Good gear - Running Shoes

Despite the very countable masses that run barefoot through marathons, a great many of us rely on shoes to protect our feet from the ground, and cushion the impact on the *gulp* concrete. No single shoe works for everyone. If you're running now you learned to walk at some point. You followed the examples of those around you and what you heard you should be doing. This in addition to the varying numbers of body styles, leads to a nearly infinite combination of foot shapes, stride patterns, and cushioning needs. Thankfully the shoe industry has our backs.

A good pair of running shoes should feel like coming home, unless you live in a haunted house where evil stalks you at every turn. You should slip in to them and immediately feel like running, they make your feet feel lighter and every foot fall feel less like work and more like a glide. As the purchaser of horrible running shoes (for my feet) I can tell you the difference between a good pair of shoes and an ill-fitting one was like night and day, pain to pleasure.

"So Dean, where do I find such shoes?" I'm glad you asked. Go to a RUNNING store. No, Sportmart is not a running store. Here's why. In high school I could have gotten a job at Sportmart, in the shoe department. What's wrong with that? In high school I wasn't a runner. In fact I hated running more than I hated getting up early in the morning. (By the way now I get up early in the morning to run...) You want to find a person to help you who knows about what each shoe has, does, and is. A good salesperson is a runner themselves, will let you try on as many shoes as you need to in order to find a good fit, and will even let you take 'em out for a quick spin. A great salesperson will take a look at your barefoot, or sock clad, stride and see where you're striking the ground and the amount of pronation (lateral rolling) your foot does. All these things tie in to what shoe you should buy.

If running is going to be a big part of your year, you owe it to your feet, and that part of your mind that is encouraging you to get out there and run, to get not just a pair of shoes that fit your foot but a pair that fit you. They should fit your foot length, width, compensate for where your foot strikes the ground, and feel good. Heck, if you don't like the color, maybe you shouldn't buy the shoe. Seriously, why would you buy something that you need for workouts that is going to make you cringe everything you have to train?

To sum up:
Sportmart is not a running store
Good shoe = Better run
Dean = Gear Geek