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You have trained consistently for months, achieved your season's goals and now your sights are set on winter training and next season. By this point, your running shoes (a loyal training buddy throughout the summer) should be looking fairly well-worn. They are super comfortable, they fit beautifully, but they just don't provide the levels of cushioning and support they did fresh out of the box. It's time for a change! Choosing the best running shoes can be a tricky task though, even for the most experienced of athletes. Most likely, the manufacturers of your current shoes will have brought out a new version of your current model, possibly with vastly different characteristics. So, while it is not quite straight back to square one for the task of choosing a new pair, it is important to be discerning when choosing your winter pair. In this article we will attempt to set out, in simple terms, the key factors to consider when choosing your new pair of shoes. If you choose the right pair, your shoes will help you to stay injury free over winter and lay the foundations for a successful season next year. However, if you make the wrong choice, you may suffer rubbing, black toenails or, worse still, long-term injury which will allay any hopes of a successful season next year. FACTOR 1: COMFORT A running shoe should feel comfortable the moment you try it on.....the running shoe should feel 'right'. If the shoes feel uncomfortable, you should reject them. It doesn't matter whether the particular brand/shoe is endorsed by Chrissie Wellington, Paula Radcliffe or Alistair Brownlee, they will not 'wear-in' and feel better. FACTOR 2: CUSHIONING A training shoe (as opposed to a racing shoe) should feel like it provides sufficient 'shock absorption' (a.k.a. cushioning) to protect your joints and muscles from the constant pounding they will endure during the next few months of run training. Different manufacturers use different cushioning systems but usually there will be an 'EVA' foam mid-sole, supplemented by one or more of air, gel or soft neoprene-like rubber. There have been no unbiased scientific studies to show that one cushioning system is better than another so the key is to try them all and then decide which feels the most natural and comfortable. Much of the 'feel' of a running shoe will come from the cushioning and this is therefore a very personal choice that only you can make. FACTOR 3: SUPPORT The question of support in running shoes polarises the opinions and advice of running shoe manufacturers and bio-mechanists worldwide. Several major running shoe retailers now run schemes whereby you have the opportunity to buy a pair of shoes and return them (to swap for a different pair) within a month of purchase if you are not getting on with them. Take advantage of these schemes - but do give them a thorough test before returning shoes.
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