The Right Shoe

This will seem like a no-brainer post, considering I work at Fleet Feet, but it needs to be said. All of you need to be fitted for the correct running shoe. This was the painful lesson I learned in Arizona, as I ran with blisters.

I can not tell you how many times a week a customer will come to the store and complain of pains. In many cases, these people are running in whatever sale shoe they found at Target. I still remember the day three women came into the store at varous times....they had knee pain, and had been running in basketball shoes. YIKES!

We all run differently. Some of us supinate - run on the outside of our feet. Most overpronate, running with the foot turning in. For the overpronator, there are varying levels of stabilty shoes. These are shoes which will minimize that roll inwards. For us supinators, we wear nuetral cushioned shoes. These shoes are designed to really take the impact of the road, so our feet won't.

It is best to have someone watch you run. People try to show me the bottoms of their shoes and figure from that how they run. That doesn't do much, because, depending on the shoe, you won't see what you really need to see. For the record, showing someone the wear on the heel is no good, because almost all of us step the same way - heel first. So the heel does look worn.

Once you have been analyzed, it comes down to which shoe feels best on your feet. I find, whichever one feels best is the winner. Ideally, it should not feel like you are wearing a shoe.

If you do not have running store near you, see if there is someone who can do a gait analysis. Of course you are all welcome to come to Chicago to be fitted by me. :-)

Charlie