Recommend your running sneakers...

id try clogs

Go to a running store and have them analyze your gait and suggest shoes.

I would find a good specialty running store and have your gait analyzed to understand the proper type of running shoe for your specific gait. It really is important to have the right type of shoes or you may be more vulnerable to injury. Most, if not all, of the major running shoe brands (e.g. Asics, Brooks, Nike, Saucony, Mizuno) will have multiple shoe models in each category at various price points. Personally, I am a neutral runner and like the cushion in the Asics Gel-Nimbus.

Like most people here have eluded to, nobody can realistically recommend a running shoe, because nobody has your feet!

Things that matter are:

*** The shoe needs to fit... both in terms of length (most people need a size up from normal shoes) and also in terms of the width of the toe box (some people have narrow feet and some people's feet are quite wide)

*** The shoe needs to be right for purpose (there a high mileage training shoes, lightweight racing shoes, etc) so it's important you buy what you need

*** There are many running shoes for different running surfaces (anything from road shoes, to trail shoes, cross country shoes or fell running shoes)

*** The shoe needs to fit your gait, i.e. your running style (some people are heel strikers, some land on their midfoot, some are forefoot runners... some people pronate, some supinate) - ideally a suitably qualified member of staff in a running shop should watch you run in different shoes to see which shoe is most suited to your gait

Things that really dont matter very much...

Brand...

Some people will tell you they swear by Nike, some will love Asics, or Mizuno, or Saucony... Most major running shoe manufacturers all provide a good product. The "type" of shoe e.g. stability shoe, neutral cushioning or whatever you may need, is much more important.

Don't just buy a shoe because your friend tells you they are "nice". In running shoes one man's meat is another man's poison.

And no "gimmick" shoes like easy tones, slender tones etc etc.

Happy running.

Ditto on getting a professional fitting from a running store.

Interesting enough my experience with such was they recommended two brands that fit my foot and running style - but ultimately recommended the cheaper of the two as the best for me. I found both fit well and were comfortable to run in (they had a tread mill for testing them) but the tread pattern of the more expensive ones had a ridge across the ball of the foot that didn't feel as good to roll forward over as the cheaper ones.

Currently running in some Mizuno's

Go to a running store and have them analyze your gait and suggest shoes.

Great point! I'm going to do that when it's time for a new pair of kicks. ;-)

I love Brooks, but as everyone else has said, go to a running store and get fitted!! They should be able to get you in the right shoes. It makes a huge difference. Good shoes are well worth the investment...you can't put a price on knees, sciatica, lower back, etc.

And they should be selling you a pair of shoes about a size or so larger than what you normally wear. Your toenails will thank you!!

The running store is a good suggestion, I like the asics brand and I dont pronate so dont have to buy the super expensive ones, the best piece of advice i've ever been given is to get a good pair for running, It makes a HUGE difference.

If you're in NYC there's a runner's store in Union Square that can measure your gait and recommend shoes.

Any suggestions for those of us who aren't runners and want to do the C25K and need shoes? I started jogging a couple of times but had to stop half way through b/c my shoes are shot. They're comfy to wear, but lack arch support (they're new balances, but 3 years old and worn on a casual basis). I would LOVE to get a pair of Mizuno Alchemy due to my overpronation but I don't want to spend $100+ before I even really get started at running. There's a pair of New balance 400s that I've seen that also come in a wide size that I'd like to try and hope they're not a waste of $.

If you know what you need, based on previous gait analysis, I would try to get to a running shop with a short list of shoes you would like to try. A good running shop should have a treadmill where you can test out the running feel of a shoe.

Even for pronators there are various shoes to chose from, depending on the degree of your pronation. You get light stability (equivalent to the Asics 1150), moderate stability (equivalent to Asics 2150s or even more stable the Kayano) all the way to complete motion control (equivalent to the Asics Foundation or Evolution).

If you like Mizuno, they have a clever website which makes allows you to assess online which of their shoe range might be best suited to your needs.

http://www.myprecisionfit.com/test/welcome?lang=en_GB&noAnswerSelected=

Hope the link works if cut & pasted.

If your local sports shop haven't got a clue then websites like

http://www.myprecisionfit.com

are better than someone just trying to sell you the most expensive shoes.

At least the above website looks at a range of factors important in running, such as pronation, flatness of foot, where your femur tracks in a single leg squat, how your foot falls on impact, how fast you run, how heavy you are etc etc

It's one of the better online assessments I've seen.