[YZF]

I've run all my life without buying shoes from a running store. I get random comfortable running shoes from various brands. Am I missing out on something? In my mind a running store is a place to pay more for a pair of shoes that I'm going to wear out and replace. Other than that I look for lightweight and comfortable.

I don't run huge distances. Mostly half an hour here and there a few times a week up to 10Km. Mostly try to run on soft surfaces (trails etc.).

[hansvm]

I had chronic pain in various parts of my feet for years from fairly tame activities (biking 20mi/day, hiking 10-20mi Saturday and Sunday, etc). I'd been fairly conscientious about "good" shoes that fit well, and it didn't make a difference. My in-laws had me go to a running shop, and the founder studied my gait for a bit and picked out shoes which would help. A month or two later, all the pain finally disappeared, and I haven't had issues in years.

That's just an n=1 anecdote, but years of pain followed by years of non-pain with a single, obvious intervention in between seems like a reasonably strong signal.

Assuming I'm not reading too much into my experience, if you're feeling fine I think your strategy probably works, and my only concern might be long-term damage you're not recognizing immediately. Other people will be more knowledgeable as to how you'd test that, but if you're comfortable and not injuring yourself then I don't think you're missing out on anything.

[peterldowns]

If you're not injured you're probably fine, most of the time there's not a big difference. The reason I recommend a local running store is that they can usually help people who are out of shape to get the right shoes, which sometimes requires gait analysis. And they're usually nice people who can connect you to local running clubs, races, etc. If you know what you're doing you absolutely don't have to go to a running store. I still go because I know the people at mine and they're nice.

[wojciii]

Soft surfaces is probably better on your body (knees, back) so the shoes don't matter so much as when running on hard surfaces (asphalt).