I may be a mere humble novice when it comes to running, but one thing I learned fairly quickly: shoes matter. A lot.

Even I can tell the difference. A new pair of quality running shoes makes me run better and helps me avoid my typical running injury: runner’s knee.

Here are my running shoes tips – hope you find them helpful:

1. Read up. Running shoes is hi-tech science these days, with custom-made solutions for various issues. Read shoe reviews and runner’s reviews before you make up your mind. Remember: what works for your best friend won’t necessarily work for you. I highly recommend the six articles in Runner’s World Foot Diagnostics section.
2. Invest in a visit to a proper running store where they analyse your gait and let you know what kind of shoe works for you. Once you have that, shopping elsewhere and even online becomes much easier. I’ve done the gait analysis routine twice already and in my case, my gait actually changed a little bit in the space of a year (probably due to my weight loss).
3. New shoes literally have more bounce in them. I can feel the quality deteriorating over time, and being overweight, I prefer to err on the side of caution and change to a new pair of shoes earlier than recommended by the manufacturer. For me, that means a new pair of shoes every six months or so.
4. This is a personal choice, but since going vegan this year, I’ve decided to opt for vegan shoes too. No, I don’t eat my shoes… I just prefer for them to be made without the involvement of livestock corporates. I’m going to dedicate a post to the vegan shoes issue soon and recommend a brand for you too.

That’s it, basically. Not a running shoes shopping guide, just my own personal take on the topic. What’s your take on shopping for running shoes? Leave me comments or tweet me @israelimom!