If you’re a runner and you’re searching for the right sole; online shopping and trying to find our options for that right fit is not new to many of us.

Not all runners are created equal, and neither are all running shoes. Moreover, it’s not a desirable result. Different runners have different goals, different strides, and run in different conditions. There is no “one-size-fits-all” with regard to runners, and there certainly isn’t one for shoes. When searching for the proper shoe, most runners know how to choose according to fit, but they may not know how to choose according to the type of running they do. What follows is a brief overview of different types of shoes for running in these differing terrains and conditions.Road running shoes, as the name implies, are best used on pavement, concrete, or other smooth, consistent ground. They can also be used on slightly-less consistent ground, like well-packed woodland trails. Road running shoes are designed to be light, flexible, and to cushion and stabilize your feet in the repetitive striking of foot to pavement. Newton Running’s Neutral performance trainer is a good example of the strengths of the road-running shoe.

If you’re planning on running in more rocky, radical terrain, through mud, less-traveled woodland, or anywhere where the running surface is generally less stable, you’re best suited in using a trail-running shoe like the Inov8 Rocklite 288, which is designed, first, to be more robust in protecting your foot’s stability and comfort in more demanding off-road conditions.  Secondly, a trail-running shoe is going to give you better, more aggressive traction on less predictable, more rugged terrain.

A relatively recent development in trainer technology is the “barefoot” style of running shoe, so named to represent a shoe that is built with a lower, more naturalistic heel height. This provides less direct cushioning for the heel, but results in a more naturalistic stride, that more evenly distributes impact along the midfoot, rather than focusing stresses solely on the heel. The “barefoot” running enthusiast can be confident that shoes designed with these considerations in mind, like the Vivobarefoot line, can provide the runner with the desired grip of an off-road shoe, with a stride that feels like you’re wearing nothing at all.

No matter where you like to run, or what kind of goals you’ve set for yourself, there has never been a better time to find the shoes perfect for your running activity of choice.