Good Running Shoe Opinions

kgool

I am about to buy a pair and not wanting to go too crazy, but a friend tells me that you just have to buy Newtons. They are $150-175, but it looks like I can get a good pair of ASICS or Nike running shoes for about half that. Has anyone tried Newtons or have an opinion? I have a feeling they will only last 6 months anyway, so not sure I need to spend the bankroll.

Thanks,

catcher_in_the_pie

No, you don't HAVE to buy Newtons. For your first pair of running shoes, go to a running store and get fitted for shoes. Preferably somewhere that provides gait analysis. Try on a lot of different pairs of shoes. Make sure you run a little in them too.

Atlantique

I agree that it's best to get professionally fitted at a running store that does gait analysis.

I've never heard of Newtons so can't speak to whether or not they are quality shoes, but what works for your friend may not work for you.

You need to figure out what type of shoe you need, based on your gait, how many miles you run per week and on which surface you run.

Asics makes great shoes that happen to fit me very well, but there are many other brands that make great quality shoes as well.

Shizzman

Five Fingers..?

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><... They're comfortable and personally they seem to be a lot more enjoyable

run_way

Everybody's feet and running form is different, you have to find what works for you. The best thing you can do is go to a local running store than has the technology to analyse how your foot is striking and they can recommend shoes that will work best for you (I have a tendency to over-pronate a bit so I need shoes with good support in the center/sides), and usually they will give you several different options, have you run around in the parking lot of the store to see which ones you like the best. Mine are Asics, and they were about $100 but so worth it. It is usually best to retire your shoes after you've put 300-500 miles on them. My indicator that I need to get a new pair is that my knee starts hurting, once I got the right shoes, my knee pain vanished, and it only comes back when I've worn out my shoes.
Hope this helps :drinker:

kgool

Thanks yeah, I think the "have to get Newtons" was an exaggeration, but they do have them at store here that custom fits. They do seem pretty cool.

http://www.newtonrunning.com/

I think the store carries other brands though and that is good, it's always questionable to go to a store that only has one brand.

jjhenry5

I dunno, I did the whole gait analysis thing and wound up in stability shoes that I hated; they weren't comfortable and I had IT band issues with them. I switched back to a neutral pair that were very good, and eventually wound up in Five Fingers, which I love.

My advice is to try on everything you can get your feet into, and get the ones that feel like a cloud the moment you are in them. No matter what the sales people say, the shoe won't 'break in' to get more comfortable. At least in my experience.

jeffrodgers1

My feet are not your feet. What works for me, will not work for you.

That being said, Go to a Running Store (Running Room, Fleet Feet etc) and get them to assess you. They will look at your gait and wear patterns on your existing shoes and tell you what type of shoe you need to be in.

They come in three basic flavors Neutral, Stability and Motion Control. As a heavy pronator, I need to be in Motion Control Shoes, or wear an orthotic with a Neutral shoe.

From there you can choose the best fit, brand etc for your feet.

Don't skimp on the shoes... The more comfortable your run, the more likely you are to keep doing it and the less likely you are to injure yourself.

Good Luck!

kgool

Thanks guys, I will probably just go and get the assessment done as suggested. I am not sure I could wear the Vibrams they kind of creep me out a bit.

Atlantique

I dunno, I did the whole gait analysis thing and wound up in stability shoes that I hated; they weren't comfortable and I had IT band issues with them. I switched back to a neutral pair that were very good, and eventually wound up in Five Fingers, which I love.

My advice is to try on everything you can get your feet into, and get the ones that feel like a cloud the moment you are in them. No matter what the sales people say, the shoe won't 'break in' to get more comfortable. At least in my experience.

I absolutely agree that there should be NO 'break-in' period with running shoes. They fit or they don't. (True of all shoes, actually.)

When I had IT band issues, it came down to where and how I was running. I had gotten into the habit of runnig a housing development near my work, and I was doing all the corners (many cul de sacs) with my right leg on the inside. Once I realized this was a contributing factor, I alternated the inside leg on every turn and the IT band issue resolved. You can also get it from cambered roads and always running facing traffic--one leg is always lower than the other in that scenario. Alternating helps!

I know there can be a lot more going on in IT band problems, but maybe my experience will help someone with theirs. I was consistently overstressing one leg and changing that solved the problem for me.