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Top 5 Things to Look for in a Running Shoe

Whether you are looking for your first pair of running shoes or a seasoned marathon runner, this blog post is dedicated to sharing the top 5 things to look for when purchasing running shoes. Finding the correct fit and comfort level is imperative to keeping your feet and ankles safe from injury. Believe it or not, it can even keep your knees safe! But since we know feet, we’ll stick to that! Below are the top 5 things to look for: 

It’s Important the Shoe is Shaped Like Your Foot

The first and most obvious thing to look for while trying on a new running shoe is that you want it to shape to the contour of your foot. There are a variety of running shoes available these days, so it’s important to find one that fits in a way that doesn’t chafe or rub up against any part of your foot. If this occurs, you will feel quite a bit of discomfort will running and most likely suffer pain after you are done running. To make it easy, we recommend trying on a few different fits, just to understand how your feet fit in each shoe type. 

Make Sure The Heel is High Enough

Surprisingly enough, we tend to ignore the heel of the shoe. It’s extremely important that the heel of the shoe keeps your foot snug while running. A heel that is too shallow or small, will result in your foot slipping while running and can result in the shoe coming off or tripping over it. To avoid this, while trying on the shoe, try walking around the store to get a sense of how much your foot slips while wearing them. 

Your Toes Aren’t Jammed

Another extremely important thing to look out for is making sure your toes have enough room to lay comfortably in the shoe on both sides. If your toes feel like they are squeezed together or “stacked” on top one another, then the running shoe is too narrow. If this is the case, you can often ask for a wide version of the shoe. Many shoe brands these days make sure to provide a wide version of each of their running shoe types. 

Enough Toe Space in Front of the Shoe

I know this sounds very similar to making sure your toes aren’t jammed, BUT making sure there is enough toe space in the front of your shoe is just as important. When we run, our foot moves forward in any type of shoe wear. As a result, if the shoe is too short in the front, you could suffer from blisters and a tight overall fit. Also, it’s important to remember that as we run, our body heats up and swells, creating a tighter shoe fit. So it’s imperative that your shoes have enough length in the front to run. Most experts agree that you should have about a thumbtack’s distance from your longest toe to the end of the shoe. 

Appropriate Arch Support

Many people suffer from common ankle issues, such as your ankles rolling in when you walk or weak ankles from being on your feet all day. If you are aware of a current ankle issue, make sure to find a running shoe that fully supports your ankles. Typically, the thicker the sole of the shoe, the more support it offers. This not only assists with keeping your ankles safe, but your knees as well! 

If you are unsure where to begin your running shoe journey, we recommend finding a store near you that is dedicated to running shoes specifically. These types of stores tend to have a team of individuals that not only love running, but have a wealth of running shoe knowledge! If you ever have any questions about your overall foot health, don’t hesitate to reach out to us as well! We offer 5 convenient office locations in North Carolina and are always here to address your questions or concerns. We hope this blog post brought you closer to finding the perfect shoe for you and happy running!

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