What’s the difference between all those running shoes? Well generally, you’ve got two dimensions to look at: stability and cushion.

Neutral

Basically, this means the shoe offers no additional support. You’ll use it if your body is taking care of itself and not pronating, which is roughly half of the population.

Stability

This comes in two flavors: “guidance,” which is slight and “stability,” which is more rigid. These shoes have a higher-density foam on the medial side of the shoe, so they help if you roll your ankles in. That can mean people with flat feet (me), heavier individuals, or whoever, really. Again, roughly half the population does this.

Cushioning

Here, you’ve got “minimal,” (pretty self-explanatory), “basic,” which is the most common, and “cushioned,” which is softer and plusher. Use the latter if your ankles have a tendency to roll out, which is about 5% of the population.

For a summary of the brands and other terms, click here.