Getting the right fit with running shoes

If you are interested in having great fitting shoes then you have come to the right place.  There are those that might wonder if this is actually important, but you would only need to have ill fitting shoes for a  short while in a running or training program and you would realize the importance of having a solid fit to your shoes.  It is great to know that others have realized this and have put together four simple steps to having the best fitting shoes possible. 

The first step in having great fitting shoes is to pay attention to the front of your foot, also known as the ball of your foot.  Because the ball of your foot is also the part of your foot that is widest, you can take the shoe you are trying to fit and ensure that the widest part of your foot will fit well in the widest part of the shoe.  It is said that when that happens then the rest of the shoe will fit well.  What does it mean to fit well in the widest part?  Easy!  Make sure your foot is touching both sides, but it should not be crammed against either side.

 

The second step is to make sure it has support but is not too tight.  A great trick used in the industry is to put the shoe on and then stand on only one foot.  You will see that the shoe will feel tighter as it is starting to put on stress.  Tighter is okay, too tight is not.  Learn to feel how this is to you, as you do not want a blister from it sliding due to being too loose nor from it pinching your foot, especially the top.

If they fit well you are still not finished as your goal is not to put on shoes and sit around.  You  need to know how they will work when they are put into motion.  If your heel is sliding around, for example, this is a bad thing.  Also, you want to make sure that you feel like the shoes are a solid extension of yourself and not going to hamper your ability to run.  One great way to see how this works is try and run on a slight downgrade to see how it feels.

Finally, your foot moves in a fluid motion.  It is no surprise that your shoe needs to do the same.  If you have the shoe on and walk around you will find that some models may have a seam or stitching that rides odd on your foot.  You can get a great idea how different shoes will work if you do all of these things to ensure a good fit.