Gear Check!
Though it's often overlooked, having the proper shoes plays an important part not only in running more efficiently, but also staying injury free as you tack on the miles. I feel like folks change the tires on their car more often than they do their running shoes! Much like your car tires, over time your running shoes wear out with you using them frequently. Though you may keep them looking like new, if the midsoles are shot, you're going to be prone to having more aches and twinges than you typically do. You wouldn't drive around on bald tires, so don't run around with bald shoes too!
When you run, your shoes absorb about three times your body weight. The foam used to make your midsoles are essentially really dense sponges, and much like your kitchen sponge, it's going to lose that rebound effect over time with the mileage your putting on them. It won't necessarily be noticeable by just looking at them, but you'll start to feel the bumps in the road more and more in your feet and throughout your body. On average, a pair of running shoes will last about 300-500 miles. It's a big range, I know, but factors like your weight, how and where you run and the brand and model of shoes all play a part in that range. If it's in your budget, it's always best to have two or three pairs of shoes to rotate between uses. You can swap out between each pair every time you get a run in and max out the lifespan of your gear by letting them catch a breather between runs.
Another thing to note when swooping up a quality pair of kicks, ensure you have the right pair of shoes for the activity. In golf, you would use your driver to hit your ball off the tee and your putter for your shots on the green, not the other way around. Likewise in running, you want to use trail shoes for the trail, cross training shoes for your cross training/gym workouts and road shoes for your runs on the streets. Trail shoes on the road would slow you down because of the shoe’s extra weight and the knobbiness of its outsoles on the pavement. Cross training shoes typically have a slightly wider base construction that allow for multi-planar movements that provide better stability for lateral movements compared to regular running shoes that are structured primarily for forward movement. Today’s running shoes provide lots of rebounding cushion that absorb the shock from running and help propel you forward with less effort. That extra cushioning is detrimental in a gym setting when you need a solid, firm base underfoot to push off of when doing movements like squats and lunges.
I highly recommend going to a running specialty store where the staff can perform a gait analysis and provide good selection of shoes to pick from. Unfortunately, from my experience of buying shoes at spots like Foot Locker and Champs Sports, they just don't have the selection and knowledge when it comes to running. It's not a knock to them at all, but their bread and butter are with basketball shoes and fashion. The average pair of the latest running shoes will run you about $120-$150. Definitely a pretty penny to spend, I know. If the thought of plunking down that much makes your wallet whimper, try looking at buying last season’s model which will save you big time. Using the car metaphor one more time, the latest ride at the car lot will have all the latest bells and whistles and the price tag to go with it. Dealers want to move on last year's models which often have the same options, just minor differences in details that you'll probably not notice at a great price. Likewise, keeping yourself injury free by keeping your shoe game on point is much cheaper in the long run than paying to go see a physical therapist or the doctor from catching injuries on your run or rolling an ankle in the gym.
It seems that everyone has a side hustle nowadays, myself included. Full disclosure, I’ve spent the last few years also working in different capacities at a specialty running store while running my training business. That being said, I’m agnostic about which specialty running store you shop. What matters to me is that you go to one to seek out their expertise. Having been a part of this community, I’ve gone to quite a few shoe stores while out on vacation to pick up gear, or because I’ve heard about them and I’m a running geek and wanted to peep game at their store. In no particular order, here is a list of some great shoe stores that may be in your neck of the woods:
Fleet Feet (fleetfeet.com) – Almost 250 stores nationwide
Road Runner Sports (roadrunnersports.com) – 40+ stores nationwide
Marathon Sports (marathonsports.com) – 11 stores situated in Massachusetts
A Runner’s Mind (arunnersmind.com) – 2 locations in the Bay
A Snail’s Pace (asnailspace.net) – 4 locations in the OC
A Runner’s Circle (arunnerscircle.com) – 1 location in the city of angels
Shoes & Brews (shoesbrews.com) – 1 location in Longmont, CO Grab a cold one at their on-site brewery while you shop!
Brooklyn Running Company (brooklynrunningco.com) – 2 locations in the BK
Big Peach Running Company (bigpeachrunningco.com) – 8 locations serving the ATL (don’t disrespect it)
Runner’s Depot (runnersdepot.net) – 5 spots serving the ‘burbs around M-I-Yayo
If you want to nerd out about running shoe tech and your faves (yeah, I’m that dude), or how to get you running your best race ever, shoot me an email and let’s get moving!
