot. Over pronation is the cause of most running injuries. There are several companies that offer nicely supported shoes to correct for over pronation.

Not sure if you over pronate? There's a good way to tell. Take a look at the bottom of your well used running shoes. If you have a lot of excess wear on the outer heal, then that wear transfers to the inside of the forefoot you have your classic wear pattern of someone who over pronates. Posted shoes use a denser EVA foam on the inside of the shoe to keep you from collapsing in and instead rolling cleanly of the toe box. Newer guide rail systems have been proven to work just as well.

Hoka Stinson - outdoorgearlab.com
Altra Superior 2.0 - altrarunning.com

After your run how does your body feel? Are those feet and joints feeling completely pounded? Companies like Hoka, Altra and Brooks have ushered in a new era of extremely well cushioned shoes that also offer a surprising amount of support and excellent mapping on trails. Maybe your idea of running is to help strengthen your entire body. A new hybrid of minimalist shoes is available to give the forefoot a lot of articulation allowing the fast twitch balance muscles in the feet to fire frequently. This allows you to rebuild your muscle structure from the ground up all while providing just enough cushioning for protection.

What ever your need or desire we have a well rounded selection of road and trail running shoes to keep you covered, safe and enjoying your running pursuits for years to come.