Shoes?

I'm only 7 days out from surgery, but I'm interested in starting exercise as soon as my Dr. says it's alright. I would really like to start running as more of the weight comes off, it's something that both my dad and my sister do on a daily basis and I would love to be able to share that with them.

Anyway, I have no idea what kind of running shoes to get. So, I figured I'd ask if anyone had suggestions. Let me know!

Try and find a running store and they have people there that can look at your feet/stride, and give you some advice about what might work. I did that not too long ago, and was surprised by some of the things I learned

Agree  a Running store is your best option, this is not like foot locker or even Dick's Sporting Goods.  You want a Running specialty store that does only running.

Just reinforcing what everyone else said.  A real running store will look at your stride and perhaps even tape you running on a treadmill so that they can review it and show you what is happening with your step and the way your foot hits the ground.  They can then recommend a shoe to support and protect your foot based on that.

I had always been kind of a cheap sob when it came to shoes.  OMG what a difference it made to get a pair of correctly fitting shoes that supported my feet properly. 

Scott

Leah - you have already heard the advice -- go see a local specialty running store.  The franchise stores, i.e. footlocker, shoe warehouse, etc don't cut it when it comes to finding the right shoe.  The running store will watch your stride and then bring out several pairs that match what you need and help you find the best fit.

I was never a runner before, actually not much of an exerciser.  About  5 weeks ago I found the Couch to 5K (C25k) program that is a progressive walking/running interval program to get you to a 5k finish after about 9 weeks. 

Good luck with your journey.

A heavier runner will want to get a solid shoe. I started out with a stability shoe and now don't need as much support. So, your shoe needs will change as you lose weight.

Good for you for thinking ahead!

 just to play devil's advocate.. I found my local "expert" running store to be sadly lacking.  I did a lot of research on my own to determine the type of shoe I needed (lots of resources on the web) and then oredered through roadrunner..  not only a lot cheaper, but they have my wierd sizes in the exact shoe brand I am after.  All of the major online shoes companies also have easy free return policies, so you can try them out and see how they work.  

That said, if you have a local guy, its not a bad idea to go get an opinion, and judge for yourself if they know what they are talking about.  

I agree with Andrew.  I live where there is a dearth of "running shoe stores", so when I was in a major metropolitan area earlier this spring, I went to one.   They fit me in a shoe that I wasn't that crazy about, but brought it home and gave it a few tries on the treadmill.  I ended up mailing it back and getting a refund.

I actually do better going to a major chain and trying on.   However, I'm a baby runner and prefer more of a cross-training shoe and that may have been my problem with the running shoe store.