Running Shoes Conundrum

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  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    There's a lot of evidence that cheap, thinly-soled running shoes are really best.

    " 'We used to run in canvas shoes,' Lydiard said. 'We didn't get plantar fasciitis (pain under the heel); we didn't pronate or supinate (land on the edge of the foot); we might have lost a bit of skin from the rough canvas when we were running marathons, but generally we didn't have foot problems. Paying several hundred dollars for the latest in hi-tech running shoes is no guarantee you'll avoid any of these injuries and can even guarantee that you will suffer from them in one form or another. Shoes that let your foot function like you're barefoot - they're the shoes for me.' "

    Full article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

    I got my Reebok Realflex shoes at Academy for $29.99 on sale. When I'm not running in them, I'm walking around in my Vibram Bikila LS ($69.99 on sale at REI). My knee and foot pain has disappeared since I transitioned to minimalist shoes. Feel free to friend or message me if you want to chat more about this :-)

    I actually agree with this, but wasn't going to go there. Most of us aren't conditioned in our feet to wear thin shoes because we spent our whole lives wearing shoes that weaken our feet. So there's that adaptation that needs to take place where things like barefoot running can be helpful. But I don't think we'll attract too many new runners if we tell people they need to start barefoot running to improve form and strengthen their feet.
  • Mandykinz2008
    Mandykinz2008 Posts: 292 Member
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    I recommend a specialty shop. They can run everything you need, but in answer to your question NO you do not have to buy the shoes there. I'm a Vibram FF runner myself, but if you're looking for extreme support you'd have to get evaluated.
  • dibdobw
    dibdobw Posts: 89 Member
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    I went to a speciality shop to have my gait analysed and to discuss shoes. I just said I needed to save up some money before I bought them! I then went to some where cheaper x
  • LessMe2B
    LessMe2B Posts: 316
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    Get fitted!!! I found that the sneakers were no more expensive than anywhere else, and if you get "last season's" shoes they're even cheaper. Either way...GET FITTED!!!
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    You will find that a lot of the good running shoes arent marked up and sell for about the same price. I bought my pair from a specialty running store and went home and found they were the same price everywhere I looked.

    But definately price shop.. maybe take your smart phone and price check on the spot and see if you are getting a good deal.

    Expect to pay probably $100-150 for a good pair of shoes..
  • andforpoise
    andforpoise Posts: 185
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    Do you have a Running Room where you're from? I went to my local running room and happened to stumble upon a pair of Brooks Glycerin 8s on sale for $59.99. The only reason they were so cheap was because they had just come out with the Glycerin 9s and they were in a new colour (which wasn't even as nice as the old one!). They can advise you on shoes, and usually have some sale models!
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    There's a lot of evidence that cheap, thinly-soled running shoes are really best.

    " 'We used to run in canvas shoes,' Lydiard said. 'We didn't get plantar fasciitis (pain under the heel); we didn't pronate or supinate (land on the edge of the foot); we might have lost a bit of skin from the rough canvas when we were running marathons, but generally we didn't have foot problems. Paying several hundred dollars for the latest in hi-tech running shoes is no guarantee you'll avoid any of these injuries and can even guarantee that you will suffer from them in one form or another. Shoes that let your foot function like you're barefoot - they're the shoes for me.' "

    Full article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

    I got my Reebok Realflex shoes at Academy for $29.99 on sale. When I'm not running in them, I'm walking around in my Vibram Bikila LS ($69.99 on sale at REI). My knee and foot pain has disappeared since I transitioned to minimalist shoes. Feel free to friend or message me if you want to chat more about this :-)

    I actually agree with this, but wasn't going to go there. Most of us aren't conditioned in our feet to wear thin shoes because we spent our whole lives wearing shoes that weaken our feet. So there's that adaptation that needs to take place where things like barefoot running can be helpful. But I don't think we'll attract too many new runners if we tell people they need to start barefoot running to improve form and strengthen their feet.
    On the other hand, what better time to start minimalist than right at the beginning so you don't have to unlearn all the bad form later. Also, when someone is just starting out there is little danger of running too far in them before the feet adapt.
  • RachVR6
    RachVR6 Posts: 3,688 Member
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    I've never been fitted but I did do my research and ended up buying my pair of Nike Free's. All my heel/foot/shin pain is gone!
  • Heaven71
    Heaven71 Posts: 706 Member
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    Nope and don't blame you. Go and try on a bunch, find the right ones, ask the price and say somthing along the lines of. Okay, I will have to ask my husband or I'll have to save a little more for those. Thanks.

    The best thing I did was go to the running store. I narrowed down to two pairs and wore one on the right and one on the left and ran in them, I knew right then which ones were right for me.

    Don't forget socks as well. They really make a difference.
    Greetings,

    Okay so I need to get good running shoes and everyone tells me to go to a specialty shop (because I have bad knees, etc. etc). There is one nearby but here is my questions if I go to the specialty shop, do I have to buy the shoes there?

    I know that's kind of jacked up but I'm not rich and while I do need the expert advice I don't want to pay inflated prices for a pair of New Balances or something like that. If I were getting shoes with soles custom fitted to me awesome I will pay for that but otherwise I don't know if I want to shell out over $100 for a pair of shoes that's on sale at Sears for $30.

    Am I just being a horrible person?
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,829 Member
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    There's a lot of evidence that cheap, thinly-soled running shoes are really best.

    " 'We used to run in canvas shoes,' Lydiard said. 'We didn't get plantar fasciitis (pain under the heel); we didn't pronate or supinate (land on the edge of the foot); we might have lost a bit of skin from the rough canvas when we were running marathons, but generally we didn't have foot problems. Paying several hundred dollars for the latest in hi-tech running shoes is no guarantee you'll avoid any of these injuries and can even guarantee that you will suffer from them in one form or another. Shoes that let your foot function like you're barefoot - they're the shoes for me.' "

    Full article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html

    I got my Reebok Realflex shoes at Academy for $29.99 on sale. When I'm not running in them, I'm walking around in my Vibram Bikila LS ($69.99 on sale at REI). My knee and foot pain has disappeared since I transitioned to minimalist shoes. Feel free to friend or message me if you want to chat more about this :-)

    I actually agree with this, but wasn't going to go there. Most of us aren't conditioned in our feet to wear thin shoes because we spent our whole lives wearing shoes that weaken our feet. So there's that adaptation that needs to take place where things like barefoot running can be helpful. But I don't think we'll attract too many new runners if we tell people they need to start barefoot running to improve form and strengthen their feet.

    I agree. I REALLY want to get into barefoot (ok not totally barefoot, but thin soled shoe) running, but seeing as I've only run in cushioned shoes (I'm a mid-foot striker) it will take an adjustment period to retrain my muscles. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have started running this way. After race season is over (I have 4 races in the next few months), I plan to make the switch and see how it goes :)
  • mbaker81
    mbaker81 Posts: 8
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    Get checked so you can find out if you over/under pronate so that you get the right shoes. Check their sales and clearances. Do not buy junk shoes, sale is fine but if original price is under $40 they are junk.
  • ckdub428
    ckdub428 Posts: 453 Member
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    I'm really frugle to but I have lots of foot pain and I can tell you that my local running store was awesome, no pressure to buy, but they also we decently priced. My shoes were 120 and my husbands were 100. Yes that's a lot, but we saved up for it and now I have happy feet!
    The important thing is to do whatever you need to do to prevent injury and pain.

    If you want be honest and up front. Tell them you want to be fitted, but this is just a learning experience for you and you can't afford to buy right now.
  • ansonrinesmith
    ansonrinesmith Posts: 755 Member
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    The misconception that I think the OP has on this is that the same New Balance shoes you see at Shoe Carnival are the same shoes you would get at the Running Store. This is not the case. New Balance, Nike, Reebok etc all make a cheaper version of shoes to sell at these outlets. You can always tell a New Balance "discount" shoe by it's number. If it's below 600, it's not what NB considers a high quality shoe.
    If you have bad feet/ankles/knees/back then you do not want to be buying your shoes there. And by the time you go through 3 pairs you would still be in your same higher quality shoes.
    If your insurance doesn't cover it, Orthotics are going to run you about $400-500
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
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    I agree. I REALLY want to get into barefoot (ok not totally barefoot, but thin soled shoe) running, but seeing as I've only run in cushioned shoes (I'm a mid-foot striker) it will take an adjustment period to retrain my muscles. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have started running this way. After race season is over (I have 4 races in the next few months), I plan to make the switch and see how it goes :)

    If you're a mid-foot striker than you are already ahead of the game. Most of the cushioned shoes promote heel-striking, because the sole is so thick. You definitely can't continue to heel-strike in minimalist shoes.
  • HOSED49
    HOSED49 Posts: 665 Member
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    Definitely get fitted and pay the money for the new shoes, and just ask them...mosr places like that cut the local track teams or running clubs breaks so they might knock some off for ya.
    For the minimalists out there, I recently transitioned from the nike free to the Inov8 F-lite 195's and love them. I wanted the Inov8 Bare-x's but they are pure minimalist road shoes and not good for trails. They run about $95.00 with free shipping.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,829 Member
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    I agree. I REALLY want to get into barefoot (ok not totally barefoot, but thin soled shoe) running, but seeing as I've only run in cushioned shoes (I'm a mid-foot striker) it will take an adjustment period to retrain my muscles. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have started running this way. After race season is over (I have 4 races in the next few months), I plan to make the switch and see how it goes :)

    If you're a mid-foot striker than you are already ahead of the game. Most of the cushioned shoes promote heel-striking, because the sole is so thick. You definitely can't continue to heel-strike in minimalist shoes.

    Good to know...I've purposely made myself NOT be a heel-striker simply because I knew how hard it was on my joints, so hopefully over the summer (they don't do races here in the summer-- it's like 110 degrees half the time) I can work on it :)
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
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    You aren't being stingy. It's always smart to price compare. However, I will tell you that the kind of shoe they recommend will never be $30 someplace else.

    There are three things to take into account. 1. brand. 2. style. 3. generation/edition. For instance, the shoes recommended to me were Brooks Adrenaline 11th Generation. These will feel different than any other Brooks shoe or even different than any other generation of the same make and model. As for price, the shoes at the store were $110 ish plus tax. I found them online for $80 something. That was a price difference of $30, which was big for me, so I bought them online.

    My husband was fit for his shoes at the some time. His were Sacony Omni something (i think) and cost $100 in the store and the same price online, so he bought his in store.

    Do what you have to do and damn what everyone else thinks. Just be sure you are buying the exact same shoe they recommended to you.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    NOPE NOPE NOPE YOU'RE NOT. I went and got my Enell Bras from a specialty shop for the 64bucks, that's worth it, but 100bucks for the exact same pair of shoes I got for about 75, I'll take the bargain
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    As a small business owner I'm honestly appaled with those that say "just go get fitted with a gait analysis and all and then buy them where they are cheaper". To do this is essentially to use someone else for your benefit exclusively and all they get out of it is an investment of time for which the get no return. Zip, zilch, nada! IMHO, that is really questionable ehtically. The small specialty store is not there to provide you free consulting!

    That person is operating their business to make a living. You are using their time without paying for it. They do not provide gait analysis and fitting for the shear fun of it. It is a value added servie. To use the service and not provide the return is to just use the business person. I would not get fitted and take advantage of this value added service if I did not intend to buy from this person assuming I felt they did a good job. If you don't want to pay the slight premium, go fit yourself. Or go in and ask what a gait analysis and fitting would cost if you didn't buy the shoes and add that on to the cost of the bargin shop and see where you stand. As several have mentioned the small specialty store is not always more expensive.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I agree. I REALLY want to get into barefoot (ok not totally barefoot, but thin soled shoe) running, but seeing as I've only run in cushioned shoes (I'm a mid-foot striker) it will take an adjustment period to retrain my muscles. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have started running this way. After race season is over (I have 4 races in the next few months), I plan to make the switch and see how it goes :)

    If you're a mid-foot striker than you are already ahead of the game. Most of the cushioned shoes promote heel-striking, because the sole is so thick. You definitely can't continue to heel-strike in minimalist shoes.

    Good to know...I've purposely made myself NOT be a heel-striker simply because I knew how hard it was on my joints, so hopefully over the summer (they don't do races here in the summer-- it's like 110 degrees half the time) I can work on it :)

    You'll probably adjust fairly quickly then. Just do a few short runs at first, maybe a mile, and see how you feel. My achilles and calf were a little stiff but once they get in shape, a week or 2, they you are good. One thing I like about the feel of the minimal shoes is that you get immediate feedback which makes your tecnique get better almost automatically without thinking about it. You feel every landing and if you pronated a little or whatever, you feel it and fine tune.

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