Choosing a Good Running Shoe

Video Transcript

"So choosing running shoes. For some people that is a very complicated process because there are so many types of running shoes that are out there, so many brands of running shoes that are out there but some of the key components you want to look for in your running shoes are cushioning, stability and support. It also depends on what type of arch you have whether you have a flat foot or whether you have a curved foot arch so that is very important. I would suggest that you actually go to a specialty running store and speak with someone who is an expert on helping you choose the right shoe. So this is your basic training shoe. These are really good because most training shoes have a really good deal of cushioning, stability, and support but some key things you want to remember when you are purchasing your training shoes is what type of arch do you have. Do you have a flat foot arch? Do you have more of a curved foot arch? I think getting those types of answers are really good when you are going to say a running specialty store as compared to maybe going to some other type of store where maybe the salesperson doesn't really know much about training shoes. But most running specialty stores have runners who are well educated about helping you choose the right running shoe so those would be your basic trainer. If you want more of a lighter shoe for running say 5k races, 10 k, half marathon, even marathon distance, these are called racing flats and these are shoes that are a bit more lighter than your trainer shoes. If you feel like you are one of those swift runners or a fast runner and you really want to have something that is light on race morning then this would be your basic racing flat shoe. So the next type of shoe is called the track spike and this is a shoe that is used for runners who participate in track running events from 100 meters up to 10,000 meters on the track. Now there are various types of spikes depending on what kind of event you are training for. So if you are training say for say a 100 meter or a 200 meter, or even a 400 meter track event there is a specific type of shoe that is geared towards those particular distances. If you are training for say 5,000 meters on the track or 10,000 meters on the track there is a specific type of shoe geared towards those distances. So the next type of running shoe is a trail running shoe and this is more of a heavier running shoe for those who enjoy running trails because on some trails it can be very rocky terrain, tree stubs, rocks and you need a shoe that is going to give you some extra grip as you are running some of the trails which may be flat trails, some of these trails are very hilly trails but the terrain can vary from really rocky to smooth but usually the trail shoes are a bit heavier. As you can see you have more rubber support around the shoe and it gives you a better grip as you are running some of the rocky portions of the trail."