Tips for finding the best running shoes for the support you need

When you run, your weight comes down hard on your heel, then moves forward as you push off the ground for the next step. Your running shoes help cushion and balance your feet, so you need footwear that fits you perfectly.

• Whether it's too big or too small, a poorly fitted shoe can rub you the wrong way, resulting in painful blisters. Other issues are black or damaged toenails, bunions and calluses.
• Numbness in your feet while running is also a warning sign that you've got the wrong shoes.
• If the shoes throw your balance off, you could fall and injure yourself. Or, you might just suffer pain in your muscles and ligaments.
• Spare yourself all of that by using running shoes that fit.
• Replace them regularly when the cushioning loses its spring.

• Go to a speciality running shoe store where the sales force is trained to measure and fit shoes with precision.
• Some stores even feature treadmills so the sales consultants can watch you run and suggest shoes for the way you move and so you can try out your new shoes before leaving the store.

Running shoes should let air it. The fabric should either be porous or dotted with small holes.

Keep the following in mind for sizing:

• Have both feet measured at the store, and buy shoes based on the largest measurement. Your feet change over time, and they are rarely mirror images of each other.
• Remember that not all shoe types or shoe makers are alike when it comes to sizing. The right size is a starting point, but in the end, the shoes must be comfortable and roomy while supporting your feet.
• Allow toe room - up to two cm between your big toe and the end of the shoe is ideal.
• The shoe should be as wide as your foot and not constrict it in any way.
• Go to the shoe store late in the afternoon. Your feet swell during the day, and the shoes that fit so nicely in the morning could be too tight by tea time.