If you are not wearing the right shoes, or are wearing shoes that are old and worn out, you are likely to experience problems and injuries. Make sure you visit a specialist running shoe store to purchase your athletic walking shoes. Buying shoes online or at a discount shoe store is OK if you have been fitted for the right shoes and know exactly what you need. Buying shoes online at random, because you like the color or the price, or because one of your friends recommended them is a sure way to create problems for yourself! Shoes that work for someone else will not necessarily work for you. Your feet need a shoe designed for your exact foot type not for someone else's feet.
Athletic walkers should wear running shoes not walking shoes. Walking shoes are heavy and designed for hiking not for athletic walking. You need a lightweight shoe so a running shoe is perfect. Make sure it is flexible at the places where your foot needs to flex (at the toes for example). If the shoe is rigid where your toes bend, you will not be able to push off properly. This is less important for runners than it is for walkers.
Some running shoe stores will offer a diagnostic service to determine which type of shoe you should wear. Sometimes the store will film you running on a treadmill – either wearing shoes or barefoot. Alternatively, they may watch you walk or run and use their personal experience to determine the best type of shoe for you. Although some of the diagnostics may seem very technical and complicated, they are not always accurate. Some stores use these diagnostics to confuse or scare you and upsell you to the most expensive shoes, inserts, socks and any other accessories they think they can convince you to buy! Bear in mind that the people conducting these “tests” are not doctors, exercise physiologists, physical therapists or experts in biomechanics. They are shop assistants/sales associates and they have probably received 30 minutes or so training on the equipment and a lot more training on how to sell you lots of stuff! Even if the sales associate has the best intentions, he or she is not a qualified practitioner and may not be giving you the best advice.
There are many reputable running stores with very knowledgeable staff. However, you must keep in mind that they are helping you select shoes based on their knowledge of shoes, not on their knowledge of your feet. Your feet are unique to you so you cannot expect a salesperson to understand them in quite the same way that you do. If you know all about your own feet, you can work more effectively with a running shoe salesperson to select the best shoes to fit them. Be sure to share as much information as you can about your feet and your shoe-wearing experiences. For example, if you often get blisters or aches and pains in your feet or toes, share this information. If you roll your ankles often this is an indicator of how much stability would be appropriate in a shoe. The shoe salesperson cannot glean this type of information just from looking at your feet or shoes. Your input is invaluable. To learn more about your feet, this link will take you to my post about getting to know your know feet.
If the sales associate works on commission he or she will have a huge incentive to sell you the most expensive pair of shoes in the store. So, bear this in mind while being dazzled with lots of tech speak about pronation, supination and heel-toe drop!
I highly recommend that you visit a specialty running store to buy shoes especially if it is your first time being fitted for proper long distance walking/running shoes. A chain store or generic sports store will not have specialized athletic shoe personnel available. They will not let you wear the shoes to test them out properly in the parking lot; neither will they give you a month or more to try them out and then let you bring them back and exchange them if you decide you don't like them. Specialty running stores have higher priced shoes but you will get much more personalized service. They are committed to getting you into the best possible shoe for you and it is not always possible to determine what that shoe will be without you walking a few miles in them over 2-4 weeks!
SHOE SIZE
NEVER, EVER buy running shoes in your normal shoe size! No one cares what size shoes you wear. Don’t buy smaller shoes because you want your feet to look smaller or you are concerned about being a bigger size. That type of vanity will result in discomfort and injuries (and money wasted on shoes that you will end up having to replace long before they are at the end of their useful lives).
Your running shoe should be 1 to 1.5 sizes LARGER than your normal shoe size. You need at least a thumbs width of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe (measured on your largest foot when you are standing up wearing the shoe). If you wear shoes smaller than this, your feet will not be able to move in the shoe properly. This will decrease shock absorption. Your feet will naturally swell as you walk or run long distances. You need enough room in the shoe to allow for this and to make sure your toes are not cramped. Wearing shoes that are not large enough can result in excessive swelling, numbness, blisters, bruised (or lost) toenails, and general fatigue in your feet. Right-sized and right-fitted shoes will enable you to build endurance and speed. The wrong shoes will not. Experienced walkers and runners always buys their shoes the right size (1 – 1.5 sizes larger than their normal size). Rookies will often buy shoes too small. This may be because they don’t know about needing a larger size for running and walking. Sometimes the sales associate may not tell them they need a larger size. Other times the rookie is advised they need a larger size but they refuse to believe it and insist on buying shoes too small. The millions of runners and walkers around the world know what they are talking about. If you listen to those with more experience, you will make fewer mistakes and end up with fewer injuries!
HOW LONG SHOULD MY SHOES LAST?
Running shoes will last for approximately 400 miles. Some shoes will last for only 200 miles and others for 600 miles. Heavier folks usually wear shoes out faster than lighter ones. Walkers usually wear shoes out faster than runners. If you start to get aches and pains or fatigue in your legs or hips that are unusual, it is very likely because your shoes need replacing. Keep track of the mileage on your shoes. When you get to 400 miles, if you have not replaced them yet, you should really be thinking about doing so. I highly recommend using a software program to keep track of your running/walking miles. An excellent free software program is Sport Tracks. You can sync a GPS watches with the program or enter your mileage manually. You can also import data from other programs. Enter your shoes into the program, keep track of each walk and it will calculate the current mileage on them. I like this program so much I upgraded to the paid version. It is much more convenient than trying to keep track of shoe mileage in a spreadsheet!
MOST IMPORTANT - Only wear your athletic walking or running shoes when you are athletically walking or running. They are not everyday shoes. They should be worn just for your workouts. When you buy new running shoes, you can repurpose your old ones as everyday “going to the store” or “working in the garden” shoes.
Athletic walkers should wear running shoes not walking shoes. Walking shoes are heavy and designed for hiking not for athletic walking. You need a lightweight shoe so a running shoe is perfect. Make sure it is flexible at the places where your foot needs to flex (at the toes for example). If the shoe is rigid where your toes bend, you will not be able to push off properly. This is less important for runners than it is for walkers.
Some running shoe stores will offer a diagnostic service to determine which type of shoe you should wear. Sometimes the store will film you running on a treadmill – either wearing shoes or barefoot. Alternatively, they may watch you walk or run and use their personal experience to determine the best type of shoe for you. Although some of the diagnostics may seem very technical and complicated, they are not always accurate. Some stores use these diagnostics to confuse or scare you and upsell you to the most expensive shoes, inserts, socks and any other accessories they think they can convince you to buy! Bear in mind that the people conducting these “tests” are not doctors, exercise physiologists, physical therapists or experts in biomechanics. They are shop assistants/sales associates and they have probably received 30 minutes or so training on the equipment and a lot more training on how to sell you lots of stuff! Even if the sales associate has the best intentions, he or she is not a qualified practitioner and may not be giving you the best advice.
There are many reputable running stores with very knowledgeable staff. However, you must keep in mind that they are helping you select shoes based on their knowledge of shoes, not on their knowledge of your feet. Your feet are unique to you so you cannot expect a salesperson to understand them in quite the same way that you do. If you know all about your own feet, you can work more effectively with a running shoe salesperson to select the best shoes to fit them. Be sure to share as much information as you can about your feet and your shoe-wearing experiences. For example, if you often get blisters or aches and pains in your feet or toes, share this information. If you roll your ankles often this is an indicator of how much stability would be appropriate in a shoe. The shoe salesperson cannot glean this type of information just from looking at your feet or shoes. Your input is invaluable. To learn more about your feet, this link will take you to my post about getting to know your know feet.
If the sales associate works on commission he or she will have a huge incentive to sell you the most expensive pair of shoes in the store. So, bear this in mind while being dazzled with lots of tech speak about pronation, supination and heel-toe drop!
I highly recommend that you visit a specialty running store to buy shoes especially if it is your first time being fitted for proper long distance walking/running shoes. A chain store or generic sports store will not have specialized athletic shoe personnel available. They will not let you wear the shoes to test them out properly in the parking lot; neither will they give you a month or more to try them out and then let you bring them back and exchange them if you decide you don't like them. Specialty running stores have higher priced shoes but you will get much more personalized service. They are committed to getting you into the best possible shoe for you and it is not always possible to determine what that shoe will be without you walking a few miles in them over 2-4 weeks!
SHOE SIZE
NEVER, EVER buy running shoes in your normal shoe size! No one cares what size shoes you wear. Don’t buy smaller shoes because you want your feet to look smaller or you are concerned about being a bigger size. That type of vanity will result in discomfort and injuries (and money wasted on shoes that you will end up having to replace long before they are at the end of their useful lives).
Your running shoe should be 1 to 1.5 sizes LARGER than your normal shoe size. You need at least a thumbs width of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe (measured on your largest foot when you are standing up wearing the shoe). If you wear shoes smaller than this, your feet will not be able to move in the shoe properly. This will decrease shock absorption. Your feet will naturally swell as you walk or run long distances. You need enough room in the shoe to allow for this and to make sure your toes are not cramped. Wearing shoes that are not large enough can result in excessive swelling, numbness, blisters, bruised (or lost) toenails, and general fatigue in your feet. Right-sized and right-fitted shoes will enable you to build endurance and speed. The wrong shoes will not. Experienced walkers and runners always buys their shoes the right size (1 – 1.5 sizes larger than their normal size). Rookies will often buy shoes too small. This may be because they don’t know about needing a larger size for running and walking. Sometimes the sales associate may not tell them they need a larger size. Other times the rookie is advised they need a larger size but they refuse to believe it and insist on buying shoes too small. The millions of runners and walkers around the world know what they are talking about. If you listen to those with more experience, you will make fewer mistakes and end up with fewer injuries!
HOW LONG SHOULD MY SHOES LAST?
Running shoes will last for approximately 400 miles. Some shoes will last for only 200 miles and others for 600 miles. Heavier folks usually wear shoes out faster than lighter ones. Walkers usually wear shoes out faster than runners. If you start to get aches and pains or fatigue in your legs or hips that are unusual, it is very likely because your shoes need replacing. Keep track of the mileage on your shoes. When you get to 400 miles, if you have not replaced them yet, you should really be thinking about doing so. I highly recommend using a software program to keep track of your running/walking miles. An excellent free software program is Sport Tracks. You can sync a GPS watches with the program or enter your mileage manually. You can also import data from other programs. Enter your shoes into the program, keep track of each walk and it will calculate the current mileage on them. I like this program so much I upgraded to the paid version. It is much more convenient than trying to keep track of shoe mileage in a spreadsheet!
MOST IMPORTANT - Only wear your athletic walking or running shoes when you are athletically walking or running. They are not everyday shoes. They should be worn just for your workouts. When you buy new running shoes, you can repurpose your old ones as everyday “going to the store” or “working in the garden” shoes.
2 comments:
Fit2Run actually videotapes you on a treadmill while you walk/run and then play back for you to watch. They also have you stand on an electronic equivalent of the 'wet test' that shows how your weight is distributed etc.
I got my last pair of shoes from there and walked a marathon in them.
Great article Coach!
Great article!! Since I am having trouble with shoes this was very timely for me. Thanks!
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