Clients and friends often ask if I have recommendations for various items related to activity and healthy lifestyles. I thought it would be a good idea to share them with you all too!
My first Movement Must Have, and question I am most frequently asked about is related to running shoes. What shoes are the BEST SHOES?
The answer to this simple question can be just that… Simple!
Oftentimes I will suggest whatever shoes seem to make your feet the most happy; wear those. You know they feel good, you don’t have to worry about blisters or breaking them in. So if you know what shoes make your feet the most happy, double down on them!
My personal favorites are Asics Kayanos. I started wearing the Series 14 in college when I decided somewhat haphazardly to run a half marathon with my best friend. After some trial and error in the shoe selection game, a physical therapist I worked with recommended the Kayanos and I have never looked back. Currently I am on my second pair of the Series 26 and will be looking for pair number 3 soon.
The evolution of the Kayano has worked well for my training and my feet. There was a little bump in the road a couple years ago when I finally discovered I was wearing a half size too small for my feet. Losing toenails is considered a pretty normal thing in the world of running, but I was losing up to 6 per marathon. After completing three marathons in five months, I was down to practically no toenails at all. I consulted with a locally owned running store in Houston and the owner suggested I try out a full size bigger than my “normal shoe”. My feet felt great in the 8.5 (I was wearing an 8). Since that revelation I am typically down 1-2 toenails per marathon which is a huge improvement!
Over the years I have found the Kayanos to be very supportive of my feet- they are a little bit flat but that is something I have been working on improving through my PT skills. They have a good amount of cushion for me, and that is something I think they have improved on over the last few models.
Kayanos have a GREAT color selection! Full disclosure- I will ALWAYS pick the brightest, loudest, and most obnoxious color combos. Bright colors make me happy so I want the shoes I wear the most to bring my joy. As previously mentioned I wear a very typical 8.5 in running shoes, so I cannot personally speak to less common larger and smaller sizes, but year after year I am impressed with the colors available.
I would love to hear what are y’all’s favorite running shoes, and if you have any suggestions for me to check out. I am contemplating adding some variety to increase the strength of my foot muscles and make them even more adaptable for the future.
