The truth is, it is not about what feels comfortable in the store while you try them on. The perfect running shoes are more about your running style and the shape of your feet.
First off let’s consider the 3 major types of running shoes.
Road Running Shoes – These are designed for your regular asphalt and pavements. They are built to hold your feet while you pound on hard surfaces. For the Lagos Marathon which is all road on the course…this is what you need. But let’s still look at the other types.
Trail Running Shoes – These are for off-road courses like forests, mountains etc.
Cross training shoes – Mostly for the gym or CrossFit workouts (callisthenics, aerobics, lifting etc)
Tip: Since the marathon is best to run in road running shoes, if you Google best-running shoes you may find examples of tested shoes that top the list like the Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo.
Types of Road Running Shoes;
- Neutral Shoes
- Stability Shoes
- Motion Control shoes
Now that we have seen the types of shoes, let us figure out how you run.
Since you are going for the marathon, chances are, you have been training, by actually running. So take a look at the soles of your shoes and find out where the most wear has occurred. What you are looking for is the point of pronation.
What the heck is pronation?
Pronation is the natural movement of your foot as it rolls inward when you walk or run.
Looking at your shoes will show you what sort of pronation your feet experience.
Neutral Pronation- Your shoes show that the central ball of your foot and some part of your heels experience more pressure. This is the ideal foot strike.
What you need
Neutral running shoes. These shoes provide some shock absorption and some medial (arch-side) support.
Overpronation- The wear is at the inside edge of your shoes. Your foot strike is at those edges.
What you need
Motion Control Shoes- Made to reinforce the arch side of each midsole, an area highly impacted by overpronation.
Under pronation- The wear is on the outer edge of your shoe. It results from insufficient impact reduction at landing.
What you need
Neutral Shoes- More cushioning for greater shock absorption.
So having discovered this, then your search for the best shoes should involve Googling. If you are in the overpronation group, you can Google best motion control shoes. Also, take a look at the features of the motion control shoes so that you can match with features of shoes you intend to get. If you are brand biased, as a lover of Adidas or Puma, then you can simply search Puma Motion control shoes…and you may find something like this.
Tip for getting used or second-hand shoes
If you don’t intend to buy new shoes or even if you want to take a pair from someone, you can check if they suit you buy Googling the shoe brand and model, and checking if it has the features of great running shoes like
- Synthetic leather
- Nylon and mesh
- Thermoplastic polyurethane
- Waterproof/breathable uppers
Cool? Now go get your perfect running shoes. It’s almost race day.
