Best Cardio Shoes...?

It is my opinion that fit is everything and that everyone's feet are so different!

I've had foot problems for much of my life, due to the fact that I have size 12 narrow woman's feet. Trying to get shoes is a bit of an issue!

I have found a store and the manager and top 2 staff know me well and we have an arrangement. I pay more but in the long run less because they help me get the shoes I need.

I'd suggest the same for you based on my experience but... in relation to fit...

There was a study done in which they had large groups of people (I think 500 or so in each?) fit into 3 groups.

First group had no input but tracked shoes worn and activity for 6 months.

Second group was given access to all sorts of shoes, styles, including really good supportive shoes, etc. They picked what they liked and had to track shoes worn and activity for 6 months.

Third group was given the best 'foot professional treatment' $ can buy and were told what shoes to wear for which activities for 6 months.

At each month the groups had to rate pain, foot comfort and do certain stride foot testing.

In the first group, a very low percentage picked kinds of shoes that the professionals would have suggested.

In the second group a large percentage of people picked the better shoes, but! a majority of the time they picked the *wrong* shoe according to the professionals. Really wrong shoes.

The third group, of course, wore the shoes picked by the professionals.

At the end, after the stats were run, etc...

The second group, and the majority of them were the ones with the 'really wrong' shoes, rated the *highest* level of comfort and satisfaction with their shoes... and the least amount of foot and pain related to feet (back, sciatic, etc).

The first and the third group were nearly the same with the third group having less pain than the first but less satisfaction and reported comfort than the first.

So... the conclusion?

-Buying good shoes that *you* like goes a long way to satisfaction... which likely influences how you feel about wearing them.
-Good shoes, even wrongly chosen, are better for you.
-Being told what you have to wear seems to be correlated to less satisfaction and comfort.

For you, I'd say... if you would be happy wearing the same shoes to all of them, and can invest in a better pair of shoes to use for all the activities than you would if you bought shoes for each specific activity... then I would!