Let’s talk about shoes
One of the most annoying frequently asked questions is the shoe question.
Why is it annoying? Because a) it’s impossible to answer, and b) it’s really not as important as people seem to think and c) at the end of the day it’s a religious or philosophical question like ‘What’s your favorite color?’
The question is made even more absurd when the Frequently Asker tries to be specific, like ‘What’s better ASICS or Hokas?’ or ‘What’s the best shoe for running a 5K?’
Absurd questions.
There are a lot of shoe companies and a lot of shoes. There is a lot of shoe advertising. Because shoes are a big business and they are extremely profitable. That shoe you pay $150 for probably costs all of $10 to manufacture.
And the shoe industry can’t really make up its mind whether shoes are a functional item or a fashion item. Mostly because, we, the consumers choose and buy based on emotion for the most part.
And all of us have a favorite shoe that we will defend to our death and gladly fork out $150 Simoleans for! Amen! Hoka Clifton are the best road trainer and I’ll fight you for it!
But they may not be right for you. Shoes are very personal. Like finding a life partner. You should play the field a little, spread some shoesy wild oats, to figure out what’s right for you.
I’m going to give it a try.
So – first thing you need to decide is if you need shoes. Because, if you’re just starting out you could run barefoot from the start. There is no requirement to wear shoes – except in restaurants.
There are runner who will gladly die on either side of that hill!
Once you decide, ‘hey I’d like to be shod!’ then you need to answer some of those basic questions. You know, the same basic questions we have for all the rest of the running advice.
Like how much are you running? What I s your experience? What kind of running? Racing, jogging, walking, or crawling on your belly like a snake? Trails? Roads? Something else?
The answers to these questions will give you a broad category like ‘trail shoes, trainers or walking shoes’. Narrows it down a little.
I’m also going to exclude any conversation about the new carbon fiber super shoes. The sense I get is that they work, but you need to have enough ability to get the benefit – so they are probably overkill for most runners.
The next thing you need to know is what kind of arches you have. You may have high arches, like me, or low arches, or something in between. You can find this out by stepping naked in a puddle and then stepping on a dry surface. I should clarify that only the actual feet need to be naked, but it’s up to you.
Look at that pretty footprint. How much of that arch is imprinted on the dry surface? My wet, naked, feet-prints have a gorgeous half moon profile.
If you know what kind of arches you have you can ask a slightly smarter question like, what’s a good shoe for someone with flat feet.
But most of us are going to be what’s known as ‘neutral’. Not too high, not too low, just perfect, like the little bear’s feet.
The next question you need to figure out is how much of a heel drop you want. This is how big of a foam wedge your shoe has at the heel.
It pains me to mention that these heels and crash-pads were marketed very heavily (pun unavoidable) in the 80’s and 90’s because more people were heel strikers – meaning they landed quite heavily on the heel
Thankfully, due to science and several saintly apostles of good running form most people don’t run on their heels anymore.
People will fight you to the death over heel drop, but if you’re just starting out, you’ll adapt either way. And if your form is good you won’t be effected by heel drop.
But never, ever try to get in an argument with a zero-drop advocate. They will kill you and bury you in the desert outside Boulder.
If you’ve got normal arches and decent form you can run in almost any neutral cushion training shoe. Each company will make 6-8 models that fit the bill.
There you go – I narrowed it down to a couple hundred shoes for you.
I would say beware of very cheap shoes in discount stores. Because the shoe companies will make cheaper, lower quality shoes for the mass market. I
Other than that, once you narrow it down to the broad strokes you are going to have to sleep around a little to find your perfect mate.
In my lifetime I have gone through tempestuous marathon level love affairs with Nike, New Balance, ASICS, Saucony. Brooks, Mizuno and Hoka. Because of my advanced level of decrepitude I currently run in Hokas, and a yes they should sponsor me because I have brought them thousands of dollars in referral business. I like having the extra cushion without sacrificing performance.
That’s my opinion and I’ll fight you for it.