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Yesterday I bought my very first pair of proper running shoes (I've been training for a half marathon for four months now in some that were battered) This opened my eyes to a whole new world of humiliation and treadmill pain as an entire shop of customers laughed at my woefully flat feet and curved spine. But what a revelation- I wore them today and my left hip didn't howl and my left knee didn't try to detach itself from my leg at around mile 8, which it usually does.
I tried to upload a picture but my tecnical skills are sadly woeful- look at my new whizzy runners on my blog http://kelly-sharp.blogspot.com/. It got me wondering how other, more experienced runners, select their shoes- do you all take the treadmill test? How much is too much money for runners?

When I first got into running, I bought some running shoes without getting properly fitted like you did. They were OK but when it was time to get a new pair and I knew more about running, I got fitted and ran on the treadmill like you did. My new pair of running shoes fit me perfectly and I wasn't as sore as I was with my old shoes. Now, I try to stick with the same shoes when I replace them and I also get a fitting every two years or so in case anything changes.

I had just the same revelation. Wore cheap old trainers for weeks, finally went to a shop with one of those treadmills that videos you as you run, and the chap pointed out on the screen how well my feet landed in a couple of pairs compared to all the others -- I'm also flat-footed. And yes, made a big difference, especially to the aches and pains I was getting.

Since then I've just been buying the new season's version of the same shoes about every six months (I'm quite heavy so I kill shoes quickly.) Think they normally cost about £80. Those and the couple of tops and one pair of shorts I'm averaging a year make running a pretty cheap hobby, all told, so I don't begrudge it too much!