Walking Shoes vs. Running Shoes. What’s the Difference?
The Fall season is a great time to get active outdoors. While in California it’s beautiful year-round, you’ll see an uptick in walkers and runners hitting the trails and sidewalks this time of year. If you’re considering joining them, then it’s important to make sure you do it right! The best first step is to choose the right footwear for your preferred activity.
Importance of footwear
Wearing the right shoes for any athletic activity is essential to keeping your joints, tendons and muscles healthy. Whether you’re walking, hiking, or running, footwear is very important. It might seem like any shoe would do, but that’s actually not true. Different parts of your body engage differently for whatever exercise you’re partaking in - especially for walking and running.
Running: Runners typically bring their feet down first on the heel, then roll it forward toward the ball of the foot. They might also land on the ball of the foot first before pushing off. A lot of the running movement hinges on style of running and comfort level. Since it’s a high-impact exercise, each step sends about three times your body weight of pressure through your feet.
Walking: While running style differs from runner to runner, walking styles are pretty consistent between walkers. Typically, the heel of the foot touches the ground before the foot rolls toward the ball of the foot and toes. Since walking is less impactful, your feet absorb about one and a half times your body weight.
So what’s different about the shoes?
Soles: Walking shoes tend to have more “give,” while running shoes have stiffer soles.
Heels: Running shoes have more cushioning in the thick heel of the shoe. In a walking shoe, a thick heel could cause tendinitis, shin splints, or become a tripping hazard. Therefore, walking shoes have a beveled heel.
Weight: While neither shoe is heavy, running shoes tend to be more lightweight than walking shoes.
Motion control: Compared to walking shoes, running shoes provide more motion control and stability to keep your foot neutral as you rotate your foot more with each stride.
Thinking about taking up a new sport or exercise?
Be sure to invest in high-quality footwear and consider which type of shoe you would need. If you’re not sure, or you need custom orthotics to insert into your footwear to enhance comfort and foot function, be sure to get in touch with our podiatrists at Precision Foot and Ankle Center! Dr. Eric Feit, Dr. Alona Kashanian, and Dr. Roohbahksh Maher are board-certified foot doctors who deliver expert foot care so your feet can feel healthy and strong!
Contact any of our offices in Los Angeles, Torrance, and San Pedro to book an appointment!