So...I've been doing a lot of what I will call...limpjogwalking as of late. The only pair of athletic (looking?) shoes I own are giving me gnarly cuts on my heels. I got them at Target for about $25 bucks which, up until this point, I considered to be about the highest amount of money I could spend on a pair of shoes without compromising my moral integrity (I'm a goodwill type of gal). A few of my friends have suggested that you simply must spend at least $80 to get a pair of running shoes that are not horrible. One friend even suggested going to a running store (um, those exist?) to get fitted. I am feeling pretty naive here, as you may have perceived...your thoughts? Is this true? What brand of shoes work well for you? Are they pricey? Is there such a thing as a decent running shoe around, say, $40?

For walking (I don't run to spare you all) I simply use old work shoes and change into new work shoes at work or new shoes for casual occassions.

So I recycle my old ones.

I look a mess while walking but the wear is just too great with the miles I do for anything new.

For running, you should definitely go to a running store and have them do an analysis and give you recommendations of the best shoe. If you really honestly cannot afford to spend the $100 or so for the shoe they recommend, what you can do is go online and find the same shoe in last year's model at a much cheaper price. Shoe manufacturers usually only make small changes to their shoes each year, so you should be safe buying last year's shoe instead of the more costly current one. (But be nice to the shoe store people and at least buy something, like a pair of sox. )

I'd guess the same info would apply to walking but I don't know. I won't walk. I think it's boring.

I powerwalk daily, several miles. Use a New Balance walking shoe. Pricey at 150 Cdn but worth every penny (well, nickel now). I have a horrible blister problem on one toe, due to pinching, so need extra-extra-wide. Only shoe I've owned that didn't blister my foot.

I'm very firming on Team Go To A Running Store & Get Fitted.

I am currently wearing the Saucony Fastwitch 5 and Saucony Kinvara 3. Now that I know what works for my feet, I buy them online. The kinvara 4s are getting ready for coming out, so I got the 3s for $50. Same thing when I bought my fastwitches.

Socks are important too. I do own some of the $10/pair socks, but honestly I love my running socks from Target too. They're C9 by Champion and even have the heel tabs like my expensive socks, but they're much cheaper, around $8 for a 4 pack.

I love to run... so I go through shoes pretty quickly since the cushioning in them is only good for about 300 miles... so I'll usually rotate between 2 pairs and replace them every 3 months...

If you're not up for going to a running store and getting fitted just yet... although I would totally recommend that at some point... what I would do is go to one of the big chain type sporting goods stores...not sure what you have in your area, but here in NY I think it's something like the Sports Authority or one of those type places where they have all of the running shoes on racks and you try them on yourself... and I would just try on a lot of different shoes and pick a shoe that was really comfortable, had decent support, and a fair amount of cushioning... I see decent running shoes in those places all the time in about the $65 range, so I think finding something on sale in the $40 to $50 range wouldn't be much of a problem... And you could always write down the brand and model number and see if you could find it cheaper online too...

Now as far as brands go... I'm a fan of Asics because they work for me... but New Balance makes lots of decent shoes and of course they're well known for having a lot more sizing options depending on what you need...

I just started running and my running friends all told me how important good shoes are. So I did go to a running store and tried on a few pairs. The first pair I tried were Asics and they were AMAZING, but they were also out of my budget at 200$! I ended up buying a pair of Mizuno for 100$. I had been running with an old pair of sneakers prior to that. I can now tell you that good shoes are 100% worth it! I plan on saving so I can eventually buy the Asics, I loved them so much.

What model Asics were $200? Where they Kayano's? Because I'll see those listed sometimes for that much, but then you can find them for $140... I'm currently rotating through a couple of pairs of the latest Gel-Nimbus and I love them...

Thanks everyone! I guess I'll plan to budget about $100 for them. I am very new to this running business, but I am really enjoying the fact that it's getting easier with each step I take. Love the idea of checking out last years models online, thanks for that! I don't think there is a running store in my town, but there's probably a lot in Portland.

Yes, they were Kayano's. But I'm in Canada and things are often more expensive here. I found them cheaper online but shipping was so expensive it wasn't really worth it.

Sorry I didn't see that you were from Canada... I can't believe they charge that much for shipping... what a drag! I love Montreal btw...

You'll be able to get a great pair for that... and probably for even less... and definitely check out last years model online if you find something you really like... I do that all the time... Not even to save money but sometimes I like the last model a little bit better... the model I run in now is up to 14! but I skipped a few... Lol...

Have fun... And Happy Running...!!!

I imagine the type of shoe that is best is going to depend on the particular requirements of the wearer. Some of the new running shoes are lighter and may not contain a lot of cushion (gel, etc.) This might be fine for lighter people, but for people like me who are still large, we need some cushion to keep our feet, knees, shins protected from damage. Does anybody have any suggestions for shoes for larger people who need that cushion? I've heard great things about the Acsics. But I don't need a running shoe. I'm only going to do walking.

Lunar Glide by Nike. Around $90 on Amazon (previous model).
I walk a lot, I buy new shoes every 400-500 miles.

A running store will also fit people for shoes for walking. FWIW though, I'm still 225ish, and I wear minimalist shoes with no problems. Every time I try a shoe with more support and cushioning, I end up with all kinds of joint pain that I don't have in my minimalist shoes.