Skeptic before...believer now.

I'm not a runner but do a whole lot of plyometrics and I agree that the right shoe makes ALL the difference and your feet and joints will love you for it! I'm still looking for the right cross trainer for plyo and weight lifting (like P90X) so please inbox me suggestions peeps!

Well, the biggest impact you should see is in (lack of) soreness and fatigue after the runs, between run sessions and in long term injuries prevention. Kinda hard to thank the shoes for all those things since they won't technically happen, but that's a huge part of why it's important to buy proper running shoes, and a pair that is actually fitted for you.

Well done on this purchase Now to make sure you take good care of them, make sure you don't do anything else than run in those shoes and try as much as you can to give them 24h rest between run sessions (most avid runners will have more than one pair that they rotate on daily basis, that's to allow cushioning to return to max protection for your legs).

Enjoy

Proper running shoes are an investment in your running future, and your joints. I waffled for a while before I bought my first pair, because I was in college at the time, and they were expensive. The running store I went to fitted me properly, and then let me run for a little bit on the treadmill in the store. So I sat there unable to part with my $, and the owner of the store came over and gave me a discount. Then, when I STILL wasn't sold, he kicked me out of the store and told me to go do a run in my current (very cool looking but not properly fitted) running shoes. The next day I ran 3 miles and fully felt all the differences between the good shoes and the ones I already had, and went immediately afterward back to the running store and bought the right shoes, which the owner had set aside for me. I became a very loyal customer forever!

Then, a year or so later I was running higher mileage and was ready to transition to a different shoe, so they fitted me again and I bought the shoes. 30 or so miles later, I knew that the new pair was wrong. I went back to the running store, and they took the loss and replaced the shoes for free for a different model- even though the pair I returned was unsellable with 30 miles of wear on them. Again- loyal customer for life!

So my moral is, even though the prices might be higher at a specialty running store, you can't beat the service of a good one.

Whats a good decent priced running shoe for women??

I have a free pair of running shoes that only get stronger the more I use them. They are called my feet! Evolution has successfully designed our feet and leg muscles to be running machines. Most brand name shoes over support (minus minimalist shoes), make muscles weak and in turn make our bodies more prone to injury. Science and nature are your friend!

http://www.therunningfront.com/running-form/shoes-cause-injury/
http://www.pmrjournal.org/article/S1934-1482(09)01367-7/fulltext

Yeah, guess I need to shell out some money for a good pair...

SoundRunner in Branford or Madison - they will spend the time to fit you properly.
If you need a buddy for support let me know.

I have a free pair of running shoes that only get stronger the more I use them. They are called my feet! Evolution has successfully designed our feet and leg muscles to be running machines. Most brand name shoes over support (minus minimalist shoes), make muscles weak and in turn make our bodies more prone to injury. Science and nature are your friend!

http://www.therunningfront.com/running-form/shoes-cause-injury/
http://www.pmrjournal.org/article/S1934-1482(09)01367-7/fulltext

So you would run barefoot outside? Hope you have a tetanus shot ready!

Edit: I can't spell today, its Monday.

I have a free pair of running shoes that only get stronger the more I use them. They are called my feet! Evolution has successfully designed our feet and leg muscles to be running machines. Most brand name shoes over support (minus minimalist shoes), make muscles weak and in turn make our bodies more prone to injury. Science and nature are your friend!

http://www.therunningfront.com/running-form/shoes-cause-injury/
http://www.pmrjournal.org/article/S1934-1482(09)01367-7/fulltext

But for anyone that has worn shoes all their lives, it's running suicide to go from shod to unshod. Maybe I'll think about making the switch when you barefooters start beating me to the finish line. (tongue firmly planted in cheek).

I agree that you can't just go straight to barefoot running after a lifetime of wearing shoes. If you're mostly barefoot throughout the day, you might be fine, otherwise you need to work up to it and probably run in minimalist shoes for a while first (they can offer protection without altering your natural gait).

On the other hand, our feet really are designed to support us, even while running. Good shoes can be great, but as they wear out the support structure changes and if they're not replaced soon enough they can damage your foot. Also, the support and padding can allow you to run comfortably in a way that will injure you and that barefoot running will not allow. I recently had to get a new pair of trail running shoes. The ones I was using still looked good, but the support structure was worn to the point that it was hurting my arches when I ran (or even just walking around in them). I got some new shoes and went out for a short run the next day. That night, I had the worst shin splints (a problem I haven't had in years). My theory is that the comfort of the new shoe allowed me to heel-strike without pain. I switched back to my Vibrams the next day, but it was a hill run and my shin pain was intense, especially on the downhill. It still hurt the next day when I went for a 6-mile run on the level with my Vibrams and the pain was gone by the end of that run and hasn't come back. I'm still wearing the new shoes for my trail runs (too rooty and rocky for barefoot); I just have to pay very close attention to my form.

Also, I think it's interesting to point out that most of the best distance runners in the world typically don't wear shoes until they get an endorsement deal. I've watched a fair number of foot races in Kenya and hardly ever saw shoes on those athletes. In my last race I wore shoes (so I could go faster) but I did get beat by a number of guys in Vibrams.

I was never a runner, but when I was a supervisor on a 400 foot long manufacturing floor, that's the only shoe I could wear and not go home with barking dogs.

I have a free pair of running shoes that only get stronger the more I use them. They are called my feet! Evolution has successfully designed our feet and leg muscles to be running machines. Most brand name shoes over support (minus minimalist shoes), make muscles weak and in turn make our bodies more prone to injury. Science and nature are your friend!

http://www.therunningfront.com/running-form/shoes-cause-injury/
http://www.pmrjournal.org/article/S1934-1482(09)01367-7/fulltext

But for anyone that has worn shoes all their lives, it's running suicide to go from shod to unshod. Maybe I'll think about making the switch when you barefooters start beating me to the finish line. (tongue firmly planted in cheek).

I agree that you can't just go straight to barefoot running after a lifetime of wearing shoes. If you're mostly barefoot throughout the day, you might be fine, otherwise you need to work up to it and probably run in minimalist shoes for a while first (they can offer protection without altering your natural gait).

On the other hand, our feet really are designed to support us, even while running. Good shoes can be great, but as they wear out the support structure changes and if they're not replaced soon enough they can damage your foot. Also, the support and padding can allow you to run comfortably in a way that will injure you and that barefoot running will not allow. I recently had to get a new pair of trail running shoes. The ones I was using still looked good, but the support structure was worn to the point that it was hurting my arches when I ran (or even just walking around in them). I got some new shoes and went out for a short run the next day. That night, I had the worst shin splints (a problem I haven't had in years). My theory is that the comfort of the new shoe allowed me to heel-strike without pain. I switched back to my Vibrams the next day, but it was a hill run and my shin pain was intense, especially on the downhill. It still hurt the next day when I went for a 6-mile run on the level with my Vibrams and the pain was gone by the end of that run and hasn't come back. I'm still wearing the new shoes for my trail runs (too rooty and rocky for barefoot); I just have to pay very close attention to my form.

Also, I think it's interesting to point out that most of the best distance runners in the world typically don't wear shoes until they get an endorsement deal. I've watched a fair number of foot races in Kenya and hardly ever saw shoes on those athletes. In my last race I wore shoes (so I could go faster) but I did get beat by a number of guys in Vibrams.

Yeah, I don't disagree with any of that. I just don't believe that going barefoot is the end all, be all for all runners. I also don't believe that shoes are inherently evil. You can run pain and injury free in shoes as well as without. Barefoot has it's place for all runners, I just don't think it's necessary for everyone to work to the point where they can run barefoot all the time. I do barefoot strides from time to time and a nice barefoot cool down run on grass. This reinforces the proper foot strike for me. I guess I'm fortunate that my mechanics have always been pretty good, so I haven't had to break any bad habits.

You anecdote about the Kenyan runners is a great illustration for both our points. Barefoot running is efficient and the way we are designed to run, but unless you have been doing it all your life, it takes work to get there.

^^Agree with everything Carson said. And there's simply not enough long-term data, aside from n=1 anecdotal data, for people that transition from running shoes to barefoot to convince me yet . And like Carson, I'm fortunate to have naturally decent mechanics so inattentive heel striking doesn't happen for me.