How to Find the Right Running Shoe

Today we’re going to talk about how to find the right running shoe. This is a question I get frequently. Not all sneakers are created equal, and some of for running, some are for walking and some are for fashion.

I’ve been wearing running shoes for exercising for at least the last 15+ years. I had a bad bout of plantar fasciitis that lasted about 3 years, and the podiatrist had me wear for the most part “tennis shoes” all the time for several months. This was murder for me because at that point I had never been a girl to run around in athletic shoes. To say I hated it was putting it mildly. HA! Thankfully sneakers are now mainstream…and if you’d told me 5 years ago I’d wear them several times a week, I’d have said, “you’re crazy”.

The podiatrist suggested I go to a running store and get fitted for the right kind of shoe to best suit my foot. Since then, I’ve gone every 3-5 years to have them re-evaluated, and when people ask for running/athletic shoes recommendations, that’s what I suggest to them.

A few years ago it was time for me to revisit and check in on the status of my feet. There’s not an exact science for finding the right shoe for your foot, but it’s definitely a little more scientific at the store I visited than I’ve experienced in the past. I went to Fleet Feet (this is not a sponsored post) and they had a machine that did a scan of of my feet and then gave a lot of information. Do not to worry if your store doesn’t have one of these machines. Sales associates in running stores are trained to help you. Any running store I’ve ever been will have you walk so they can see how my feet looked, if you pronate, are flat footed, and observe your stance and stride.

This is the machine Fleet Feet used.

This was so cool and showed everything from foot size, width, arch, toe length, to heel width as well as some other stats. Here’s what I found to be really funny. Whenever I try on shoes, my left foot seems to be slightly bigger than my right, but when this machine did its thing, it said the exact opposite.

We discussed the shoes I’ve worn in past and what, if anything I wanted/needed to address. I’ve worn Saucony’s exclusively for 15+ years, so of course that was one of the choices she brought me. Running shoes may look like any other sneakers, but they are designed to help you run by providing cushioning, shock absorption and stability to help prevent injury.

In the past 15 years, I’ve strayed one time from my Saucony’s and when it was time to replace them, I went right back to the new version of the same style I’d always worn. I know these are the right running shoe for me.

Here’s a tip: After you go and find out what shoe you like, and fits you the best, you can watch for them to go on sale and buy one or two back up pairs. Running shoes are not cheap, so finding them on sale is a major score.

Fit tip: I go up a half size in running shoes, and I think most people do. You want to have room so that your toes don’t rub the end of your shoes. This is something else that having a fitting done will confirm.

SHOP MY FAVORITE PAIR OF RUNNING SHOES