Walking Shoes vs Jogging Shoes
At first blush you may think walking shoes are no different than jogging shoes. But that is most certainly not the case when you examine them more carefully.
Just how are they different?
They differ because the motion of walking and the motion of running put totally different demands on your feet. That means you have to pick your footwear very carefully in each case.
Design and Styling
The more apparent differences are in the look and styling of the shoe depending on whether it is going to be used for walking or running. Each activity puts different demands on body motion and muscle activity such that the shoe for that activity has to have features to deal with those differing demands.
Walking
Walking is an action that distributes your body weight more evenly through the body with a more fluid foot movement.
In walking you roll your foot from heel to toe through the ball of the foot and your bodyweight and compression are more evenly propagated over a longer period of time than in running. There is certainly less intensity of compression and a smoother distribution of your weight through the entire cycle.
This calls for a shoe with different heel and sole designs for walking than that of a running shoe where the heel, arch and ball need to take more compression and pressure from the full weight of the running motion.
In walking, the rocking movement of the walking cycle means your feet absorb the shock of only one to two times your body weight with each step. Also in walking, you split your weight load since both your feet are on the ground during the walking cycle. This means your bodyweight is more evenly distributed and the compression on the feet is less intense than when running.
Running
Running is a completely different story altogether. With running you're motion pressure equals to two to three times your body weight all going to one foot. Also in running neither foot is firmly planted on the ground so the compression on feet and joints is far more intense than walking.
Your outer heel must absorb the total compression of the landing before it distributes the weight through your foot in an S motion through the ball to the toes.
This difference in motion and impact distribution between walking and running demands a distinct design and manufacture of the shoe.
Walking Shoes
The design of the walking shoe necessitates a flat heel to absorb the first contact. The angle of the heel is lower in walking than running so compression isn't as high and it is distributed evenly in the roll through to the ball and in the natural movement of moving heel to toe. This means that walking shoes need to be more flexible from the ball of the foot to offer more range of motion for the roll to the forefoot.
The heel should be flat without any flair compared to the running heel. This produces a better strike and compression distribution for the walker than he or she would get from a running shoe.
The heel of any running shoe is higher and has more support and cushioning to absorb the substantial impact of a more violent and rapid landing of the running action.
Running shoes have less protection through the ball of the foot since the rapid roll through applies less pressure than the slower walking movement does on the ball and toes.
Conclusion
Walking shoes as you can tell have distinct demands to meet to ensure foot support and comfort than their running counter parts.
It's very important to realize what those distinctions are when choosing footwear for walking or running.
