Finally! The best Running Shoe on the market!

I finally found the best running shoe out there. Guess which brand it is. I'll wait............. give up?

It's the pair that has been professional fitted to your particular foot and gait. Pretty cool, huh?

I see this question asked here repeatedly. Someone will ask about opinions on running shoes, and many will answer with what "their" personal favorites are. The problem with this is that everyone has differences with their feet and their running/ walking gaits.

Your arches may be vastly different than mine. You may over-pronate, where your running buddy has a more neutral landing. You get the idea.

This certainly isn't meant to be demeaning to anyone that promotes their particular shoe. This is just to remind the newer runners that you need to take those opinions with a grain of salt until you are armed with the knowledge to sort out what suits you and what doesn't.

Do yourself a favor... go to a local running store (not the big-box sporting goods stores), and have a professional properly fit you. This usually involves having your arches measured, having you run on a treadmill (sometimes videoed in slow-motion), and having a running/ medical history taken. You will pay just a few dollars more for the shoes at these stores than buying shoes online, but will save you lots down the road through pain, and possibly the expense of seeing a physical therapist for running-related injuries.

They will then put you in the proper shoe for YOUR needs. Once you have that information, you will then later be able to compare one brand versus another, and start buying online.

Oh, and you'll want to keep track of the mileage you put on a pair of shoes. Generally speaking, you can expect to get 300-500 miles out of a pair (depending on the materials of the shoe and terrain you run on). They will break down internally before they 'look' worn out; yet another reason to seek the advice of a professional. They can give you a better idea about shoe life.

Hope this helps my new running friends. :flowerforyou:

Personally, I only have one favorite brand... New Balance.... or was it Pearl Izumi.... or maybe Inov-8. I'm fickle like that.

Edited to add: I know of several people who had the 'fitting' service provided at a local running store, and then used that information to buy shoes online instead of at the store. I prefer to support local stores for the personalized service they provide, but I understand that sometimes that extra $15 - $30 can be a deal-breaker.