Do you wear specific running shoes....what brand?

I have had good luck with Saucony. Best advice is to go to a running shoe store and have them check your gait to see what you need. Even if the shoes are more than at a big mega sports retailer. the extra $$ is worth it! Key to preventing injury, etc.

road racing shoes = mizunos
trail running shoes = montrail

but i could have said nike, or new balance or asics or pearl izumi, or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

it doesnt matter.
what shoe works for me, in all likelyhood wont work for you.
our feet are different.
brands are different
For example, i canNOT wear asics because their shoes are inperceptably more "kidney" shaped, and they wreak serious havoc on my feet. They are however, PERFECT for other people.
Mizunos fit my feet like a glove...like there is literally someone at the mizuno factory with my exact foot..... just wish mizuno made trail running shoes that i can find

you have to go to a specialty running store to have your gait analyzed, whether or not there is anything "wrong". They will look for several different things in your foot anatomy and your gait, such as arch (high, mid, flat footed), instep (high or not), pronation (under, neutral, super), and how you run (striking heel, midfoot or forefoot). Every person will have some combination of these features, and its important that you find the shoe that works WITH your anatomy, and doesn exacerbate anything.
Make sense?
For instance, i have very high, ridiculously high and rigid arches and instep, with a neutral gait, striking mid to forefoot region. This puts me in a neutral shoe with less cushion/stability, designed for performance.

or i could have gone to famous foot wear and grabbed the pair i thought was cutest.
Running in asics (with the kidney shape and extra heel cushioning), even though they were "neutral" shoes, ended up giving me posterior tibial tendonitis.

I started the c25k program in my New balance, but I run on my wooded property so I may check out the trail running shoes

Running shoes yes... I have WIDE feet so I wear mens shoes for heavy runners (Brooks Beasts)

I only wear Asics. I agree with mkroyer 100%.

Did you see this thread:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/exer...oe-advice.html

I agree with the others - gotta figure it out for yourself - I do read reviews though about shoes on runnersworld. I have pretty much stuck with nike myself - I got a pair of Asics and hated them. Right now I have the Nike LunarGlide - always thought it was a myth about putting a shoe on and it would feel like it belonged until I found these. Loved them instantly!

I had Nike's in the past and hated them, I have had good luck with New Balance. I found two running specialty stores (both about 45 minutes away) so I am heading to one of them in the next few weeks.

JULES there are a few stores in our area (we have a lot of runners here that train year round) that will TELL you what type of shoe would be best for your feet and program....

real experts that work with what is best for you, not just to sell a specific product.

see if you have one around you....

As for me...male of course...New Balance and Saucony seem best for me...but best running shoe I ever had...Brooks!...don't make that model anymore though...

but then I don't run anymore either....lol....

New Balance have been great for me.

There are actually 2 stores, both about an hour from my house in the boonies, only about a 20 minute or so ride from work so I am going to go one evening. I do really like my New Balance sneakers

I think I need better shoes, I've had a pair of Nikes for years (that's okay, because I rarely every did anything physical). I'm starting to get weird blisters on the outside of my arches.

It's true that a knowledgeable salesperson can make the world of difference.

I go to a store that sells shoes wholesale, which means I pay $45 for shoes that cost $90. I have never become a brand loyalist, but I know that I have high arches, rigid foot, under pronate (roll on outside of foot), and hit my heel first. Therefore, I go for shoes with lot's of cushioning. And the shoes need to be wide with minimal arch support.

I generally go for Saucony first. But I have had pairs of Asics I liked even though they are narrow. Currently, I'm wearing a pair of Nikes, which have lasted very well.

At my store, the salesperson (actually he's the owner) knows his shoes and I run my selections by him. It's a good place and they have a return policy, as long as I test the shoes indoors and not on the street.

If anybody is in the Philadelphia area, let me plug John's sneaks in Ardmore, PA. This place is absolutely the best, but bring cash, they don't take credit cards. I haven't paid more the $50 for top of the line running shoes & I am completely spoiled now.

Running shoes are such an individual thing. You really do have to go to a good specialty store and try a bunch of them on and run around the store in them. I have Nikes now and I hate hate hate them but I can't afford to replace them yet. They felt great in the store but feel awful on runs, so I guess that advice I just gave you two sentences ago doesn't always work!

The best running shoes I've ever had were New Balance, but I think what made the difference was that they actually fit each shoe to each foot by using little inserts (not the kind you buy, but pieces they cut and shaped in the store until they were just right). Those things were PERFECT. Unfortunately, that store is no longer near me and the guy who fit those shoes for me and the next pair no longer lives around here. I want him back!