Running gear

Welcome to the first in an occasional series on advice and reviews on various bits of running kit.

They say that all you need to be a runner is a pair of trainers and the willingness to take that first step. After that it’s just one foot in front of the other at whatever pace you feel comfortable with.

But once you’ve been running a while it may be time to start thinking a bit more about the kit you’re using and whether it’s as appropriate as it once was.

The first place to start is your shoes. Yes – to get going all you need is a pair of trainers, but trust someone who has had a history of knee trouble that the importance of the right pair of trainers cannot be overstated! They will cost a bit more but what you get in return – being miles and miles and hours and hours of comfortable, pain-free or injury-limiting running – will be worth every penny.

Not that you can right now, but once non-essential shops re-open (how is a running shop not an essential shop?? I ask you!) get yourself booked in for some gait analysis. If you’re not sure which shops do this ask your local running Facebook group or running club; you’ll probably get a good half dozen different answers. And bonus – most shops will do this for free if you then buy a pair of shoes in the shop following the analysis.

Why get the gait analysis? There are quite literally hundreds of different running shoes on the market, all styled to different terrain, running stride, intent (casual or competition), foot width, support… the list goes on! Having the analysis will show you which sort of shoe is best for your needs – whether you need a lighter shoe, a shoe with more cushioning, a show to correct over-pronation (where your foot rolls inward when you land – which was my problem for YEARS).

I won’t deny that shoes can be expensive – a good shoe can be anything from £75 to £140 and if that puts you off I would still recommend the analysis as it will tell you where to look for when (or if) you can afford that sort of money. In which case most shops that provide gait analysis will usually charge a fee for doing so (between £15 and £30).

And if money is an issue, don’t worry! You’ll know what sort of shoe to look for in the future and you can always shop around online. Alternatively, a little bit of research will tell you what shoes are similar to others. Your local running shop will only stock a limited number of shoes so it’s not difficult to check out online which shoes are similar to the one that was “right for you” in the shop.

What tips have you got for picking your running shoes? Let us know in the comments!