This is the most important step in finding the right shoe. A running shoe that fits will be snug but not tight. Buying running shoes that are too small is a common problem. Your running shoes may need to be a half to a full size larger than your street shoes.
To check for adequate room at the top by pressing your thumb into the shoe just above your longest toe. The edge of your thumb should fit between the end of your toe and the top pf the shoe. Your heel should fit snugly into the rear of the shoe and should not slide up and down as you walk or run. Take the shoes for a test run. Most specialty runnng stores allow-even encourage-you to run down the street or around the block so that you can feel the shoes in action.
If you have flat feet and overpronate, you need a shoe that will prevent your foot from rolling in too far, that is, a motion-control shoes have a straight shape that gives maximum support to your foot. Also look for a firm rather than a soft midsole, a dual-density midsole with the denser material along the inner edge of the shoe to prevent excessive pronation, and a firm heel counter to minimize rear-foot motion.
If you have high-arched feet and supinate, your feet do not absorb shock very well, so you need a cushioned shoe. Also, you want a shoe that allows your feet to roll inward, since this helps absorb shock. “Cushioned shoes tend to be less supportive and work with foot rather than try to control it,” says Dan Norton, a shoe designer who has worked at several of the major running-shoe companies. You want a shoe with a soft, cushioned midsole and a curved or semicurved shape that permits foot motion as you run.
Your foot type and degree of pronation determine the characteristics that you will need in a running shoe. You can see the shape most clearly by looking at the bottom of the shoe. In general, running shoes come in three shapes-straight, semicurved, and curved-which correspond to the three types of footprints revealed by the wet test. Most experts believe that overpronators should wear a shoe with a straight shape, supinators should wear a shoe with a curved shape, and normal pronators should wear a shoe with a semicurved shape. There are a few other characteristics to consider.