While living in my hometown of Fort Collins, CO I  worked at the local running store "Runner's Roost" and loved helping runners of every level find the right shoe. I strongly encourage each runner to visit a specialty running store where someone with knowledge of how to properly fit running shoes can watch your gait, inspect your arches and help get you into the correct shoe! Getting into the correct shoe (there are 4 main categories: minimal/natural, neutral, stability and motion control) can help prevent injury and relieve the stress on your ankles, knees and hips. Here is a useful chart I came across on the REI website explaining the basics: