I have been having a number of issues with my feet and Achilles tendon recently.  This got me wondering about my running shoes. I started to question whether I am running in the right shoes.

Ever since I began running I have run in a stability shoe. The Asics Gel Kayano’s have been my ‘go to’ shoe for the past five years.  I have had good success with this brand and model of shoe. I have always liked that they fit snuggly around my narrow heel.  The toe box has also been quite snug around my forefoot. I have grown to quite like that snug feeling.  

With all the foot issues recently however, particularly those associated with my big toe, I was a little concerned that maybe the toe box is a little too tight.  Knowing that Fleet Feet running stores can do a foot shape profile and a gait / movement analysis, I decided to visit one today for the first time.

I had a great experience at the store and also learned several things.  I got confirmation that I do need a stability shoe, due to my over pronation issues.  My left foot pronates more than my right foot, which I did not know.  I also learned that I have quite wide feet and that wider shoes might be a better fit for me.  The store also recommended that I use a larger sized shoe.

So the bottom line is that I have been running in the right shoe, but most likely the size of those shoes may have been a little small.  After discussing options with the staff at Fleet Feet, I decided to try a pair of Asics GT-2000 9 shoes.  I ended up liking the feel of a shoe that was one whole size larger than what I have been running in.  It will be interesting to see how this shoe feels after a few runs.