Anatomy of a Running Shoe- How to Choose

It’s important to know the anatomy of running shoes in order to understand what characteristics to look out for when choosing premium running shoes. Below we discuss the various parts of a common running shoe and offer advice on what to seek and what to avoid:

1. Ankle Height - Finding the right ankle height can be difficult although most running shoe brands have got this figured pretty well now based on the proportion of shoe size to ankle height.

Too high and it will irritate you and cause rub, too low and it will fail to support.

You'll usually see the grooves in a picture of the underneath / outer sole.

Too narrow and in no time you'll be experiencing pain. There are specific jogging shoes for wide feet and also those which cater for narrow feet too. Additionally, the arch support is addressed in this area, so for those after a pair of the shoes for plantar fasciitis make sure the internal arches are relatively high and positioned correctly to reduce your foot pain.

The best running shoes usually have a thick midsole which can be made of any material such as gel, or perhaps have air chambers for added comfort.

Generally rounded in shape, always leave a centimeter or so between your longest toe and the inner perimeter of the shoe. It may feel as if the shoe is too big to begin with, but this is required and will eventually avoid things like blisters and black toe nails. Anything with a wide toe box is also usually considered as the best shoes for bunions i.e more room which means less friction on the bunion or bunionette.

Designed to protect the top of the foot in various ways by padding and eliminating friction from the laces, the tongue should stay in place and not slide from side to side.