Choosing the right shoes for a 5k begginer runner

Question

Background:

I am a 22 years old guy and I recently started running again after 4-5 years of break( studying, work etc). For now I run for about 5k (in 2 weeks or so). In the past I was in a good shape, I ran, I was doing calisthenic workout etc. Anyway, the thing is that I never used a good running shoe. I always used and still use very cheap nike or reebok. For now I use reebok shoes, I dont know exactly the name but they are cheap.

In the second 5k I ran, from the beggining(0.5-1k) I had a pain in the left ankle, on the right side(inner side). I also noticed that especially my left foot, is going a little inside like pronation but I have not seen a specialist or something. ( I recently bought birkenstock eva sandals and my right foot went in like omg it fitted perfectly from the start, but in my left foot, I had a pain in my sole and it took me like 2-3 weeks to get used to it.)

Because I am getting a headache on choosing the right shoes, whats your opinion? My budget is about 70e. I recently went in a shoe store and I tried saucony cohesion 10 but I was feeling the sole very hard. Then I tried a kinvara 8 and it felt good but they werent exactly my size(0.5 smaller than my size). I did a little research on brooks and hoka also (hoka is a bit expensive for me).

What do you think about kinvara 7(I found them for 67e), brooks launch 3 (60e) and cohesion 10 (50e)? What would be better for me or if you have some other model please be my guest. If you think that a shoe that costs like 100e would make a big difference in running than a 70e shoe for me that I run like 5k (I aim for 10k and higher, so I will use the shoes very very often), please suggest me!

Any help would be appreciated!

Answer 1

The first step is to go to a running or fitness store that sells shoes and talk to one of the shoe specialists. They should have knowledge about the shoes and, in my experiences, will watch you walk and run, talk to you about your running experience (how long you've been running, what distances you run, what surfaces you typically run on or plan to run on), and then suggest the appropriate shoes for your needs. Sometimes, you can even go for a short jog to try walking and running in the new shoes to get a feel for them. If you're on a budget, you can also talk to them about that - I'm not sure how much shoes are where you are other than the prices you mentioned, but new iterations of shoes tend to come out every year, so the previous year's model may suit your budget better but still give you the right support.

Don't try to guess at this. Having the right shoe is important, especially once you start getting up to 5k, 10k, and longer distances. If you train for races, you'll be putting on many miles in a week. Having the wrong shoe can lead to leg injuries, and can sideline you for a while. Before I started running, I did low-impact cardio machines and strength training and the shoes don't quite matter as much for what I did. I tried to start running in those shoes - foot and knee pain wasn't far behind. An investment in running shoes will save you injuries that may require long rest periods or even medical care down the road.