Rich on Running: If the Shoe Fits…

Running shoe companies have unveiled their designs for 2014, and the general theme is increased cushioning.?A lot of brands have a more cushiony feel to the shoes,” said Wes Lassen, general manager of the New England Running Company in Beverly. “While they?re still staying lightweight, they?re moving away from the minimalist trend.”Asked about what might have caused this, Lassen said, “People like that feeling under their feet.” He said they think it protects their foot and knee from “the jarring of real lightweight, minimalist-type shoes.”Joe Abelon of Lynn, who founded the Lynn Woods Summer Cross Country Races, said, “Anything that absorbs the shock is a good thing, rather than your body receiving a high-percentage impact. I don?t know about a lot of the newfangled stuff, what the qualities are.”Abelon noted that in running, “Your whole body comes down with each step. A lot of forces are involved. You?re elevated and dropping down to a surface. … There?s a lot of toll, long-range, on your body, some more than others. Equipment is very important.”Let?s take a look at what?s on the table – namely, the running-store display table – for 2014.Lassen said the two top-selling brands are the Brooks Adrenaline and Asics 2000.?The current versions have both been really good improvements in fit and feel,” he said. “Every year, they change, sometimes more than they should.”He praised the new Asics 2000, which he said has “quite a bit wider, more plush feel.”Shoe prices have gone up, he said, with the average starting cost between $110 and $120 and potentially reaching a high of $160.One significant subset of the industry is trail running footwear. The popularity of trail running around here is reflected by the North Shore Trail Series, which is sponsored by the New England Running Company. Trail running shoes have their own changes for 2014.?Even from when we first opened 10 years ago, they?ve gotten so much lighter and flexible for protection from rocks and roots,” Lassen said. “Trail (shoes) used to be so much more built up. They were almost real lightweight hiking boots, stiff and firm. Now, they feel more like road shoes.”He said this has to do with “regular” runners taking up trail running.?Most people don?t live near a trailhead,” he said. “They?ll run on roads one or two miles to get to the trail.”Whether you want to run on a road, a trail, a treadmill, or all three, it all comes down to buying a pair of shoes.Abelon recommends “?reputable? sporting goods stores, and ?reputable? means good staff who understand shoes. (He praised both New England Running Company and Marathon Sports.) Sometimes mega places just hire kids to sell shoes but who don?t really know shoes, supination, pronation or flat feet.”Lassen said that for first-time customers, “we?ll do a gait assessment, get a feel how they?ll be using (the shoe), how many miles a week, their injury history, whatever else. We?ll watch them walk, check out their biomechanics. Do they overpronate? We?ll make a decision. They?ll run outside on the sidewalk so we can get a better view.”The average life of a shoe is 400 miles, Lassen said, adding that a “really efficient” runner could stretch that to 600 miles.He said that customers return to update their footwear every 12 months, and that “we always suggest having them try it on outside to see that nothing?s changed. If they?re coming off an injury, sometimes we start from scratch.”Abelon said that “if a person has a shoe that?s always been successful, I would stay with it. Why would you take a chance (on another shoe) that?s fancy or has a new design?”He prefers “a shoe that hasn?t caused you injuries.”Lastly, there is the question of how many shoes we need.?I have too many!” Lassen said. “Most people will have two (pairs of) shoes, maybe three pairs. A regular shoe, a trail shoe, a lightweight shoe. It just depends on what a person wants to do. If you do two or three 5K?s a year, probably one shoe. If your mileage has expired or