Choosing Running Shoes - the Obvious Answer could Land you in Trouble
It used to be that running was about the simplest sport you could indulge in - you didn't need a ball or a bat - it was as minimalist as you could get. Now though, they've turned the way your feet pound the pavement into high science. Your shoes can psyche your feet into thinking the ground is flatter than it is, or bumpier than it is. They can come with thin-enough soles that your feet will almost be in direct contact with the ground, and sometimes as in the Adidas Intelligence shoes, they can come with intelligent computer controlled soles that can give you more or less cushioning as you desire - on the fly. When the need to let your feet take you for a spin hits you, it's no longer as simple as choosing among your running shoes by color any more. You probably have three pairs sitting in your closet, one for each different need. Not only will the wrong choice feel less comfortable, it can cause injuries, or cost you in the gains you could otherwise have made.
Think for instance, of your average running schedule over an average week. Let's say that you want to to put yourself through a good tempo run at a slow steady pace for an hour on regular asphalt and also on the trail in the morning. Do you where nice comfortable trainers that are extra padded for the asphalt, or do you wear all-terrain shoes? Would you think of racing flats? What if a couple of days on, you needed to bolt down the tracks doing eight laps as fast as you could? Would you pick spikes or trainers? Choosing running shoes comes down to being all about understanding the biomechanics of the feet - your shoes have to allow your feet to align properly and to move easily in every way they need to. And your feet need to be allowed to do all of this as quickly as you need.
And then there is the matter of support. Racing flats for instance are excellent for high-speed running. Wearing a pair can help you with better posture, fleet-footedness and strength. However, these are not shoes for all-round support; if your feet are not strong enough for hrough practice, you could well end up injuring your ligaments. If you are used to pair of running shoes with a high 1-centimeter heel, and you give that up in favor of a pair of spikes that have no heel at all, your calf muscles in an attempt to cope with the new position are going to get to all tightened up and inflexible. When that happens, you risk getting your feet to pronate, and then you could be looking at shin splints. You might as well be aware that spikes in general aren't healthy for your feet over the long run either.
Now this happens to be quite the temptation with lots of runners these days. Racing flats and spikes make you feel so fast, it can be addictive, the feeling. If you want to go choosing running shoes that are very light and that give your feet no support, you need to help your feet adjust to this new reality. You can do this by wearing them only for a few minutes as you wind down after your real practice sessions for a few weeks. You can build it up by wearing them for half of all your running. Before you switch over to them entirely. There is a middle ground here if you're interested too. Consider taping your arches, and consider getting massages to help your calf muscles limber up. Before you actually decide on choosing running shoes with little or no support, ask your coach about your arches. People with high arches typically do better with shoes with better protection.