Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
Ok so I did it. I went to the runners store and got fitted for a proper shoe. Thy checked my gait and it turns out I roll to the inside of my foot and have little arch. I ended up with a Brooks Ravenna as it felt the best. I spent $120 which was $40 over my budget but it is what it is and it's worth it. Thanks for the advice all!

Congrats, Wannabeskinny! You know-if they fit you well and you feel comfortable running and walking in them and they cause no problems, that $120 will be money well spent. You'll thank yourself later!

Happy dance!

Originally Posted by MariaMaria:
Your local running shop is a business, not a library. If you want to buy online cheaper, get your fitting online.

Generally, independent stores sell at list, just like Zappos.

The problem with buying on-line is you can't try them on before you buy them.

Been there done that before. Shoes I thought would work out great--didn't work out so great after I got them. I ended up going right back to a running store to try on several different brands to see which one was for me.

Without question, going to a speciality running store is the place to start - most towns have local ones and also some chains, such as Fleet Feet or similar. I live in Vegas and there's a couple of local stores that I go to periodically to get refitted and checked.

When I started running a few years ago, I got my gait analyzed on a treadmill (they video you from the knees down and show you in slow mo what you're doing) and I ended up in a stability show as I over-pronated. Couple years later, I had knee surgery (unrelated to running) and my surgeon told me to go back and get another analysis once I was cleared to run. Sound advice as my gait had changed and now I'm in a neutral shoe.

The best shoe for me in the last 2-3 years has been the Brooks Ghost - I started with the 3, currently have three pairs of the 5, and they just released the 6. I buy the first pair at the local store and subsequent pairs online, but really the only time I get a great deal online is when the next model comes out and I'm stockpiling the older model! I think the Ghost 6 retails for $120 and I just got some 5's for $60 online. When I'm ready to try the 6's, I'll go back to the running store and check them out - every model is slightly different as the company usually makes small changes to try and improve the shoe, so I like to make sure the new model continues to work for me.

I would recommend that you only run in your running shoes - get cross trainers for other sports (or if you play a lot of tennis, get tennis shoes - as previously mentioned, you want a lot of lateral support for tennis). I only wear my running shoes for other things once I've put over 450 miles on them and they're officially retired from running!