WRITTEN BY RICHARD SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS JAMES HURST

	Shoes-n-Feet customer Kimberly Hixson demonstrates the store's use of a treadmill and video camera for "gait observation," the biomechanics of the feet.

Perhaps it is my fault for being so culinarily challenged, but I did not find this helpful on my quest to discover the most comfortable running-walking shoe.

Yet, that's how such shoes are often sold. It's about The Look and image. In fact, finding the shoe that fits requires work.

Back in the day, I'd put one foot in the old Brannock Device, that metal measuring gadget that has been a fixture in shoe stores since the late 1920s. I'd place a heel snug against one end, line up the sides to capture my width and . . . voilà! My shoe size.

Now, I must — or at least I should — consider the science and art of fitting into a sports shoe amid the messages of image, trends and fashion. Fortunately, I am nearly immune to fashion.

Still, on a recent shoe-hunting trip, I learned I have a lot to learn. I walked into the Shoes-N-Feet on First Hill to try on shoes and told manager Karyn Kanning that I wore size 10.5. Turns out my feet measure to an 11.5 shoe size. Not only that, I was wearing 11.5 shoes the Seattle Running Company sold me just a year before.

Our feet tend to grow and flatten as we age, and I have done my share of aging, but I don't know what was worse: not knowing my shoe size or the thought that I, for much of my life, may have been wearing shoes that were too small. A rule of thumb is to keep about a half-inch length between your big toe and the end of the shoe.

Kanning had me walk without shoes on the store treadmill while a low video camera positioned from behind showed my stride from calves to feet. This was another eye-opener. I point my toes outward and strike on the outer edges of both feet. That's unusual, she said. As I think back, I suffered many rollover sprains while playing basketball and handball.

This led Kanning to experiment by fitting me with shoes and insoles designed to support those outer edges. Increasingly, shoe stores, especially of the sports-shoe variety, are taking closer looks.

I walked into The Athlete's Foot store at the Northgate Mall and soon found myself standing and walking on a spongy pad that registered my "static" and "dynamic" footprints. The pad was connected to a computer, which spit out reports showing my balance, step and points of pressure.

It showed I lean just a bit heavier on my right side, but not as pronounced as most people. I also saw how I put the most pressure on the heel and ball of my left foot, yet the right shows a completely different profile. Salesman Adam Butterworth said that despite the helpful elements the machine offers customers, colors and style still often carry most weight in a lot of decisions.

I watched Dr. J. Mari Adad, a podiatrist at Bellevue's Pro Sports Club, work with a woman complaining of chronic back pain. He put her on a treadmill to track the pressure points on her feet; inside her sneakers were paper-thin insole sensors that recorded the profiles of her gait.

In its June issue, Runner's World magazine released results of its own running shoes tests. It ranked the Nike Air Zoom Swift Vapor as the "editor's choice" and the New Balance 717 as the "best buy." But it also focused on trying to match the right shoes to the right type of feet and style. If you're a serious runner, it's worth a look.

In the meantime, here are some tips for your next shopping trip:

• Comfort and fit should come first.

• Measure both feet each time and while standing.

• Try on both shoes.

• Think half-size longer instead of half-size shorter.

• The size your foot measures is your foot size. The shoe size may differ with each brand, style and pattern, so judge each shoe by how it fits. And never assume that you'll fit into a new shoe that is the same size as the one you've been wearing.

• The ball of the foot should fit at the widest part of the shoe. This is where the shoe is designed to flex.

• Never buy shoes that are too tight with expectations they'll stretch.

• If you're a serious runner, take into account not just what kind of foot and gait you have, but what type of racing or terrain you'll be tackling.

Respect your feet. You'll be glad you did.

Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer. Thomas James Hurst is a Seattle Times staff photographer.

More On Fitness columns