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=Where to Buy=
I generally recommend buying shoes from [http://www.roadrunnersports.com/ RoadRunnerSports.com] as they allow you to run in the shoes and still return them for an exchange. It's hard to know how a shoe works for you until you've run in it for some distance. Another good option is [http://www.zappos.com/ Zappos.com] which provides free shipping both ways, which allows you to spend time wearing the shoes around the house to see how they fit, though you can't run in them and return them.
=The Best Running Shoe=
What constitutes the best running shoe will depend a little on what you're looking for. Right now, there are five shoes that I would consider to be 'the best' in their categories.
* '''Best Transition Shoe''': [[Saucony Kinvara]]. If you're moving away from a heavy, over-engineered shoe like the [[Asics GT 2000], then the Kinvara is a great halfway house on way to one of the shoes below. It's useful to make changes gradually in order to let your body and biomechanics adapt. It will also help you get a feel for what direction you'd like to go – minimalist, optimal, or [[Minimax]]. You may find that like me, you end up with several shoes in different categories for different lengths or types of run.
* '''Best Minimax Shoe''': [[Hoka Clifton]]. This is by far the best [[Minimax]] (minimum drop/maximum cushioning) shoe available. It's remarkably light and remarkably cushioned. So far, nothing else comes close.
* '''Best Optimal Shoe''': [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]]. The Hyper Speed is a wonderfully light shoe that's far better cushioned than you might expect. It's billed as a 'racing flat', but I consider it a wonderful general purpose running shoe, proving just what you need and little more.
* '''Best Optimal Shoe''': [[New Balance RC5000]]. So I had to include the RC5000 as well as the Hyper Speed, as they are both 'the best'. The RC5000 weights less than half the Hyper Speed and provides barely enough cushioning to be efficient. This may not be enough shoe for you, but if you can handle it, the RC5000 is a wonderfully fast shoe. I'm happy to run marathon distances in this shoe, but I wouldn't go further, and you may want a little more cushioning even at that distance (unless you're into a minimalist shoe, in which case it probably has too much cushioning.)
* '''Best Minimalist Shoe''': [[Merrell Trail Glove]]. I recommend the trail glove for road running in spite of the 'trail' moniker. It's not a fast shoe by any means, but it's comfortable and will last well.
=Shoe Categories=
I've classified my shoe recommendations into several categories, each with their own pros and cons.