Running sneakers

I’ve learned that it’s best to get a sneaker for your specific foot type. You might have high arches or low arches or a skinny or wide foot. The best running shoes accommodate for different foot types and New Balance does this as well as others. Brooks, Asics, etc. Nike has caught on too I think but it’s more about knowing your body because the shoes are just support if that makes sense. Hopefully someone will be able to give you better advice but I have extremely flat fleet and running was an issue for me as well.

Yep, my horrible horrible shin splints were instantly stopped by getting a pair of properly fitted running shoes.

As a side not I also started to save money as I wasn't having to ice my legs down with bags of frozen peas and corn each week

The most important thing about shoes is that they suit your foot and solve the individual problems you may have with your gait/posture/shape. The shoes themselves don't have to be name brand or expensive as long as they solve the problem.

After *years* of spending a zillion dollars on name brand shoes, I discovered that the most comfortable shoe in the world for me is freaking WALMART generic $9 shoes from the *boy* section in a size 6 instead of a Ladies' size 8.

They're *cheap* so I have to replace them every 350 miles instead of every 500 miles (And here's another critical thing - your shoes will wear out. The materials break down and cause blisters or the support just isn't there anymore, or the soles wear unevenly and wreck your posture. Replace. Your. Shoes. Regularly.), because I wear through the bottoms, but they're the exact right shape for my foot. Thus, my shoes are embarrassingly embellished with LED's and other fluorescent indignities... But they're finally the right shape for my wide feet.

countrygirlcurves wrote: »

Hey everyone,
Can anyone recommend a really good running sneaker? Everytime I try to get started on my weightloss and go on the treadmill I get a strain in my left ankle and someone mentioned that maybe I need running sneakers.

I would highly recommend going to a running specific store, not a big box store. A running store will put you on a treadmill and video you running/walking and analyze your gait to see if you pronate, are neutral, or supinate. This will help determine what type of show is appropriate for you...for example, if you supinate and you buy a show that provides support for someone who pronates, you're going to have painful issues because it's going to roll your foot out even more.

The particular brand isn't all that important...proper shoe is. Once they've analyzed your gait they will bring out several brands of shoe to try on and from there, you just pick the one that feels the best. What feels the best for me, may or may not feel that great to you. I'm a big fan of Brooks and wear Brooks Ghost...my wife hate's Brooks and loves Hoka.

ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »

The most important thing about shoes is that they suit your foot and solve the individual problems you may have with your gait/posture/shape. The shoes themselves don't have to be name brand or expensive as long as they solve the problem.

After *years* of spending a zillion dollars on name brand shoes, I discovered that the most comfortable shoe in the world for me is freaking WALMART generic $9 shoes from the *boy* section in a size 6 instead of a Ladies' size 8.

They're *cheap* so I have to replace them every 350 miles instead of every 500 miles (And here's another critical thing - your shoes will wear out. The materials break down and cause blisters or the support just isn't there anymore, or the soles wear unevenly and wreck your posture. Replace. Your. Shoes. Regularly.), because I wear through the bottoms, but they're the exact right shape for my foot. Thus, my shoes are embarrassingly embellished with LED's and other fluorescent indignities... But they're finally the right shape for my wide feet.

Replacing shoes every 350-ish miles is common. Some people can get 500 miles out of a pair, but not everyone; I don't think even most runners do that. It doesn't have anything to do with how expensive the shoes are. Your (literal) mileage may vary depending on things like your gait, but your shoes are not wearing out faster than a more expensive pair. I run in Brooks and I replace them every 300 miles because that's when I start getting weird aches and pains that I don't get in a new pair.

However, if you're wearing through the bottom of your shoe, you're probably waiting way too long to replace them.

On the topic of wide feet, my foot measures at a 6 4E. I run in Brooks Adrenaline women's 7.5 2E. It's not a perfect fit, but it's pretty close. The only other brand that goes wide enough is New Balance, and wearing those once was torture. If your foot isn't quite as wide as mine, you probably have other options. With wide feet, your options are limited, but they may not be as limited as you think. I think it would be worth getting fitted again if you haven't had a fitting lately so you can have a professional opinion on what's available.

ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »

apullum wrote: »

Replacing shoes every 350-ish miles is common. Some people can get 500 miles out of a pair, but not everyone; I don't think even most runners do that. It doesn't have anything to do with how expensive the shoes are. Your (literal) mileage may vary depending on things like your gait, but your shoes are not wearing out faster than a more expensive pair. I run in Brooks and I replace them every 300 miles because that's when I start getting weird aches and pains that I don't get in a new pair.

With the cheap shoes, it's a thin rubberized coating over memory foam. It's not so much that I wear through the entire sole with scuffing, as it is I wear through the rubber coating and then the memory foam that makes up the bulk of the bottom of the shoe cracks in half. It's a lot less gradual than actually wearing all the way through a sole. Just... Shoes are fine when I leave and in the garbage after I get home. Hopefully it's not raining or I come home with wet feet.

My treadmill shoes usually last about 500 miles before they start causing discomfort due to the interior fabrics pilling.

Until I discovered boy's shoes, only New Balance seemed to be wide enough but they were too wide in the heels and my foot slid around all over the place. I'll have to look into those Brooks shoes you mentioned. It's been about 15 years since the last time I went to a running specific store as I've been doing most of my cardio on auto-pilot and paying more attention to lifting and dance.

Unfortunately my feet are *very* short and *very* wide. (I used to say they were like the rest of me, but now that I've lost weight, I'm not very wide anymore...still very short, though.)

I've been running in Brooks for the past 5 years. I've worn both the Addiction and the Adrenaline. The Addiction has a bit more motion control than the Adrenaline, IIFC. I wore it when I weighed more. The Ariel and Dyad also come in 2E/XW/WW widths, but I have no experience with those.

Keep in mind that if you need those very wide shoes, nearly any shop will have to special order them. They aren't routinely kept in stock. However, once you know what you need, you can keep an eye out for discounts online. I usually buy a few pairs on sale near the end of the year, when they're introducing the new Adrenaline model. I'd just recommend buying at least one pair from the shop where you get your fitting, to support your local running store