I do a lot of running, biking, and outdoor stuff, and when I was going through the police academy I had great luck with both New Balance and LA Gear running shoes. They’re comfy, they align everything well, and they don’t break the bank. Give them a shot.

My thing with shoes is I need really good arch support.  Even when the shoes still seem ok visually, if the arch is wearing down, I start to have pains that sound a lot like plantar fasciitis.  The type of thing where after sitting or lying down for awhile, the tendon hurts a lot for the first few steps, but eases off in a minute or two then is fine again until you’re off your feet for a long time again.  Being overweight has a lot to do with this I’m sure.. yet another reason why I’m losing the weight now.

I wear sneakers all the time, even at work (ah, working for a company that lets you wear pretty much anything you want) and have learned ways to help my feet:
1. Get shoes with really good arch support, of course.  I’ve found some Nike cross trainers are the best.  I also get them super wide.. Nike’s 4E, because I have big feet and find that the larger shoes help with overall comfort too.
2. Get 2 or 3 pairs of shoes and rotate them.  I use 2 pair a day because I walk my dog every day, then wear another to work.  I continually rotate through the pairs to let them dry out and have found that doing so makes 3 pair (I usually do 3) last FAR longer then 3 pair used to back to back.
3. At the first sign of problems, using some Dr. Scholl’s (or similar) pads with extra arch support (yes, even in sneakers) can allow me to continue to use shoes that are otherwise fine for a long time yet.

Basically, as soon as I feel any pain, if I don’t change something quick (add pads/arch support or get new shoes) I know that it can eventually get really bad.  The first time I had a real problem a few years back, it took about 6 months for the pain to finally go away.  It’s one of those foot things that there’s really no fix for either.  There’s a surgery they’ll do in really bad cases, but if you read up on it, it’s damn near as bad as just grinning and bearing it.  Far better to just figure out which shoes work well and stay on top of that.

take my advice, you know i am wise!

go to a real runner’s store, not sports authority.  they will tell you what sneakers are the best for you, not based on brand, but arch support, etc. etc.  and the sneakers cost the same as anywhere else.

i did that due to my back, got 2 great pairs .  you can’t judge what you need the way real professionals can, so i suggest both you AND donna find a runner’s store and do that.

I need to get me a new paid of running shoes. When I run on the treadmill, I get pains up my shins after the first few steps. I push myself through it and keep running but ugh..PAIN.

When I run on the treadmill, I get pains up my shins after the first few steps.

Those are shin splints. For a period in my life I used to get those. Look up the exercises you can do to get rid of them. I used to walk fifty steps on my heels to stretch out my muscles and then go for a run. As soon as you get stretched out and your body adapts, they’ll go away and you’ll never get them again.

But damn, I remember the pain of those suckers.

DO A BARREL ROLL!

... Sorry, everyone else was giving advice, I felt left out…

I’ll second what JoJo says. Out here we have a place called RoadRunner Sports (they have an Internet presence with good instructions for analyzing your feet yourself as well) that has people that are extremely good at fitting athletic shoes to your arch and your style of running / walking /whatever. It makes a huge difference. If your shoes don’t fit right, your feet don’t get planted properly and everything up from there is going to off as well. One thing I learned is that the brand you like may not be the best for you. I like Nike’s style of athletic gear (plus making the clothing in sweatshops means I’m getting a better value and creating more profits for an American corporation), but their shoes simply don’t fit my feet. Result - I would always get nasty shin splints. Switching to New Balance (in my case) fixed that. Styles and builds change frequently, so I’m sure to check the fit carefully each time I go.

Also, keep in mind that your shoes’ arch support will wear out well before the shoes fall apart (which is when most people replace them). If you run / walk /etc a lot, you should be prepared to replace your shoes every 3 - 6 months. When I was running daily, I always had two or three pair that I would rotate, plus other shoes for cross-training. This keeps your shoes from getting too nasty, plus they last that much longer so it all evens out in the end. It’s a couple hundred bucks a year, but your feet, legs, and joints will love you for it - you only get one body. BTW - you can use the shoes with trashed arch support for regular gym shoes when you’re doing weights, etc., thus increasing your shoe rotation even more.