It is only fitting that this post be one of the first in the series. Ha! Fitting…? Never mind. Just like any athlete that needs the right equipment, runners are no exception. As a matter of fact, your only equipment is what you are wearing after all. Think of your body as a finely tuned machine. So you may or may not be there yet but you’re getting to that point. Cars are equipped differently to race off-road than they are on a track. Shoes for runners are no different. Running in trail shoes on the road may feel fine as you begin to get you mileage up but you should really be wearing the proper shoes as you hit the pavement. Running on treadmills can be an exception since that provide a little more cushioning on impact.

The easy part of the explanation would be that trail shoes are made for cross-country running and street shoes are not. The more important part of the explanation is that all runners have differences in the way that their feet hit the ground. It is important to know how you run so that you get the right shoes. There are generally three types of runners with mild variations among them that can really end up putting you in one of five types of shoes. Before going into an explanation, here is my example.

I have been running in trail shoes as I began my training. As I began to pick up my mileage, my knee began becoming sore and I began to feel a strain in my Achilles tendon. I came to find out, you guessed it, I needed the proper shoes. For me, a stability shoe was recommended and I am pleased to say that I have put nearly 400 miles on those bad boys. Injury as a result of the shoes has been minimized and they feel great.

The three general categories that runners fall into have to do with the angle and manner in which your feet hit the ground. The following is a summary of each.

Overpronation – Pronation is your foot’s tendency to roll inward when it hits the ground. This is normal in moderation. If your foot rolls inward too much it can be a sign of overpronating.

Supponation – This is the opposite of overpronation and is also known as underpronation. This is where your foot rolls outward.

Neutral – Neutral runners hit the ground in a straight line. If you are a neutral runner it is important to know that so that you do not get the wrong type of shoe to support a tendency that you do not have.

With that said, the categories of shoes include cushioned, stability, racing, motion control, trail, and performance training shoes. Performance training shoes are really cross-trainers and something that you would wear to the gym or do quick distances or exercises in. As far as the other types of shoes, any runner specialty shoe store will have staff that can loon at your running and recommend the right shoe for you. The Road Runner Sports store of Scottsdale and Tempe actually have a computer analysis that they can do that measures your hot spots as you run on their treadmill. I have not done that yet but it looks pretty cool. They call this tool the Shoe Dog and they have an online version that you can check out.

One simple way of telling what your arch might look like is to step out of the shower, lightly placing your foot on the ground to see what type of puddle you leave. The more narrow your footprint is, the higher your arch is. Alternatively, you can check out the soles of some of your old shoes to see which parts are more worn out. If you have the right shoes to begin with, this can be a little harder to tell. These are pretty good beginning indicators so that you can go into a store with some knowledge.

So if you are running more than ten miles a week with any sort of regular frequency, I would highly recommend going out and investing in the right type of shoe. It could be the difference in saving you from potential injury down the road.

Next time: The Weight Debate