I have a friend who liked to try out different sports.  He always joked that for every sport there was – 1. a special type of shoe and  2. a magazine to go with the sport.  Even though he was joking, he was correct.  Take a moment to think about sports, you can get a magazine pertaining to all of them and in most cases you need some on your feet, running shoes, basketball shoes, barre socks, flippers, boots, ice skate, toe shoe, etc.

For a runner or walker, probably the most expensive and certainly the most important item you will purchase/need is your shoes. Your shoes should fit properly and be the correct type of support for your feel.  If you have shoes that don’t provide the proper support you can have ankle, knee, hip and back problems, if your shoe don’t fit properly, you can end up with black toenails, and sore feet.  Go to a store which specializes in running shoes, like Hanson’s Running Shop….. Most walkers will end up in running shoes, they will provide you flexibility and support for walking as well as running.  The staff can analyze your feet and stride and make recommendations about the correct shoe for you.

The shoe that is the best for you is the one which supports you and feels the best.  Take your old running or walking shoes with you, plan to spend 30-40 minutes trying on shoes the first time, try on similar shoes from different companies, plan to spend between $120-$160 for your shoes.  Your shoes should last for about 500 miles.  You can keep track of all your mileage every time you run or walk or have an idea of your weekly mileage and figure how long they should last.  Some people like to have 2 pairs of shoes and trade them off, this makes them last longer because you are using them less.  

Please don’t go to Kohl’s,  Meijer, Walmart, Famous Footwear or any other store which doesn’t specialize in running shoes to get a pair of shoe which are “cute” or on sale.  I always tell people that you wouldn’t go to a Dentist if you had a broken leg, you would go to to a specialist, it is the same with your shoes. Take the time to go to a specialist, be prepared to spend some money to make sure that you don’t have any problems so that you can keep running or walking.