One week I was covering five to 10 miles a day, loving life and riding the runners high. The next, I was sidelined about 100 yards into my run. My feet, heels, and calves cramped up, threatened to kill my entire family, and left me limping all the way home, taking a break about every 15 feet. I was too proud to take a cab. I had to take a break about every 10 feet.
The only difference: My running shoes. But they couldn’t be the problem, I thought. I was just fit for them at a sports store. And they were so cushy, light, and high-tech.
An ultrasound, professional gait analysis, and batch of cortisone shots later, I blamed my shoes. Or, more specifically, I blamed the sales associate who fit me for them. The exercise physiologist said I pronated. Why did the guy fitting me for my shoes say I didn’t pronate? The podiatrist told me that the shoes I had bought weren’t the best for my shoot shape. Why did the sales associate hand me that brand?
“Because most of the people who are working as shoe salespeople are not highly trained biomechanists,” explains Janet Hamilton, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist with Running Strong in Atlanta. As any running store will be quick to tell you the same—or at least something similar. Store associates aren’t doctors, and they don’t give medical advice.
And, honestly, some stores are better than others at getting customers into the right shoes. Some stores are known to do a very good job analyzing feet, running pattern, and helping with shoe fitting, says Andy Gerken, M.D., a runner and a foot and ankle specialist with Hoag Orthopedic Institute in California. Others, not so much. I should mention that, once I healed up from partially tearing my plantar fascia, going to another store landed me in a pair of shoes that my feet and body love. They are the ugliest things ever, but I’m cool with it.
Luckily, finding a store you can trust—and getting the most out of your visit—doesn’t have to be a crapshoot. Follow these tips.
FIND THE BEST FIT
Go to a Store That’s All About Running
“Don’t bother going to the big-box athletic store where you can also buy basketball and cross-training shoes,” Hamilton says. Go to a running specialty store. They are more apt to 1) be knowledgeable about running and 2) have the technology to back it up. Most reputable running stores use treadmills and/or software designed to record and analyze your running pattern in each pair of shoes you try. For instance, the Running Specialty Group (a network of more than 75 local running stores) uses Coach’s Eye software to asses foot strike, says Frank Pruitt, the group’s senior vice president of brand strategy and experience.
If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Try to Fix It
“If you’ve worn a particular pair of running shoes in the past and they’ve worked well for you, ask to see the current version,” Hamilton says. If you feel like you need a slight tweak, not a huge change, ask to see comparable models in other brands.
Ask About the Store’s Training
It’s not rude. It’s smart. Asking a manager how the store trains its employees can help clue you in to the staff’s ability to guide you in the right direction. For instance, everyone at Fleet Feet Sports goes through 25 to 50 hours of training from a running coach before they are allowed to fit anyone, says the company’s CEO, Dave Zimmer. Each store also holds regular educational events during which employees can learn from local experts such as podiatrists, exercise physiologists, and running coaches.
Make It a Dry Run
Just because you shoes fit first thing in the morning doesn’t mean they will fit 10 miles into a run when your toes look like sausages, Hamilton says. Go to the store at the end of the day (at least an hour before closing so you have plenty of time) when you have the best chances of sporting swollen feet, and wear whatever socks you prefer for running. You want to mimic the actual conditions of a run or race as closely as you can.
Wear Blinders
Don’t look at the shoes! It’s amazing how many people say one shoe feels better just because it looks better, Zimmer says. If you let style sway your choices, you could easily wind up in a pair of shoes that contribute to inefficient running form or even injuries. (Did I mention how ugly my new great pair of shoes is?)
Don’t Give Up
“If you’ve gone out and the shoes are a bad fit, we want you to bring them back,” Zimmer says. Talk to the store associate about what you didn’t like about the shoes. No matter what you do or where you go, finding the right pair of shoes is always going to require bit of trial and error, Gerken says. If all else fails, talk to a podiatrist, physical therapist, or a running coach to determine if the shoes are the problem and what you need to do to run pain-free.