Your Shoes matter if you are serious about Running

Yes, they do!

Your shoes matter if you are serious about running as a hobby. Daily running leads to wear and tear in shoes. The pair of shoes that you wear would there require special consideration on your part. So, let’s jump into understanding the wisdom of finding the right kind of shoes for your running spree.

You land on your feet when you run. The shape and size of your feet are made in such a way that you can have your best landing on the running surface. But, the surface on which you may run won’t be in your favor all the time. The roadrunners that we most of us are, run on the surface that is hard. This hard surface can put your legs and feet in severe discomfort if you do not have the right kind of shoes to absorb the shocks.

I started to run in normal sport’s shoes. If you go to a shoe store and ask for a pair of shoes for running, you may be given the Sports shoes. You will not be in a position to check if the shoes that you are getting are going to help you in running or not. So, I am giving you a list of things to check before buying yourself a pair of Running Shoes.

• Make sure that you have the shoes that fit you well. Do not go for loose or tight ones. Your feet should be able to sit comfortably inside.
• To ensure that you do not have a problem while running, buy a shoe that has atleast a thumb-size gap in front.
• Your shoe must have ventilation. The front part of the shoe should be meshy. This would allow your feet to breath while running long distances.
• Always buy shoes with laces. There are those shoes that people use to walk. But, they won’t be convenient for you to run. The lacey shoes allow for adjustment.
• The soles of the shoes should be comfortable enough to give you a little spongy feeling. This would be good to absorb the shocks arising out of the rough contours of the roads and the tracks on which you run

I ran my first half marathon in normal sport’s shoes. I was not aware that there are specialized running shoes that are available in the market these days. Later, my cousin who ran with me in the marathon told me about all that. He shared with me the wisdom finding me worthy of it. Therefore, I want you to take care of your legs and feet and have the right kind of shoes to wear for running.

There are many brands that are now focussing on creating specially crafted designs for running. I can’t talk about all of them. I have not tried all. But, I would like to make a special mention of one brand that I wear these days. It has made a big difference in my comfort and the ease of running.

These days, I wear ASICS. I have GT-2000s that I bought soon after I came to know about them. I did a lot of research before I could go for them. Lots of research because they are on the higher side of the price range and I had to order them online. The price that I paid was 10X more than my normal sports shoes. I was wary of their utility when I got them. They looked the same. There was not much difference in shape and size.

But, they have made my running so much exciting now. So, let me share with the magic of these wonderful shoes:

• They have the gel-based soles. These soles ensure that you are not landing on the hard surface badly. Your legs on landing send a force in the opposite direction towards the knee joints. If you do not have a good absorbing system in your shoes, your Knees would pain. I used to get that kind of a pain in my ordinary running shoes.
• The shoe has come with excellent meshing in the front. I don’t have my feet stinking even after running for hours together. So far, I have run 2 half-marathons and they have not up-set me.
• The ASICS uses high-quality material to craft their products. I can tell you that because I am running in them for close to 10 months now and there is not a single thread that is coming out. My running watch tells me that I have run over 1500 km. So, I can tell you for sure that they are durable. Had I been in ordinary shoes, I would have made replaced them within 6 months.

There are other companies that are now focussing on creating world-class running shoes. NIKE, REEBOK, NEWTON, etc. I have heard about them. If you have a nearby store, you can go and check them out.

Now that I have told you my choice of shoes for running, I would love to know what brand you wear. And do leave your comments, please!!