Can anyone recommend any good budget running shoes?

Hi everyone, I've just completed W4R1and have been wearing an old pair of Nike trainers, which are ok but I could probably do with getting an upgrade. I'm 42yrs old, 5ft 2 in height and weigh 9 stone 7lbs. The trainers I've got are quite built up and feel heavy on my feet - I just wondered if anyone had any recommendations? I'm not working full time at the moment so I'll have to be pretty thrifty! Thank you

[Dunder2004 Graduate]

Sportsshoes.com have a good range good quality branded shoes which are of an older model. You should find something suitable for you in the £30-50 range.

[ddmm]

How thrifty is thrifty? Im a single parent and £30 is a huge consideration to me. I picked up mizuno crusaders for £18 in sports direct. They are good. But obviously if you have more money I'd suggest getting the best you can afford

[tired1]

I bought Brooks pireconnect from sportshoes direct, which I liked. BUT I had lots of shin pain, knee pain, etc by about wk7 of c25k, and ended up replacing them. I went to a sports shop that did gait analyses and realised how much support I needed in my shoes. Since then I've had no pain and have found it all much easier.

I would have been much cheaper buying a more expensive pair from the outset.

If you can get to a decent sports shop that will do gait analyses and sells shoes that are in yr budget, that's the best bet, IMO.

[Lovefood1984 Graduate]

You'll get lots of people here telling you to go for gait analysis at a running shop. If you're going to get a pair of shoes I'd say this is your first stop, most places do it for free but you have to buy shoes from them (which usually isn't cheap, but you could ask what their prices are like and tell them how much you are willing to spend) or some places will just charge if you don't buy from them (I think £10 is normal) but it will be so worth it. Armed with this info you can then go and buy last seasons shoes that are right for your feet. Better to spend £10 now and then as much as you can afford on the right shoe (neutral, support, cushioning etc.) than realise the shoes are injuring you and needing to buy more/spending money on physios etc. So on recommending a shoe.......everyone is different

[useitorloseit Graduate]

I have been buying Karrimor Tempo Dual 2s from Sports Direct - on my second pair now. Under £20 and no problems at all. I may be on a budget, but I have my limits, and happily paid an extra 2 quid NOT to have pink!!!

[misswobble Graduate]

Big up to karrimor tempo from sportsdirect. Half a size bigger than your normal shoes. They do a road and a trail version. Come in all,colours too. I noticed they were featured in last month's WW magazine in a lovely light blue and lemon ☺

[goonkeepgoing Graduate]

My kids wear the Karrimor duma from sports direct and they seem to have good support. I even saw the little girl that broke the Parkrun world record time equivalent had them on so they must be alright!!!!!!

[ActonHighStreet]

If you want good running shoes at a discount and you live in a major city, I'd look out for outlet stores owned by the big running brands. The London Designer Outlet in Wembley has Asics, Nike and New Balance outlets - I've spent quite a bit in the latter.

[rmnsuk Graduate]

get gait analysis done either free or pay for it - if it costs £10 (as suggested above) then it's money well spent. Take a note of the best shoes they let you try, then go onto amazon/ebay/wiggle/sportdirect etc and get last years model even cheaper. If that's still too expensive you can do a home test (google it), but it won't be as accurate.

[Hidden]

Wow - thanks so much for all your brilliant advice. It's helped me to decide to pay for the gait analysis at a running shop and then shop around for what I need. Much appreciated

[Jen68 Graduate]

According to 'Born to Run' it is best to run in thin soled plimsoles. No support. This means that your feet stregthen and you feel the road. In fact your feet will do what they were made to do. I've started my workouts in bare feet to see how it will go. I'm also running in shoes for martial arts, I'm 68 and 5'6".

[cn150]

I find that Brooks trainers are quite comfortable - the 'Vapor' line is quite good. You can get some good ones on eBay in reasonable condition. I'm using my teenage son's old Brooks trainers currently.