low price but good quality running shoe

The same thing goes for Shoes as Bikes.

GET FITTED.
do not skimp on quality of running shoes.

I agree.. Get Fitted.

Once you find that shoe that works... buy several pairs or at least keep with what works.

ALex

Definitely get fitted. Ask around on your local forum here on BT for running shop recommendations. There are probably already several threads already. The best shops will put you on a treadmill and watch you run, look at your feet, and make recommendations based on that. Then, they'll have you try several different shoes until you zero in on what's going to work best for you.

While you may pay a premium buying your first pair in a brick and mortar store, you will get shoes that work better for you. If you really like the shoes you get, then you can buy multiple pairs online for less, or you can continue to support a local business.

Take if from someone who has damaged feet. Don't skimp on the shoes.

To be honest, I think getting fitted is a bit of an overkill for what you're doing.  I've had plenty of good shoes without getting fitted.  I highly recommend Asics, I've gotten two of their shoes and they've been the most comfortable out of any running shoe I've ever owned.  I first got a cheap pair (I cant remember the model number), but they were in the $30-40 range and they feel great.  I went back and bought a pair of higher end Nimbus when they were on sale at about $75 and they're even better.  I dont know if the improvement was worth the extra price over the $30 ones, but I felt it was worth it once I got to longer and faster runs.

If you're totally clueless, ok, get "fitted."

It's not a big deal though, and is different from, say,  a bike fit. There's actually little to no scientific data that truly backs up the stuff the running store salespeople do, anyway - it is mostly a marketing tool to help them sell more shoes. I know this sounds harsh, but just ask any of these pseudoscientific clerks to tell you ONE recognized or published journal article that references a point they're making - and they can't. All they'll do is point at what the store brochure tells them to sell.

I think getting a bike fitted is more worthwhile than getting shoes fitted.  A bike is far more complicated.  Shoes either fit or they dont and most size X shoes are about the same anyway.

I disagree completely.

The shoe is the interface between your body, and the constant pounding of running.  A badly fitting bike might mean a tense neck or poor performance.  Badly fitting shoes can mean injury (shin, knees, hip, etc.)

There is also the questions of price.  A proper bike fitting can cost $200 or more.  But, a proper shoe fitting is generally _free_ at most good running stores.

With the price difference between a cheap pair of shoes and a good pair of shoes being perhaps $40, I'd strongly recommend getting a shoe fitting and good pair of shoes.

When it comes to finding things to skimp on, skimping on shoes seems like a poor choice.

Again, those "experts' fitting you are not medical professionals, and the knowledge they are using to fit you is 99% marketing, and <1% running science. They're there to sell you shoes, not to diagnose your medical condition. If you want real medical knowledge, you should be seeing a podiatrist or orthopedist. 

The running shoestore fitting is ok for those who might not have ever bought a running shoe and thus have no idea as to where to even start, but once you've tried a pair or two, you're better off experimenting on your own based on your past experience than relying on "rules" that really just are attempts to match you up with some subgroup of shoe to encourage you to buy it.

There was a NYT article a few months ago that highlighted this very point, and pointed out the "arms race" of new shoe features, all of which are motivated by sales (more features than the competition), even if those features were completely not backed by real science.

I think that's the difference between a good running store and a bad running store.  Or perhaps more importantly a between good running store, and the shoe companies.

A mediocre running store is going to try to sell you the latest shoes with the newest most gimicky features.

A good running store is going to take decades of accumulated experience and use that to help you find the shoes that will work best for your feet, form, and type of running. 

Yeah, their goal is still to sell you shoes.  But they're going to get the most repeat business, if they're successful in helping find the right shoe for you.  And, no, it's not "science".  But that sort of accumulated experience does have value. 

It's only an anecdote, but here's a yelp review of my favorite local running store.  In some cases, a great shoe store can be better than a mediocre doctor.  

"A tad on the pricey side, but they know what they're talking about. ??I was having lots of pain in my right leg, despite getting new shoes. My crappy podiatrist told me I was knock-kneed and overpronate... and all he did was look at my when I was sitting. I think he just confused my saddlebags for knock-knees? Prescribed me horrible orthotics to help my heel pain.??

Here, [insert name of guy who helped me] looked at the way I walked barefoot and told me I had a neutral gait, walk/run straight and I had average arches that don't collapse. I figured as much before.??He helped me select a few shoes that would suit me better. Tried on a few pairs, ran around a few times. Asked his opinion on what he likes best about each shoe. Finally settled on Mizuno Wave Riders for their lightness and fit.??  Heel pain is gone!! I don't use those orthotics at all.

Don't go to a podiatrist. Come here instead."

http://www.yelp.com/biz/transports-berkeley

I agree with the stores  wanting to sell shoes, they are a business afterall.  However, repeat business (on top of new business) is what keeps a store going and gaining reputation.
IMO, don't go to a big box store, they will almost definately have little experience other than 5 min training with the size measuring device.
I went to a running store (after poor advice from a local sports authority), the running shop were very helpfull and as I'd gone to the store wearing my current shoes, took a loo at my shoes and the wear patern, checked my barefoot walk, had me try on about 8 differnt shoes and kept asking me what I though was most comforable/nicest feel ect.
The pair I chose was one of the two the guy was going to recomend from the start, but we went through the 25 min process anyway.
I'd only gone into the store to get some body glide and it was a week before payday so I told the guy when we started the fitting that I 'probably wouldn't buy today', he said no problem.  He even said that ther was probably some life left in my current shoes and as I had a race in a weeks time, it may be best to stick to my current shoes for the race to avoid rubbing (when I said about it being a tri and not wearing socks).
That's the kind of store experience that makes people feel confident in the store and the staf's ability and will definately have people coming back...
After my race this weekend, I'll be going to that store to get my new shoes, I know what I'm getting for the extra $20 over the internet price.

And statistically, despite the new trend of fancy shoes to match flatfooted with motion control, neutral with neutral, overpronators with motion control, blah blah blah....The incidence of foot and leg injuries has actually INCREASED as of late based upon group analysis of doctor, orthopedic, and podiatric visits & complaints. (This figure was again brought up in the NYT article I mentioned.)Whatever those clerks are selling you, it's not helping in terms of injuries.

get someone knowledgeable in running shoes to help you select the right one based on your feet.  at a minimum, go to a running shoe store, not a sports store.

of course, you can take this to the n-th degree, with professional assessments. I haven't done that, only have read about shoes, and listen to the local running shoe store "experts". there are so many shoes out there, it's not easy to just "run in" and grab something that works.

for example, I have really crappy arches and pronate inwards. I need a stability shoe, such as Brooks Adrenaline. I used to run in Asic Gels but they don't give me the support like the Brooks.

furthermore, I now use SuperFeet (green) inserts, which really have changed my running life...from pain to no pain. These wonderful inserts help to support my bad arches and provide more stability.

prior to SuperFeet, I had run in pain...now, it's really quite pleasurable. The knee and foot pain has gone away!  btw, I am not a sales person for SuperFeet, just pointing out that getting a knowledgeable person to help me, made this suggestion and it worked well. Although it added another $40 to the cost of the shoes, it was well worth it.

There are people that can run in neutral shoes, but I'm not one of them.


Edited by metafizx 2009-09-23 2:25 AM

Go to a running store. NOT a sports store that sells running shoes, a running store.

After just about killing my knees and ankles with shoes that were recommended by a rather popular big chain sports store that sells shoes, I went to an actual honest to goodness running store.

Getting fitted may or may not help but having someone who knows what the heck they're doing look at your feet as you run and figure out if you overpronate, underpronate or are neutral is the best thing you could possibly do for your feet and legs in the long run. If you get shoes made for overpronators and you don't, you will injure yourself. The reverse is also true.

The store I went to was chuckling at the fact that I shouldn't exist according to the people who only do arch height exams before selling shoes. I'm flat footed with neutral pronation.

Unlike what some of the more cynical people here want you to believe, some store actually are interested in getting you into the best shoes for you and not just shilling for a company. Hell, my store was telling me about six or seven different types and even suggesting other stores online or in the area where I could get them as well as at the store I was in. This was the manager doing it. The store has been in business for about 10 years in the same place so I guess they're doing people right.

What I like about running stores is that you they usually have very favorable return policies.  The running store I use, RunTex, lets you exchange your shoe if it's not worn.  When I got my first pair earlier this year, they were fine in store when the sale person fitted me, but after a three mile run I noticed that the back was rubbing my tendon raw on my left heel.  I exchanged them for the shoes I have now, which are AWESOME.

I love my brooks.

I don't know if a sports store would have the same service.  Based on my experience, the running store staff knows more about running and the store has a much better selection of good quality brands.

You don't need to buy the best running shoe in the world, but given how much you'll be running, investing in good shoes isn't a bad idea in my opinion.