In the old days buying running shoes was a simple affair, with only a few brands and styles to choose from, you typically bought one pair and used them for every outdoor activity you could imagine. These days, technology has advanced running shoes so much it can become difficult to decipher what you need.

Sports shoes have been developed for every form of exercise and the manufacturer list has grown to include Nike, Adidas, Asics, New Balance, Saucony, Newton Energy, Sketchers, Reebok and many more. Picking the wrong shoe could put you in a lot of pain, which is the reason why there are so many companies developing shoes for multi-sports.

First, decide on what you want to use your running shoes for. Running shoes and walking shoes are different. Do you run a marathon every day or are you simply walking around the block once a week for some quick exercise? These factors, along with the length and width of each foot are the most important aspects to help narrow down your search for running shoes.

Then you have brands, colors and prices to consider. We find it helps to define your price points first – decide the maximum you’d like to pay. Then keep an eye out for advertisements for shoe sales and search through our huge collection of running shoes. Don’t forget to make use of our filters and sorting options to help you narrow down your shoe search. Once you have your shoe prices and results ready, color and style are the next points to consider. Brightly colored, fluoro running shoes are all the rage these days but they’re like all fashion – they’ll change each season.

Visiting your local sports shoe retailer can help point you in the right direction and answer any questions you may have around buying running shoes. It’s always usually cheaper to buy online, but doing the research in bricks and mortar stores can quickly settle any queries you may have. You can also “test drive” any shoes you may like in store which is a feature online retailers haven’t quite figured out how to provide yet.

Finally remember your best running shoes won’t last forever. If you’re not happy with the style or color you pick after a short period, don’t worry because you’ll always wear through them and a new pair of running shoes will be bought. Unfortunately nothing lasts forever including sports shoes so you’ll get a chance to pick out something new at some point.