How to choose running shoes?
The key when choosing the right shoes is:
- their purpose and weather conditions.
- Besides of that, you have to keep in mind your training experience and
- mileage covered in a month.
Initially, you need to determine what type of training you want to buy shoes for - whether they are long distance regular running shoes, mixed running and racing shoes or just racing shoes.
Running shoes should be essential piece of your training equipment from your first training session.
Good selection of running shoes will minimize the risk of any injuries, which you may experience while practicing running. When you run, your feet joints, knees or hips need to absorb great forces as you hit the ground with every stride, hence shoes should work with your biomechanics minimizing these forces and providing right level of cushioning or stability. Your shoes purchase should be carefully considered and consulted with a specialist in the selection of running shoes.
Regular running shoes
are characterized by more cushioning and stabilization than other types of running shoes. The running models are primarily designed to absorb as many shocks as possible while running and to relieve the joints as much as possible - two minimize the risk of overload injuries. The higher the user's weight, the greater cushioning is needed.
Running and racing shoes
are slightly different from regular running shoes. These models balance the cushioning and energy return, needed for fast stretches and eventual competitions. They have enough cushioning to allow you to run longer training units without straining your joints, and enough dynamics to be noticeably accelerated on short, dynamic sections or competitions. Running and competition shoes are also recommended as a training shoe for lighter runners who do not need a large amount of cushioning.
Racing shoes
are the "fastest" shoes in the entire catalog. Their task is primarily to return energy, which translates into faster running and easier to achieve your goals related to your life records. A lot of them have a built-in carbon fiber plate, which (like a turbo in a car) provides even greater energy return and helps you run way faster.
Define the terrain
Another important factor while choosing running shoes is the terrain where you will carry out your training units. In running shoes, we deal with various treads that are geared to the best possible grip in various conditions:
Asphalt shoes
a characteristic feature of asphalt shoes is a fairly flat tread with grooves that are able to drain water in worse weather conditions. Nevertheless, most of the asphalt shoes have more aggressive treads which are also great for light terrain such as gravel and hard-packed forest paths.
Off-road / trail running shoes
if you only run in the field, e.g. forest, mountains, then you should have shoes with a much more aggressive tread on your feet. It allows you to catch adequate traction on a slushy surface, thanks to which, you will minimize the risk of slipping. In addition to a strong, aggressive tread, trail running shoes have a reinforced upper in areas most exposed to abrasions by roots and stones, so they will last longer in these conditions than asphalt shoes.
What is DROP in running shoes and why it is important for a runner?
Drop is the height difference between the heel and the mid foot. The higher the drop, the easier it will be to roll over from heel to toe while running. The most common drop height is 10mm. Low drop is more demanding as it forces the runner to run through the mid foot. Very often, lower drops are found in trail running shoes, because feeling the ground and any unevenness is very important, or in racing shoes as mid-foot strike allows to run much faster than heel-strike.
