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Whatever type of runner you are, learning how to choose running shoes that are right for your particular needs is one of the most important things you could do. Getting the correct shoes increases your chances of
having healthy, enjoyable running for the rest of your life. Running in the wrong shoe will not only make
running uncomfortable and unsatisfying, but can also lead to some nasty
injuries. Read this running shoe guide to help you choose a pair that is
right for you, and that will optimize your running. The fastest and easiest way to
figure out what type of shoe you need is to find out how high or low
your arch is. In very simple terms, this
indicates how flexible or rigid your feet are. The more flexible your
feet are, the more it will flatten out as you transition from heel to
toe, therefore the more support you need.
A good way to find out what type of arch you have
is to place a sheet of paper on the floor, wet the bottom of your foot,
and walk across the paper with that foot. Do this for both feet.
From the pictures below, choose the one that most
closely resembles your footprint, then note whether you need stability,
motion control, or neutral shoes.
As you can see, finding out what type of shoe you
need is fairly easy. The harder part is being able to categorize a shoe
just by looking at it.
If you're one of the lucky few, you can just go to
a local running store and have the sales reps bring out a couple shoes
that belong only in your ideal category.
However, for most of us the nearest specialty
stores are a couple hundreds miles away, which means we're stuck with
sporting goods stores and general shoe stores. Most sales reps that work
in these stores don't know how to categorize running shoes,
so click
here to learn how to buy running shoes based on their design.
Another option is to visit good online retailers
such as Running Warehouse, Shoebuy, Zappos, and Online Shoes, which have their selection of running
shoes already categorized.
Other Running Shoe Links
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