I started my walking and jogging in some cheap Walmart shoes. At first, it didn’t seem to have a big impact as I was going slow and short distances, however, when I started increasing the distance and pace, it didn’t take long for the foot and leg pain to begin. I had a difficult time looking at the price of proper running shoes. I probably hadn’t paid more than $30 for a pair of shoes before this, now I was supposed to drop 80+ dollars!?!

I did it, I spent around $90 on my first pair. After much research and trying on shoes I selected the ASICS GT-2000 2, and I’ve remained with the brand and series. I’ve tried a few other shoes but keep coming back to the ASICS GT-2000’s. I can get about 750-1000 miles out of a pair of shoes, which is around a four-month cycle. If you use a GPS tracker like I mentioned in my Garmin post, you can track your shoe-miles easily.

 

When I remember, I take a picture of the new shoes as a reminder of how they look before I wear them out. I keep 4-5 pair of shoes available for those rainy weeks where a different pair is needed each day. Once they are soaked it takes a good three days to dry out. I learned early on not to run with moist shoes, the blisters come quickly when the skin gets soft from the moisture. The most I ever had in use at one time was four pair during an excessively rainy period.

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My current “primary” runners are on the right in the photo above. As the inventory gets too large, I clean up the oldest shoes and donate them to a local thrift store with the hope that some other new runner can get a no-or-low cost opportunity to try the shoes and the difference they make.

I wear out the heels first, then the ball area, but for a beginner, these would still be beneficial. The shoes generally still look good and are quite serviceable, the soles are just worn down like tires with a lot of miles.

I purchase my shoes from a local sport supply store called Body-N-Sole or through Amazon, if I cannot get what I need locally.

Do your feet and legs a favor, find supportive and comfortable shoes.