What Running Shoes Should You Get?
Have you ever bought a pair of running shoes and just not got on with them? There could be a good reason for that and in today’s blog post, I’ll talk you through some simple ways to find the right running shoes for you.
Whether you’re new to running or a seasoned runner you’re going to be spending a fair bit of time in them and let’s face it good running shoes aren’t cheap so getting the right ones is important. You don’t want to make the mistake I did many years back of buying a pair of running shoes just because they looked nice. They can end up doing you more harm than good as I found to my cost.
In my business consulting days I was fortunate enough to work with a leading podiatrist who showed me the error of my ways, so I’m going to share this information with you so you can get the right running shoes and not have to go through the injuries I did.
First off we need to look at how your feet are making contact with the ground and to do that we need to look at pronation.
What does pronation mean?
Pronation is the way your foot rolls inward for impact distribution when you land on the ground. It’s part of your body’s natural movement.
As your foot strikes the ground it rolls inward to absorb the shock placing three times your body weight on the arch of your foot. Some people roll in too much others not enough. It’s important your running shoes support how your foot rolls when you land.
How to know how your foot pronates
To figure out how you’re landing when you run you can check the bottom of your running shoes and see where they’re wearing. You’re going to fit into one of three categories: Neutral, Overpronator, Supinator.
Neutral runners
First up, Neutral – you’ll see the wear in the middle of the shoe where the ball of your foot strikes the ground. This is one of the most biomechanically sound as you’re evenly distributing the forces equally across the whole of your foot.
Overpronating runners
Next, is the overpronator which is the most common amongst runners. You’ll notice wear on the inside of the shoe. The foot lands on the outside of the heel then rolls inwards excessively transferring weight to the inner edge rather than the ball of your foot.
You’ll notice your big toe and the second toe do most of the work when you push off. If you have low arches or flat feet this is probably you.
If you’re an overpronator you’re more likely to suffer from shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and heel spurs. So it’s important you have a running shoe that is designed to support this and get you running in as neutral position as possible. I’m an overpronator and I can’t tell you what a difference wearing the right shoes makes.
Supinating runners
If you’re a supinator you’ll notice more wear and tear on the outer edge of your shoe as the outer heel of your foot hits the ground at an increased angle with little or no inward rolling which causes a large transmission of shock into the lower leg.
You’ll notice you push off with your smaller toes on the outside of the foot and you’ll be more prone to injuries like ankle strain, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis. You’ll also notice you have quite high arches on your foot.
What running shoes should you get?
Now you’ve established what type of runner you are, we need to look at the running shoes you can buy to support your feet in the right way.
Neutral and supinating runners should get a neutral running shoe.
Running shoes for Neutral Runners
Overpronating runners need a stability shoe with more support on the arch to stop it from collapsing when you run.
Running shoes for Overpronators
Wearing the right trainers for how you pronate will reduce your chances of injury and make for a much more comfortable run as you compliment your running style rather than work against it.
Is more cushioning better for running?
When you’re putting in your weekly miles you want a pair of running shoes that have a bit more cushioning. The trade-off for that cushioning is that they’ll be a bit heavier, but your joints are going to thank you for giving them some extra cushioning on those long runs.
Race day, however, is a different story. You want a running shoe that is lighter and ultimately faster. Here’s what I mean…
How you could be carrying an extra 810kgs on race day that you don't need to
Let’s say your normal running shoes are each 150g heavier than your race shoes. For an elite runner with a 10k time of 30 mins and an average of 180 steps per minute (spm) that’s 5400 steps, they’ll be doing. Over the race, they’d be carrying an extra 810kg!
On race day you want to be running as fast as you can. Whether you’re a 5k runner, 10k runner, or a sprinter - having some lighter race shoes is going to be great for you on race day.
If you’re a serious runner, we’d recommend having a pair of shoes you can train in every day and a different lighter pair for race days.
How often should you replace running shoes?
Please don’t try and get your money’s worth out of your running shoes. Everything has a life expectancy and so do your running shoes.
Over time the cushioning, grip, and structure of the shoe will break down. If you push past the miles they’re designed to do you’re increasing your chance of getting injured, slipping, and impacting your running performances.
You wouldn’t drive your car with cracked, bald tyres so please don’t run in trainers that are past their best.
A rule of thumb here is that your shoes will have 300-400 miles in them before you need to change them.
If you use Strava and record the kit you use you’ll get a friendly email from Strava when your trainers are about due to be changed.
Something to bear in mind too is that generally, the lighter the shoe is the less of a life expectancy they have. However, this does balance out as you race less than you train.
Road vs trail shoes
The last thing to consider is matching your shoes to the surface you’re running on.
If you’re driving through rivers and muddy fields you want as much grip as possible. I love my road shoes, but they lack grip! I’ve been warming up at the track many times when it’s been wet, gone to do some running strides, and… well… decked it!
Shoes that aren’t suited to the conditions you’re running in are a great way to pull a muscle or worse.
Your road shoes are designed for roads, dry athletic tracks, and flat surfaces. They don’t like mud and other slippy surfaces. However trail shoes have more tread, give you more grip which means you’re less likely to slip if you’re running on more challenging terrain.
Here are some links to the best road shoes –
Here are some links to the best trail shoes -
We’ve also made another video and blog where we talk about what running gear you should be wearing this winter, so go and take a look at that after you’ve read this post.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you’re now in a better position to get the perfect running shoe for you, your running style, and the terrain you’re going to be running on.
We hope you found this information useful. If you’re a 5k runner and want to run your fastest 5k EVER… our free 6-day video series will help to change the way you approach your run training. So click the button below to get started with that.
Thanks for reading and watching.
