Best outdoor running shoes for women

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windycitycupcake
windycitycupcake Posts: 516 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Not sure where to start. Would like to begin running outdoors this summer on Chicago sidewalks which are rough. Need shoes that provide a lot of support and will last so good quality. Any recommendations? Thanks
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Replies

  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
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    The best shoe for you is going to depend on your foot and your gait. I would go to a local running store, have them do a gait analysis and a shoe fitting.
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
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    There is no universal "best shoe." If there was, there probably wouldn't be so many options at the store. As people above said, get fitted.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,665 Member
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    Wanted to reemphasize the need to get it done at a running store. Big box sports stores won’t be able to provide that service.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    I agree with the recommendation that the best shoes are shoes that fit properly. Some people can fit themselves without much problem, others do benefit from getting fitted by a running specialist... but ultimately getting shoes that fit is the primary goal.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
    edited January 2018
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    windycitycupcake wrote: »
    Not sure where to start. Would like to begin running outdoors this summer on Chicago sidewalks which are rough. Need shoes that provide a lot of support and will last so good quality. Any recommendations? Thanks

    http://www.fleetfeetchicago.com/

    You're in Chicago. Go to the best shoe store for runners.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    Personally, I'm a big fan of Brooks for the road and Salomon for the trails.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    In addition to getting properly fitted be prepared to buy replacement shoes on a regular basis. There are a lot of variables (your weight, whether you're a heel striker etc) but the general rule of thumb is to expect to replace them every 300 to 500 miles (only wear them for running).
  • mabearof6
    mabearof6 Posts: 684 Member
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    Definitely get properly fitted. Test out multiple shoes, walk, jog and run. Decent running stores usually have a treadmill. Don't judge them on looks either, some of my fav shoes have been some of my ugliest.
  • kimhski1
    kimhski1 Posts: 32 Member
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    I love Fleet Feet! I also had custom inserts made and love them. I'm a big fan of Asics, Brooks and Saucony. My trail shoes are Merrills.

    I do agree with everyone to get the gait analysis and then fitted for good sneakers. The right shoes make all the difference when running. And keep those sneakers only for running.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Don't buy shoes based on recommendations from anyone other than a professional trained in fitting people for running shoes. Those folks know their stuff. The rest of us know what works for *our* feet, but not what works for *your* feet.
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
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    Go to a running store if at all possible, but be prepared to spend some $$$ for a good pair of shoes. IMO, it's totally worth it though. Also, I'd suggest going in the afternoon/evening, especially if that's when you'll be running, as feet tend to swell during the day and during exercise and time of day will affect the fit.

    It also helps if you can bring in your current pair of running shoes so that they can examine the wear pattern to determine what's best for you in addition to analyzing your gait.
  • tess5036
    tess5036 Posts: 942 Member
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    __TMac__ wrote: »
    Go to your local running store to get fitted for the right shoe. It’s more about stride and biomechanics than sex. I’m a woman who wears a men’s shoe because it fits me best.

    Snap, I also wear men's as they suit me best, Def go to a running shop, and go in the afternoon after being on your feet, as feet swell.
  • Joccantu
    Joccantu Posts: 4 Member
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    Can’t go wrong with brooks or asics! :)
  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
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    Small, local running store. Don’t be intimidated! They should also have a really liberal return policy. None of that “you can only return them if you never wore them outside” nonsense. Don’t buy a shoe that doesn’t fit absolutely perfectly. Pay the oh-my-god price because this is your foundation. Spring for Superfeet inserts too. They are amazing!
    I usually wear men’s shoes because they fit better.
    My biggest rah-rah for getting the right shoes: I am 58 and spent most of my working life on my feet...Highway department, US forest service, other outdoor blue-collar jobs. So my feet have many, many more miles on them than most peoples do. I have no cartilage in the large joint of one of my big toes, and as a runner when I was a kid, I suffered from shin splints all the time. I took up running again about six years ago. Because of a good training regimen and proper shoes, I am able to run in spite of these setbacks. I’ve had no shin splints, and even though My toe can be incredibly painful later in the day after running, it never hurts while I am running.
    Good shoes.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    kavahni wrote: »
    Spring for Superfeet inserts too. They are amazing!
    .
    If you have shoes that fit properly, you shouldn't need inserts.
  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
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    MeanderingMammal: So totally not true! If I didn’t have the shoes that give me the proper support and the inserts that augment that support I would be as I was 6 years ago: unable to walk across the living room without unbearable pain, instead of as I am today: aging, breaking down, running nearly every day, and currently training for my first marathon, after having completed 3 half marathons and innumerable 5 and 10k’s. I would not be in this position wearing even the right shoes without the Superfeet.
  • mabearof6
    mabearof6 Posts: 684 Member
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    Superfeet inserts are amazing! My whole family wears them in all our shoes!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    kavahni wrote: »
    If I didn’t have the shoes that give me the proper support and the inserts that augment that support

    The proper support doesn't need augmentation... It's either the proper support, or it's not.

    Essentially what I'm getting at is, people shouldn't nee to uncritically spend extra money on extraneous accessories. There are legitimate uses for these, but it shouldn't need to be an immediate purchase. I'd also say that for some people adding that additional support is likely to cause injury, rather than prevent it.

    That said, I'm very much an advocate of learning to run so that the runner is in control, not the shoe.
  • ZRunner5Lulaica
    ZRunner5Lulaica Posts: 168 Member
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    Also going to put my vote in for going to a running store. I went for the first time the year I moved to a real city (Houston) and the difference in how my body treats runs was a complete difference. I'm now less than 20 minutes from a store that primarily sells my brands (sarcony, Mizuno) and I love going and getting new shoes. Plus, they host a few group runs every week that I plan on joining up with come spring.

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