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My well-worn, well-loved Asics Gel-Kayanos

Running is such an easy sport. We learn to run as kids, right, and it requires no special equipment. (That doesn't mean we can't spend hundreds on stuff to help us run, whether it be mp3 players, technical clothing, heart-rate monitors, gps devices, et cetera - but we don't NEED any of that stuff.)

But we do need great running shoes. The other day, one of my running partners learned that lesson the hard way. We were out for a trail run, and she decided to wear her old, worn out running shoes so sh e wouldn't get her good ones dirty.

Very. Bad. Idea.

Her ankles and feet hurt within the first mile and were sore for days afterwards.

When buying running shoes, it's really important to get fitted properly. It's not like those cute sandals you can only stand in for 10 minutes at a time; running shoes need to fit your feet just right, leave the right amount of room for foot swelling, and cushion you appropriately.

When I became a runner, I went to a specialty running store where the fitters had me run barefoot on a treadmill, then they analyzed my gait. Based on their analysis, they picked out a few pairs of shoes for me, then told me to take them around the block for a quick run.

It took more than an hour, but I settled on Asics Gel-Kayanos. At $135 per pair, they'd better be good!

And they are. To be honest, I buy my shoes online now that I know the brand, style, and size I need - and because these fit me so well, I can go out and do 20 miles in a brand-new pair with no wear-in time.  And that's how it should be!

A couple of other notes: because good running shoes are so expensive (typically between $90 and $160), you should only run in them. Don't lift weights or do other gym exercise in your good running shoes. I wear a $40 pair of Asics for  that stuff, because I want to keep my running shoes good as long as possible, and those things wear down your shoes more quickly.

Replace your shoes every six months or 500 miles or whenever they don't feel springy and fabulous anymore.

And here's my best tip of all: often race expos (like, the trade show thing they have the day before a marathon) will have running stores selling last season's shoes, or runned-in shoes (like the ones I test-ran around the block) for next to nothing. I got two pairs a few months ago for $40 each - and I'm just lining them up and saving them until my current pair is done!

Finally, what should you do with your worn-out shoes? You can donate them to an organization like One World Running. Newer shoes will be given to people in Africa; older shoes will be recycled into track surfaces.