How to choose a running shoes that suits
The choice is big, even huge, so how do you choose the best running shoe for your needs? Because it is ultimately very easy to get lost with brands that are fighting with ever more innovative concepts to make you buy! A pair of running shoes for the road, one for the trail, another for the competition, etc. You can easily have 10 pairs of running shoes in your closet if you follow your desires by walking in stores or on specialized websites with the number of models on sale. But from there to having the best running shoe that suits us… nothing is less certain!
When I started running, choosing a running shoe was easy, we only had one pair. She gave us the season and when she was worn out… we bought the same… point. Was this the correct method? I would say that when you run more than 3 times a week and therefore have several days, it is interesting to alternate the pairs to let them “rest” a little . Otherwise, it is often an additional comfort in its practice but not an essential either!
Let’s get things straight when choosing a running shoe. I don’t think there are any brands that fundamentally make one running shoe better than another . It’s 2020 and running shoe technologies have been proven for ages now. The proof, fairly new brands like On Running (I tested the CloudFlow for the road and the CloudVenture for the trail) are entering the game through the front door. No need to adapt, their shoes are at the level of the competition in terms of quality.
Do I therefore recommend running in On Running? Not necessarily ! Personally, I have very good feelings to run with but… It’s something very personal! The feeling that we have in a running shoe depends greatly on the shape of our foot and our stride. So there are models/brands that I just can’t run in… Yet it’s certainly not that the brand in question makes bad shoes… Just that they don’t fit my foot!
When you ask yourself the question of how to choose a running shoe… The only answer that should be found in priority is therefore: a comfortable shoe! I’m not necessarily talking about the amount of cushioning of the shoe or its drop or any other technical point. No, I’m talking about the fit. When you put on a pair of running shoes, you must immediately be comfortable, feeling that your foot is going to adapt well to the shoe .
Obviously not so easy. But if you feel discomfort, that the foot does not fit as it would like in the footwear, it may increase with the race! If you have any doubts while trying it, don’t buy! And if you bought online, no problem, you usually have plenty of time to send it back. It is better to waste a little time and choose your running shoes well than to run with an uncomfortable shoe!
How to choose a running shoe: according to its morphology!
I am 1m79 for 62 kg. I don’t make the same choices as someone who is 1m95 tall and weighs 85 kg, that’s clear! A light and dynamic shoe like Adidas Boston Boost is going to be very suitable for me until the marathon. For a heavier profile, maybe it will be reserved for short competitions like the 5 or 10 km and it’s a shoe like the Infinity Run or even a Vomero that will be ]]
There are three types of strides to characterize the runner. 50% of runners have what is called a universal stride. 40% of runners have an overpronating stride . And finally 10% of runners have a stride . To find out what your stride type is, you can look at the wear and tear on your old shoes if you have any (no walking shoes, only running shoes!) . By finding the places that are more worn than average you can easily define your stride type by looking at the diagram below!
But is this a real criterion for choosing a shoe? I do not think so. Scientific studies show that the correction of pronation by shoe technologies does not really reduce injuries . I therefore recommend using a universal shoe and working to improve your stride as I already said above. And for those who want to understand all the details about pronation, supination and what it involves, I did a full article on the subject here .
