The kind of running you decide to do will have a large bearing on what equipment you will need to buy. If you are a track runner, you will need running spikes. If you run on the roads, or just love jogging around your local park, you will probably be better off with rubber soled running shoes. Whatever type though, aim to get the best shoes you possibly can within your budget. If you opt for the cheapest ones, you may end up finding that they fall to bits and you need to buy a second pair. Or worse, you might discover that they have contributed to an injury that ended up putting you out of action for a month!

If it is spiked running shoes that you decide upon, it is also important to get the correct ones. All spikes are not the same. So if you are a 100-meter runner, a sprinter, make sure you get the lightweight sprinting spikes. They have very little padding or often no padding at all. They are just plates containing pins, worn to grip the ground as you explode down the track for 10 or so seconds.

On the other hand, if you are a long distance runner, these sprinting spikes will be totally inappropriate, and they will quite possibly end up crippling you. This is because sprints involve running mainly on the toes and balls of the feet, whereas slower, long distance running involves the whole foot impacting the ground. The slower running technique also involves the heel landing first. So cross country and middle and long distance running spikes have far more padding in the shoe itself, to protect the runners’ feet and absorb shock during prolonged races. This shock absorption prevents injuries of the joints.

So first, make sure you know what kind of surface you will run on. For softer surfaces, including synthetic tracks and muddy cross country courses, wear running shoes with spikes. And for hard paved areas, on the roads or at the park, go for running shoes with more cushioning and rubber treads.