Proper Footwear for Running

Let me start by saying that I have flat feet, which are not the most ideal for running.  With that being said, I used to buy my sneakers at places like Dick's Sporting Goods or Modell's.  While the prices can be quite cheap, in my experience the sales associate usually has very little knowledge about the most appropriate footwear for your specific foot type.  I spent years wearing shoes that were very inappropriate for my feet.  Then I found the light and started going to smaller stores that specialized in running shoes.  In these types of places the owner(s) and sales associates are often runners themselves.  The smaller specialized stores also have a much better variety of shoes and more brands than just Nike and Adidas. Although the shoes here are not as heavily discounted as they are in major retailers, the service and one-on-one attention you receive are well worth the increase in price. (Don't forget you can still ask for discounts!  My running store always gives me an extra 10% discount or $10 off a pair of sneakers.)

Before we jump to shoe pictures, I wanted to give you a quick rundown of common foot types.

• The most common foot type is the normal or "neutral" foot (meaning your arches are just right).  Neutral feet are compatible with a wide range of shoes and are least susceptible to injury...lucky. 

• Another type is the "high-arched" foot, which tend to roll outwards during motion (supination/underpronation).  Depending on how highly arched your feet are and your activity level, you may benefit from orthotics.  Even if you don't need orthotics, high-arched feet often require shoes that have more cushioning and flexibility in the midsole to help with shock absorption along your arches during impact.  

• The last common foot type is the "flat" foot, i.e. no arches (me!).  Since the natural arch of the foot tends to collapse with every step, flat feet tend to roll inward during walking and running.  Another term for this inward-rolling motion of the foot is overpronation.  See a trend here?  People with flat feet often require orthotics and need shoes that emphasize stability and motion-control.  This means that the shoes are less flexible so that the excessive rolling motion can be limited.

For more information on foot types and appropriate footwear, I found this site to be a good resource.


Once you know what type of foot you have and you've checked out some shoes that work best for your foot type, you'll want to pick out the size that is best for you. Always remember that sneaker size is not necessarily the same as your regular shoe size.  While I wear between a 7-7.5 in flats and heels, my sneakers are always anywhere between an 8-9.  Some tips for buying proper fitting sneakers:

• Sneakers should fit with a little extra room to give your feet space to breathe!  Your feet often expand as you run, so you should take this into account when trying on sneaks.  A good tip is to have a friend/the sales associate press on the tip of the shoe to make sure there is a thumb's width of space between the front of the shoe and your longest toe.
• If you have orthotics, bring them to the store with you and make sure they fit well in the shoe!
• Test out the fit and comfort in store by walking around in the sneakers.  My running store actually encourages their customers to run around the store in the shoes they are trying on and also has treadmills for this purpose as well.
• Ideally you should replace your old running shoes after you've logged 350-500 miles in them.  For an avid runner who runs about 5 miles 5 days a week, this will be about 3-4 months. (I'm actually not the greatest at replacing my shoes on time and often run in them way longer than I should.)

Note: The rest of this post is dedicated to my own personal shoe experience.

Now, onto the shoes! Here are a few pictures of some of my previous running shoes. The pair on the left is an older version of the Nike Air Equalon series (now discontinued?).  This shoe was advertised as having maximum support and stability.  My Nike's were actually very comfortable, but I believe they tend to run a little wide and have an especially large toe box. These shoes are pretty heavy and really bulky.  Someone once commented that I looked like I was wearing clown shoes haha. As you can see in the photo below, both outer edges along the heel are severely worn down, which means I logged a lot of miles...and I still tended to overpronate in these.

Left: Nike Air Equalon, size 9

Right: Asics Gel-Fortitude 3, size 8

The sneakers on the right are Asics Gel-Fortitude 3 (current version here), and they are much lighter and slimmer than the Nike's.  These are touted as giving maximum support for large framed runners with a neutral gate.  While I am neither large framed nor a neutral foot, my running shoe lady wanted to try these after my obvious overpronation in the Nike's.  Since I have an orthotic to help bring my foot to the correct position, I no longer needed special shoes geared for people with flat feet. Shoes for overpronation, in conjunction with my orthotics, gave me too much support along the arches and thus caused my feet to roll out (what I was trying to avoid in the first place).  These shoes didn't fit properly as there was a gap between my orthotic and the upper portion of the midsole, which caused my feet to constantly rub against the edge of my orthotic and gave me blisters.  But my mom has since put them to use, so not a total waste!

My current running shoes are the Brooks Dyad. Love these shoes!  Like the Asics, they are lightweight and also quite slim for supportive running shoes. I also find the toe box to be more narrow than the previous two shoes, but still wide enough to be comfortable for my feet. This shoe is characterized as being ideal for "Neutral flat-footers and those requiring extra room (for orthotics)".  Perfect for me.  You'll notice some wearing down in the heel portion, but it is less one-sided than my Nike's.

Brooks Dyad, size 8.5, width Medium (B)

I'll end the post with a quick view of my beloved orthotics.  If anyone would like more information on orthotics or footwear, please let me know!  Since I am dating a podiatrist, I am more than happy to share the information that I have learned :)