MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2017

As a coach, long-time runner and running store "shoe fitter," I am often asked about "the right" running shoes. Here's my guidance, distilled, absent the benefit of information about a specific runner.

Correcting your running form starts with you, not the shoe. A variety of running form errors can and should be corrected by you, the runner, before looking to shoes or orthotic inserts for help. Here's what to work on to avoid injury and become a more efficient, faster distance runner:

• Focus on running relaxed, with a forward lean. Bring your sternum forward until your weight is balanced over your hips and equally distributed between your forefoot and heel.

• Engage your core by running with a straight back and your shoulders over your hips, with your arms engaged to help drive your legs.

• Run with a more efficient style: Faster, lighter steps.

• Don't over stride; Instead, use your core to lift up your legs. Rather than reaching forward with your legs, focus on fully extending your hips: Drive your the legs back from the hip.

• Pay attention to your tracking: You want your feet to be parallel to the direction you are running. Try to point your feet straight ahead on landing and on the pull through, staying aligned with your hips.

Running in the right shoe is wrong if it is worn out. A worn out shoe does not provide the cushion, support and protection it is designed to provide, and, depending on how and where it is worn out, can produce or contribute to running injuries. The first thing my coach Jim Spivey asks a runner who is showing symptoms of a running injury is, "What's the mileage on your shoes? How long have you been running in them?" If the mileage is approaching or over 400 miles or if the shoes are a year old or older, he tells the runner to replace the shoes, adding this wisdom: "New shoes are a lot cheaper than a ortho or podiatrist visit."

Match the shoe to the distance and surface. Running shoes come in a great variety optimized for varied uses: Longer distance training shoes, light-weight trainers, trail shoes, racing flats, cross country spikes, longer distance track spikes, short distance track spikes, triathlon shoes and more. You may not need or even be able to wear all of these shoe types. (For example, I have found trail shoes too stiff for me - they tend to aggravate my achilles tendon). I now have five pairs of running shoes in rotation:

• A pair of cushioned shoes for longer distance training (10 to 20 mile runs) and racing (half marathon to marathon races).

• Two pairs of light-weight trainers for shorter distance training (6 to 10 mile runs) and racing (10K to 10 mile races).

• An even lighter pair of shoes for short training (track distances to 10K runs) and racing (mile to 10K races).

• Racing flats for track workouts and short races (400 meters to 5K races). (I have worn flats for marathon and half marathon racing - but I find my feet get beat up too much over longer distances when I race in flats.)

If your budget only allows for one pair of shoes for running, forget the options and get a pair of cushioned shoes that are right for your feet:

• Examples of shoes with which I have some familiarity that offer cushioning and varied levels of correction for over pronation: ASICS Kayano and GT 2000; Saucony Omni, Hurricane ISO and Guide; Brooks Beast and Adrenaline; HOKA One One Ahrahi; Mizuno Wave Inspire and Wave Paradox; Nike Structure; New Balance 870; Adidas Supernova Sequence Boost.

• Examples shoes with which I have some familiarity that are neutral and cushioned: ASICS Cumulus, Nimbus and Dynaflyte; Saucony Ride, Triumph ISO and Freedom ISO; Brooks Ghost and Glycerin; HOKA One One Bondi and Clifton; Mizuno Wave Rider and Wave Enigma; New Balance Fresh Foam Boracay; Nike Zoom Vomero, Adidas Supernova; Sketchers GOrun.

If you can afford it, rotate two pairs of shoes. This recommended practice is backed up by a research study that showed that runners who rotated among multiple models during the 22-week study had a 39% lower risk of running injury than those who almost always ran in the same shoes. Note that the benefit came not from rotating two pairs of the same model of shoes but from rotating different models of shoes so that "running pattern" and "external and active forces on the lower legs" varied during running.

You can get away with it on race day. You might have noticed from my list of shoes that what I wear for racing is lighter, less of a shoe, than I wear for training. In my experience, while I don't want to train in less substantial shoes and risk injury, I can race in them. For me the benefit is both physical - I am running with less weight and therefore am slightly faster - and psychological - I feel lighter and faster and am inspired to race harder.

Correction first, lightness second. All things being equal (which they never are), the lighter shoe should be the faster shoe. But it's more complicated than that. Stiffness can make a difference, as can how the shoe helps you manage foot-strike tendencies. The right shoe can help the runner achieve mid-foot striking rather than heel striking. The right shoe can help correct for over pronation (rolling to the inside on foot strike) or supination (rolling to the outside on foot strike). Selecting a shoe for lightness should come after selection for correction.

The benefits of running in zero drop, minimal shoes are in question. Over the past decade much was made of running more naturally, as though running without shoes. The idea was that running with a minimal zero-drop shoe, with a sole that had little or no height difference between heel and toe, would mimic barefoot running, how man originally learned to run. The claim was that this would be the better way to run from the standpoint of injury prevention and speed. However, both anecdotal and scientific research have generally concluded that the claimed benefits of running in minimalist shoes have not been supported by the evidence, and that for some runners, especially those who are heavier, running in minimal shoes heightens the chance of injury.

Don't over-correct correction...unless your foot doc says to. Sometimes I see runners buying shoes that correct for over pronation and provide arch support put over-the-counter orthotics in their shoes. The orthotics, like their new shoes, are designed to correct for over pronation and provide arch support. The result can be over-correction that can raise the likelihood of injury (and, at the least, unnecessarily add weight and stiffness to the shoe). Unless your foot doctor suggests you use orthotics in a support shoe, why do it?

Color does not matter...but it might to you. Face it, the purpose of running shoes is to protect your feet with comfort while maximizing your running potential and correcting for any foot issues and improper foot strike. Note that color is nowhere mentioned in the last sentence. But if you can't stand the color of the right shoe for you, by all means, try comparable shoes from other manufacturers or see if you can order a different color for the shoe that in every other way is right for you.

How the shoe looks doesn't matter...but it might to you. Some shoes are high profile, some are low. HOKAs, especially, look "clunky" or even "orthopedic" to some people, but their very light weight, extreme cushioning, lower drop (lower angle from heel to toe) and rocker bottom (upward sole curvature at the toe) are just the ticket for many runners. Again, put looks last in how you evaluate running shoes.

Don't expect this year's model to match last year's. Sadly, your long-time favorite shoe might not be the same in the next model. Too many runners might not have liked it, a flaw might have been addressed or the manufacturer may have wanted to update the shoe for competitive reasons with what it believed was more advanced technology. For a while I was a volunteer shoe tester for a leading manufacturer: I and my peers tested changes in popular models. I quit the program when a shoe I tested with a proposed change led to injury. Better me than you, right? But even changes that make it through the testing process might not work for you.

Comparison test. When shoe shopping, start by putting on a pair of shoes that are your favorites or that likely will be right for you. Walk and run in the shoes and note how it feels. Then remove one shoe and replace it with an alternative choice that might be good for you. Walk and run with the one shoe from the original pair and the other from the different pair and note which one feels best. Remove the one that's the loser in the comparison test and put on another shoe. Continue this process through multiple shoes and you will gain greater understanding of what shoe feels best.

Be sure it feels right. That's the bottom line. When you have honed on the type of shoe that you should be wearing and have tested your options, choose the shoe that feels the best. For most people, appropriate shoe options abound. Among these options different manufacturers use different lasts, different materials and different technology to address the runner's need. This is the point at which you should pick the shoe that feels the best for you.