What are your feet like?

Consider your foot: 33 joints, 23 muscles, more than 150 ligaments. When you run, your feet absorb a force between two and three times your body weight. Over 10km that force is applied 9500 times. So it pays to wear suitable runners.

The "best" running shoe isn't necessarily the most expensive in the shop. We all run differently - and your shoe should reflect your running style. So before you get too excited about those bright blue kicks, take a step back.

Pronators and supinators

The shape of your foot helps determine how you run or walk. A well-crafted foot will strike the ground on its outside edge and roll inwards to disperse the impact over a greater area. Every stride is the same: strike, roll; strike, roll. This is called a neutral foot type.

Many of us have feet that either roll too far inwards or don't roll at all. Those who roll too far inwards are pronators (sometimes called "over-pronators"). The rest of you rabble, whose feet don't roll in enough, are supinators ("under-pronators").

Sports shoes are split to represent those different foot types. Pronators are fitted with "stability" or "motion control" shoes that prevent them rolling too far inwards and placing unnecessary strain on leg muscles and joints. Supinators get "cushioned" shoes to reduce the jarring that would otherwise occur when their foot doesn't roll.

For a basic test of your foot type, wet your feet and make footprints on a hard surface like concrete. Supinators tend to have high arches, while pronators are often flat-footed. Neutral runners fall somewhere in between.

• Over-pronators have flat feet (low arches), which shows up as a complete outline of the wet foot (left).
• Supinators have high arches, which produce a thin line between the outer edge of the forefoot and the heel (right).
• A medium-sized arch indicates you are somewhere in between.