What are some good running shoes and where can I get them?

[chief_choka_ho]

I plan to start walking/jogging/running and I've heard a lot about how the proper foot wear is very important and I wanted some of your opinions on the best shoes and where to get them.

[cmoneybereal]

i'm a new balance kind of guy. just go to one of the more bigger athletic shoe stores. they should have a good selection.

[physics_1]

First of all, stay away from walmart and payless. Most sporting good stores (yeah, the kind of places where you should never buy a weight bench) do have good running shoes. Unfortunately they may not be able to give you the kind of advice you probably want. However, if you find a shoe store that carries the specific brands below, you will probably get the advice you need.

Yes, you do need something specific for running.

I suggest sticking with two brands: Brooks and Asics. I've used both. Expect a decent pair to last around 200 miles. Just don't wear them all day long like I do, or you'll get holes in the top mesh well before the souls break down.

Expect to pay $70.00 or more for a decent pair, unless you can catch an end of year special. You may even want to go higher end if you can afford it. Running can be very hard on your body, but a good pair of shoes will protect you. What's more, once they are past their recommended usage for running, you will still have a pair of good every day shoes that will outlast 3 pair of anything you'll get at payless (this is my experience with $70 to $80 running shoes vs payless shoes), so you will not be losing money.

Now for my best advice so far:

Find a site about running and ask them. Unlike me, they will actually know what they are talking about. They can probably tell you why brooks and asics are great shoes, and what you should look for specific to the kind of running you do.

Matt Brown.

[buffbrown21]

There are some stores that will test how you run and check the shape of your foot (high arch, low arch, wide, narrow, etc etc) and will pick a few shoes to work best for you.
That being said, I have never had this done myself, but know a few people who have and they were happy with the choice.
After years of thinking Nike and Adidias must be the best (just because of the name), now there is no way you could get me to run in anything but Asics now.

[animal 51]

Brooks are the best running shoes I have bought.

[THe WeapoN]

asics i swear by them and so does the army, everyone i work with use them or brooks,

[Vasso]

Im always for Asics, I've never tried Brooks (I haven't seen this brand in Greece...), and Im lucky enough to find them on sales!

[EPMD]

Asics, Saucony, and New Balance seem to be the three best running shoe makers, though numerous other brands like Adidas, Brooks, and even Nike can work for you. What you need to do first is figure out what type of gait you have (overpronator, underpronator, neutral). An Internet search should help you figure that out, or you can just go to a running store for a test/advice.

After you know what gait you have, you can narrow down the options available within each brand of shoes to the specific models that suit your running style. Each of Asics, Saucony, and New Balance will have a specific model or two designed for your gait. Buy which ever model matches your gait and appeals to your style.

As far as where to buy your shoes, if you are price-conscious, buy them on eBay. Just make sure you are buying a current model of shoes because 2 or 3 year old models will likely have been sitting around for too long, and the plastic may have hardened to the point where they lose usefulness as a cushioned shoe.