Asics Cross Country Shoes

Cross country runners typically pay a lot of money for their shoes if they want quality, long lasting and supportive models that do not leave them with sore, aching feet or injuries. To make your shoes last longer, you have to care for them properly. But, before you care for them, you have to find the right shoe.

Shoes that do not support your feet can cause damage – permanent, long lasting damage – even if you have perfectly healthy, normal feet. If you have any type of foot damage or issue, you could be literally destroying their health by wearing the wrong shoe. Cross country running shoes that are not supportive can also cause back pain, knee pain and other damage. When you try a shoe on in the shoe store, it should feel comfortable and supportive, immediately. Look for a shoe that has enough room in the toe box; you should be able to wriggle each of your toes without any sensation of pinching or pain. The heel should feel properly cupped by the shoe as well. Women, do not think that you should settle for a smaller version of a man’s cross country shoe, you need to actually find the right women’s shoe. Women have narrower heels than men do, but may actually have wider feet across the toes.

When you try on the shoes in the store, make sure that you are wearing the right kind of socks so that you know they will fit when you are ready to go out for that first run. In addition, make sure that you are lacing the shoes up as if you are going to run that moment. Take a few running steps so you can see if they are comfortable and supportive.

Caring for Your Shoes

The way that you are going to care for your Asics cross country running shoes will depend on the materials that they are made of. For instance, if you are wearing leather shoes, you must make sure that they are properly protected before you head out. Putting protective sealers on your shoes will keep the leather from staining and spotting from rain, mud or salt in the winter months. When leather shoes are saturated, you should make sure that they are dried carefully, but be careful- leather shoes might get stiff after they have been soaked.

Mesh upper shoes may be wiped off with a damp cloth, and will dry without some of the damage that you might see with leather. If they are completely soiled, you may wash them off, however throwing them in the washing machine should be an absolute last resort. Even the best made shoe may not make it back out of the machine.

Soaking wet shoes should be placed somewhere they can dry carefully- fill them with rolled towels so they maintain their shape without drying in odd shapes or shrinking during the drying process. Brush dried mud off of your shoes before it stains.