Like the book I found on my first run with my newly, fitted shoes says... "you are not a stranger here."
Toss all judgment aside for I, too, am a running newb.
I used to run in college, but purchased my shoes from department stores, without thinking anything about my own personal foot mechanics. I would walk into a store and say "ooOOoO! Pretty!" And have no second thoughts.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with walking into a running specialty shop and exclaiming "Me wants! So cute! Yay colors!" BUT what you do next is incredibly important.
New to Running? Questions and Answers from Someone Like You
Steps to Becoming the Runner You Wish You Were:
And Then Smarter and Healthier Because of It
- Have your feet analyzed
2. Additionally, have someone perform a "gait analysis" How do you run? Do you roll inward? (overpronation) Outward? (supination) Are you pretty much gliding through your strides without rolling in or out? (neutral) Do you have any idea? I know that I didn't. Some brands, like Altra Running, note that a person's foot mechanics, natural pronation, shouldn't be changed or managed.But others (and most) think it's imperative to type their shoes: supinators, neutral runners and overpronators (mild to severe) and provide technology to combat or keep these natural occurrences. For me, for example, I overpronate. As I run, my feet naturally start rolling inward, so I wear the Saucony Guide 10 to bring me to neutral (after having been fitted and analyzed). The level of pronation control built into the shoe is "light stability," and it has "plush cushioning." It's engineered for mild to moderate overpronation. The goal of Saucony's Guide is to, well, guide your stride, to try and neutralize the gait to improve your running experience.
Check out the Saucony Guide 10
3. Do steps one and two. If you were looking for more advice, unfortunately, I can't give it. What I can give you is this... a quote from Oprah Winfrey.
“Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it.”
There are first steps to changing your life. Start small. Go into your local running store.