Running Shoes?

[DaveRunner]

I run in a £10 pair of trainers & have no issues.

Will it improve my running if I fork out for £30/£40 trainers or is more to do with support for your feet?

Cheers...........

[danzargo Graduate]

It's mostly to do with your running motion and balance - ie support. If on each step, your feet are planted on the ground squarely (as you run) with no twisting of your calves or thighs, then your £10 specials may be fine. I am flat footed and until I went and got checked out by a podiatrist, I discovered one leg was shorter than the other by about 5mm. This difference along with my flat footedness resulted in my cheap running shoes allowing my ankles to twist as I landed on them, sending muscle strain up my legs. Off I went to a proper running shop and had a gait analysis done. Bought some expensive Brooks running shoes (£86) which support the areas of my foot which previously were twisting quite alarmingly - and since then I've had no pain and can run further,

Brooks shoes are pricey, but for me they represent something I will use three to four times per week and will keep me injury free. Might be worth you spending a few quid on a gait analysis anyhow just to see how you "land and take off". It's a fascinating thing to discover.

[DaveRunner in reply to danzargo]

Thanks for your advice!

[notbad Graduate]

Very good advice from dan. I haven't had gait analysis either but next pair of shoes I will. What I would add is it can sometimes take time for gait issues to impact as injury, so if you're fairly new to running bear this in mind.

[DaveRunner in reply to notbad]

Thanks for your advice!

[Oldgirl Graduate]

I didn't buy running shoes until I reached week 5 or 6 of the program. I found as I was running for longer period my knees and ankles started to protest a bit. By the time week 6 was reached I was hooked on it and felt I had earned a proper pair of running shoes which cost me £56 in Sports Direct sale and were ASICS, loved them and went on to buy a second pair the same only a different colour the following year. I'm now onto my third pair of running shoes and have Brooks Ghosts which are even better than the ASICS. But shop around and get your gait checked out too.

[DaveRunner in reply to Oldgirl]

Thanks for that will wait till I finish week 9 & treat myself!!

[misswobble Graduate]

I have new brooks trail runing shoes on order. I think if you are young and don't have dodgy knees and ankles etc then maybe you can wing it with ordinary sneakers. For most of us though we need gel and cushioning to soften the blow

[ju-ju- Graduate]

I started out in a pair of pink shoes from sports direct for a tenner ( as I wasn't sure if I was going to stick at it!!!) but then my shins got f***** and I could barely walk. So off I trotted to a special running shop and got gait analysis and a pair of brooks for 100 quid...worth every penny, they are at the end of their life now but have got me nearly 900k and no injury Everyone is different though but look after your joints as you start to go very long distances...

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Someone posted a link to a video on the NHS site called Running Clinic I think in which, whilst showing the merits of gait analysis and specific exercises, it was said that the best shoes are simply those you are comfortable in. The most expensive shoes I've run in were also the most dysfunctional and uncomfortable (fortunately I could take them back) and I started C25K in walking boots as I had no trainers at all.

[Hidden]

The simple answer is, probably. I can't guarantee it, but you almost certainly will see a benefit.

The way I look at the cost of shoes is this; smokers pay £8 per 20 cancer sticks. They smoke 20 per day which makes £56 per week. You are starting to get into the decent shoe territory (if you go for last seasons shoes) at that price and these shoes will last for many hundreds of miles/months.

[DaveRunner in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the reply I used to pay £5 for 20 cancer ticks thank God I dont now!

[Hidden in reply to DaveRunner]

A double congratulations ~ one for quitting, and one for starting running.

As a cancer 'survivor' I applaud you.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

If you run off road, then gait analysis is not necessary, since you rarely land two consecutive strides the same way. Once you have decided that you are going to continue running then a visit to a proper running shop (I do not include Sports Direct among these as their staff, in my experience, are poorly trained) and get some advice at least, if not gait analysis, which is free at some outlets. Running shoes are not the same as fashion trainers.

[DaveRunner in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks for the good advice

[baronblaze]

If you have a comfortable pair of trainers and have no issues then changing your shoes should not improve your running.

The conscientious of opinion is to purchase a suitable pair of shoes based on your gait analysis. However i had gait analysis and based on the advice given i purchased an expensive pair of ASICS, since then i have injury after injury. Despite periodical intervals of rests between 2 to 6 weeks i still have shin splints which i cannot run off. For my next running comeback I am consigning the expensive running shoes to the bin and going back to my cheap, nasty but comfortable trainers. I guess you can just be unlucky.

[DaveRunner in reply to baronblaze]

Excellent Advice thank you!!