5 Tips For Buying Your First Running Shoes

Throw on a pair of shoes, open your door, and go; that’s how easy it’s supposed to be to start running outdoors. If you’re feeling extra proactive, you can even choose a route that will reduce your likelihood of getting hit by a non-bipedal vehicle. Although the intention to just get up and go is good, taking the time to follow these tips for buying your first running shoes before you set out will prime for a great time, instead of leaving you stuck in bed with an aching back, sore IT bands, and tendonitis.

Find a Store With a Long Return Window
You’ll know in the first five minutes whether you’ll sleep with your date, but finding good shoes isn’t quite that easy. Some stores will give you as much as a thirty-day trial period to test out your new running shoes, which is ideal for finding if shoes work with your unique anatomy in different conditions.

Ask Staff For Help
Like it or not, if you don’t eat, breathe, and live running shoes, there are probably things you don’t know. Talking with knowledgeable staff will help you look beyond the color and styling of your shoes to find something that will actually help you not end up in the sports injury clinic. A good salesperson will look at your feet and watch you run to assess factors such as pronation and arch height.

Consider the Terrain
Just like you (probably) wouldn’t use a knife to eat soup, you shouldn’t use shoes designed for off-road running when you’re sticking to concrete sidewalks. For example, if you’re going to be running on trails, check out Saloman or Pearl Izumi; if not, you’ll probably want to look into something else. Take into consideration the severity of inclines, whether you’ll be running on pavement, dirt, or sand, and amount of time spent in different environments.

Expect To Pay a Decent Amount
In an age of dollar stores and ubiquitous “sale” signs, we sometimes forget that price and quality are usually linked. It’s important to realize that in most cases, a couple of tens and change won’t get you good running shoes. Your feet, legs, butt and back will thank you for dishing out a few extra bucks on good shoes instead of buying a new Xbox game.

Don’t Get Hung Up On Brand
If all of your friends jumped off a cliff, would you follow? Not if you were wearing sweet new running shoes that were perfectly suited to your feet. Save your brand loyalty for buying your hipster shirts and this season’s hottest sunglasses. When it comes to running shoes, making sure you get something that works with your running style and your preferred terrain is much more important than getting something you can brag about. Again, ask the staff. Their favorite shoes will most likely suit you better than whatever is au courant.