
Marilyn poses with her neutral running shoe of choice, the New Balance 1064.
If you’ve been in See Jane Run before, you know that we like to talk running shoes and feet: neutral, stability, motion control… over- or under-pronation… But what does all the mumbo jumbo mean? Well, lace up and hydrate, because I’m about the run you through the basics, complete with pictures!

Me (Bethy) with the Brooks Adrenaline 10, my favorite stability running shoe.
“Do you over-pronate?”
You may hear a Jane ask you this question, but, more likely, she’ll watch you walk in your bare feet–or socks–and analyze your degree of pronation.
Pronation is the normal rolling of the ankle and flattening of the mid-foot as your foot strikes the ground. Pronation is necessary; it’s the body’s natural shock-absorber!

Alyssa with the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9, a motion control running shoe.
Over-pronation occurs when the “rolling-in motion” continues until the foot leaves the ground again. Under-pronation (or supination) happens when the foot “rolls out”. Neutral runners–those who do not over-pronate–usually have a higher arch. Over-pronators have lover arches that tend to flatten out a lot, or completely.

Marilyn, an avid trail runner, poses with the Asics GT-2150, a trail running shoe.
That’s a lot to take in, so here’s a link to a great diagram that shows the gait cycle of three types of runners: an under-pronator, a neutral (“normal”) runner, and an over-pronator.
“So… what kind of shoe do I need?”
After having your gait analyzed by one of our expert Janes, you’ll undoubtedly ask this question. Running shoes either have some form of “posting” in the medial side of the shoe, or they don’t. This posting is generally a double-dentisy foam that works against the over-pronation many runners, particularly women, experience.
Neutral: Neutral shoes don’t have any corrective posting, because neutral runners don’t need it. They give their owner a cushion between them and the road and let their biomechanically efficient foot take care of the rest.

The New Balance 1064 is an example of a neutral running shoe.
Stability: Stability shoes have some posting on the medial side to counteract the runner’s over-pronation.

The Brooks Adrenaline 10 is one of the many stability running shoes See Jane Run carries.
Motion Control: Motion control shoes have more posting (sometimes in triple-density foam form) on the medial side for excessive over-pronators.

The Brooks Addiction 8 is a motional control running shoe.
Trail Running: These shoes are specific for, well, trail running. What makes them different? They are more rigid throughout so that the runner can’t feel every stone and root on the trail. They also have a tread that grips packed dirt and trails.

This is the Asics GT-2150 Trail Running shoe.
I hope this has been a helpful breakdown of the basics of running shoes. Of course, we Janes are always happy to help answer any questions. Just leave a comment, give us a call, or come in the store!
-Bethy