Search
Recommended Products
Related Links


 

 

Informative Articles

El Ocotal Jungle Adventure in Costa Rica
Eo Ocotal Jungle Adventure Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Read this entire feature FREE with photos at http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/scuba02/ocotal/ocotal.html Our wake-up call didn't arrive....

Golf Training Programs For All Golfers
Golf training programs designed to help condition the body for better golf have really taken off in recent years. Male golfers have not been the only beneficiaries. Many women golfers have also taken full advantage of what must be the most...

The World's Most Beloved Sport - The History of Soccer
By Rebecca Blain of http://www.everything-soccer.com While it is undisputed that the origins of modern soccer, or football, originated in Britain, there is a great deal of evidence that points to this beloved game as having an older history. ...

To Supplement or Not to Supplement; That is the Question
Some fitness adherents are supplement crazy and spend money like a Vegas drunk with a big roll trying to impress girls he barely knows. I know lots of folks who admit to spending hundreds of bucks each month on the newest, latest dietary or...

Triathlon training - a transition to a new lifestyle
Talk to anyone who has done a triathalon and the word "lifestyle" is often brought up. Successful triathlon training is a lot more than working out. There are many people who have done very little exercise in, say, the past year or two, who have...

 
How to Select new Running Shoes

As a runner the most important piece of equipment you can have are your shoes.
This is the reason that runners spend a great deal of time checking out shoes, until they find the best running shoes for their feet, not only for the fit, but also for the kind of running, and training they will be doing.

Whatever you do, you must not pick a shoe because it looks good in the shop, so what are you to do to make sure you pick the right shoe, because be reassured there could be several shoes that will be right for your feet and your running requirements.

How do you find the right shoe, and why is that so important?

The scope of this article is limited, so rather than try to make recommendations, which will probably be wrong, as I don’t know anything at all about your feet, or your requirements.

In other words, are you going to use them as track shoes or trail shoes. There is a huge difference between running on a flat track, and on a boulder strewn, wet, muddy trail!!

Add to this the fact that your feet will hit the ground hard over 1600 times every mile that you run.
If your footwear is the wrong size or unsuited to your biomechanical needs, you are going to find it uncomfortable, probably annoying, and even worse it could lead to injury.

What is the right shoe for my feet?

A combination of a good fit and excellent biomechanics.
The fit is obvious, but what do I mean by biomechanics?
Put simply it is all about a word called pronation.

Pronation is the natural movement of your feet when they touch the ground.
All feet roll inwards as the ball of the foot touches the ground. You can either check this out yourself by


looking at the wear patterns on your old running shoes.
If you tend to wear out your shoes first on the outside, you probably tend to underpronate; if you wear out your shoes first significantly more to the inside, look for a shoe for over-pronators.
It isn’t complicated but you would do well to find someone with experience as a runner to watch you running from behind before you make a new purchase.

There are four categories based on the degree of pronation.

1. Neutral Pronation, require shoes with a good balance of stability and flexibility.
2. Under Pronation has not enough foot motion, and they require good cushioning and flexibility in their running shoes
3. Moderate Over Pronation require Stability Trainers
4. Severe Over Pronation requires Motion-control trainers.

You should by now have worked out your pronation factor, so your shoe selection must be governed by this.
The other consideration is shoe fit, and the easiest judgement, is does it feel good, and is there room between the end of your longest toe and the front of the shoe. The shoe needs to feel snug at the heel, and comfortable.
At the end of the day, if you have used and liked a particular make of running shoe, then stick with that brand, but make sure you are buying the correct shoe model bearing in mind your pronation factor.

About the author:
Ian Smith is a former international sportsman who contributes articles to websites featuring sporting footwear.
He recommends Adidas, and suggests to check out
www.adidas-shoes-guide.info