what shoes

[VPOLLIE67]

I just signed up to do a trek that will cover a half marathon length. My trainers for running are very basic so I’m looking for advice on an upgrade.

[Instructor57 Graduate]

The best advice would be to have a gait analysis from a dedicated running shop to see what's best for you !What is good for others could be totally unsuitable for you !

This may help .

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[VPOLLIE67 Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

Thank you for this. I read through the post but sadly I live in the back of beyond so specialist running shops are non existent lol. I’ll get sorted next time I’m in town though.

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi VPOLLIE67 , you'd do best getting personalised advice from a specialist shop, especially since you mention a trek.

As far as running goes road shoes aren't the same as trail shoes, and walking shoes are rarely the same as trail shoes.

Editing (after HU crashed during my previous post!) to add: the footwear you need will also depend on the terrain of your trek. A good "outdoors" shop should be able to advise you, since you say that there's no running specialist near you.

[VPOLLIE67 Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Thank you so much for this Cmoi. I’m definitely more anxious to have a good pair of running shoes. The trek is a one day charity event but I’m aiming to use the C25k to get fit enough for it. Reading the various replies here, shopping around needed I think. I need a proper pair of running shoes that will provide much better support than the ones I have. Love this programme and love the help and encouragement.

[nowster Graduate]

It would very much be dependent on the surface type you are planning to run on, as Cmoi says.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

If this is a running trek... then some off road runners could be useful... you have been running for a while. So, if you are happy with the running shoes you have been wearing. then see if they make an off road or hybrid shoe?But, do wear in, before the event? Where is it taking place?

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

“Trek” suggests off-road to me… so if you’re looking for trail shoes, the good news is that you don’t need gait analysis, 99.9% of trail shoes are neutral. There are, however, shoes that do better on different surfaces, so you may want to look for one that can handle rocky trails, for example, better than the average one. For an event trail run this is something I’d look into. For general trail running, there are lots to choose from and there are great online stores to be found, for example sportsshoes.com and many bargains to be had.

Is this a run though? If not, a good hiking boot will probably be a better option.

One little cautionary word though, if you choose trail running shoes, running on hard surfaces like roads will wear them out really quickly. So you’d either need a road pair and a trail pair, or a hybrid shoe.