Best Running Shoes

I’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this final post about individual considerations for the best running shoes. Keep in mind that I’m just reviewing the excellent material in Jeff Galloway’s book about running, so take a minute and check it out if you want more details. Today we’ll talk about a variety of items including cushion, over-pronators, trying on shoes and lacing methods.

Run in the shoes

First up is running in your new running shoes. Let’s face it, you can’t really know how a shoe will feel when running by just trying it on in the store. I’ve been shopping for shoes for years and I’ve made a few mistakes in this area. I finally found the Nike outlet in Park City, which was a bit of a drive from my home in Salt Lake City. Their store was large enough for me to get a full run across it and get a much better feeling for how I would react to a shoe.

Now that I live in Boise, I’ve had to start over. But, to my delight, I have found that the specialty running stores actually encourage me to run outside on the concrete and asphalt when trying shoes on. This is a huge difference and let’s me know exactly how a shoe will feel over a couple blocks. To quote Jeff’s book “Some stores do not let you run in the shoes - but you really should. This is the only way to tell how the shoe fits and works. Look around for a store that allows this”

Cushion

Next up is shoe cushion. This has a lot to do with where you run. Someone that does all their running on a treadmill, which has some built in shock absorbing mechanisms may not need as much cushion as someone that runs only on concrete. Remember to anticipate changes in surfaces, such as training on asphalt but racing on a track with cushion built into it.

Jeff points out that

A rigid foot needs cushion and flexibility, especially in the forefoot.
A floppy foot needs stability and just enough cushion to take the edge off the shock. Too much cushion may be bad and promote excessive pronation.

Too much cushion can cause instability and so is a potential risk for the runner that tends to pronate. If you’re an over-pronator, beware of shoes with too much cushion.

Lacing

Finally, one method for reducing the slippage of the heel is shown here on my blog: best way to lace running shoes. Other methods that he outlines in his book include relieving lace pressure, releasing spot pressure, creating more toe room and isolating individual laces. He includes figures that I can’t duplicate here on my blog, but I’ll try to produce a video with some of these methods in the future.

So, that’s it. There are a lot of things to consider that will influence the choice you make when buying shoes. Each one has to do specifically with what you need and how you run. In my next few posts, I’ll talk about the shoe shopping experience and what to ask for when you’re at the store.

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