Ask The Experts: Which Shoes Should I Buy?

By Mario Fraioli
Published Sep. 5, 2011
Updated Sep. 5, 2011 at 12:38 PM UTC

Hi,

I need what know what type of running shoe you guys recommend for a beginner?

Thanks,

Nicole C.

Hi Nicole,

There's no one shoe for beginner runners--but luckily there are many excellent options!

I used to get this question all the time when I worked at a specialty running store. Unfortunately, there is no one “best” shoe for beginners — or experienced runners, for that matter — but the good news is there are lots of excellent options out there. The best running shoe for you is the one that addresses your own individual needs.

Don’t know what your own needs are? Don’t worry — this is why specialty running stores exist! A trained staff member at one of these stores will take a look at your feet, watch you run and provide you with a variety of options from all the different brands of running shoes they carry based on their observations and your feedback. They’ll also take into account your experience level, how much you’ll be running and tell you about your foot type as well as what’s going on with your lower legs and the rest of your body when you get up to speed. The “wet-tests” you read about in many shoe reviews only reveal a small piece of the puzzle, so it’s important to have someone who fits runners in running shoes for a living take a look at you in action. A department store or big-box sporting goods store won’t provide this kind of service or experienced expertise, nor will many of them let you take a pair of shoes for a test run before you purchase them.

All that said, here are a few things to keep in mind when purchasing running shoes:

Make sure you buy running shoes! Cross trainers just won’t cut it — and they won’t be very comfortable, either.
Bring your old running shoes in with you to the store. Have the staff member at the running store take a look at them so they have an idea what you’ve been using and what changes, if any, need to be made in regard to the type of shoe that you’re wearing.
If you run in orthotics, bring those, too — even if you’re not planning on running in them. Orthotics tell a story to the staff person who is helping you, and if you’re planning on using yours for running, it will have an effect on the type of shoe that ends up being recommended to you.
Just because a shoe costs more, doesn’t mean it’s better for you. A good running shoe should cost you between $90 and $110. Yes, this sounds like a lot of money, but when you take into account that the average life of a running shoe is between 400 and 500 miles, this breaks down to 20 to 25 cents a mile! It’s well worth the investment!
Break your new shoes in gradually. As a beginner, in all likelihood this will be your first real good pair of running shoes, and is likely very different from whatever it is you had been using. Walk around the house for a bit to break them in, and test them out for the first time with a short run.
Make sure the shoe you end up choosing is comfortable. In the end, if the shoes aren’t comfortable on your feet, you’re not going to want to run in them, A good running shoe salesman won’t (read: shouldn’t) make a decision for you, but rather point you in the right direction by providing you with a handful of appropriate options given their observations as well as your feedback.

Hope this helps point you in the right direction. Congratulations on becoming a runner!

Mario

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FILED UNDER: Ask The Experts / Shoes and Gear TAGS: Ask The Experts / Mario Fraioli / new runner / orthotics / Running Shoes / shoe buying tips / specialty running store

Mario Fraioli

Mario Fraioli is the senior producer at Competitor.com. He was a cross country All-American at Stonehill College, has run 2:28 in the marathon, and coaches the Prado Women's Racing Team in San Diego.