I am a sucker for ads on Instagram. Or more likely, they know me so well these days that they’ve gotten skilled at showing me the types of products I’ll probably want to buy. So it’s not my fault that when I saw the Shoe Cue running shoe insoles that claim to help instantly correct running form, I was intrigued enough to turn over my credit card number. If nothing else, it will make a good blog experiment and business expense.

I’ll give you my not-sponsored, unbiased, candid review of the Shoe Cue, that I bought with my own hard-earned money, so you can decide if the Shoe Cue is something you may want to try for yourself.

Shoe Cue insoles are inserts to replace your running shoe insoles. The heel is textured with bumps to provide instant feedback as to where your foot is making contact with the ground as you run —to help improve running form in real-time.

The idea is to help prevent against a heel strike, which may slow down your run and put more impact on your joints than a forefoot strike.

First impressions of the Shoe Cue:

1. They arrived in a clear zip-lock bag with a postcard. I appreciate minimalist packaging because as having worked in product development I understand that the cost of every tag, bag, paper & packaging is a part of the product price—but for the price tag of about $50 I expected a little more. It seemed a bit flimsy. Of course, it doesn’t affect my opinion of the product itself, which seems to be made from quality material, it’s just an observation.

2. I asked hubby to cut down the insoles to my shoe size because I was afraid to make an expensive trimming mistake, but he said it was easy. They fit into one pair of my shoes comfortably, but not another pair that were the same size without additional trimming. You’ll probably have to decide on one pair to use them in if you alternate between multiple running shoes.

3. I put my bare feet in the shoe to feel it against my skin for reference. The bumps at the heel weren’t extremely uncomfortable, but you can tell they’re there. The company says they feel like a massage, but I wouldn’t go that far, but I think that’s the point; it’s annoying enough that you’ll work to avoid landing on your heel.

Shoe Cue on The Run

What I Loved About Shoe Cue

They have a money-back guarantee. If you try Shoe Cue and don’t like it, they will refund your money. I didn’t try to return mine, so I can’t report on how seamless that process is, but It’s nice to know you can try the Shoe Cue without fully committing.

The first time I wore the Shoe Cue, I was hyper-aware of my form and tried to adjust my landing so that I never felt the bumps on my heel. It felt awkward at first, but I got used it after a couple of minutes.

It’s often hard to perceive your form during the run, you may feel like you’re running correctly, but it’s hard to tell. The Shoe Cue provides feedback on the heel strike in real-time. You can feel the pressure from the texture in the heel and based on that feedback, work to make corrections on how your foot is striking the ground. The product performs as advertised.

You can adjust the pressure by the thickness of your socks. If you wear thin socks, you’ll feel it more, thicker socks if you want more subtle feedback.

They promote the idea that running is a skill, which is not widely acknowledged in the running community.

What I Didn’t Love About Shoe Cue

At about $50 I think they are a bit too expensive (maybe I’m cheap). If you don’t mind spending the money for the instant feedback, it’s great, but if you’re interested in improving your foot strike, you can film yourself running past your phone camera a few times for free. I often record myself at the track and review the footage in slow motion to review my running form and gait cycle to learn where I need to make improvements.

I found after running in them for a couple of miles that it was relatively easy to forget about or ignore the feedback, especially as I got tired or if I wore thicker socks.

Foot strike is one piece of the puzzle; it’s not the only part of the gait cycle that matters. You could be landing on your forefoot, but pushing off the back foot or reaching too far in front of your body, which can be problematic. Shoe Cue does help you with perceiving your foot strike, but there are might be other corrections needed. The Shoe Cue can’t fix everything.

Shoe Cue Review: The Verdict

Shoe Cue promises a solution to inefficient running form, but if you are hoping for a quick fix, or another way to throw money at a problem instead of doing the work, they may not be enough. It is helpful to have the instant feedback on your foot strike, and the Shoe Cue can a part of that plan if you’re willing to invest the money.

It was fun to try, and the product performs as it claims, but it’s not a one-stop-shop to perfect running form. Nothing worth having (such as faster running times, without pain or injuries) comes that easy. You have to work for it, but the work you put in will be worth it.

I like them enough to keep them; they do what they say, therefore, I won’t be returning them. I’ll use the Shoe Cue as part of my overall balanced running strategy, which includes skill work, strength training, stretching, and foam rolling.

What do you think? Have you tried? Have you seen the Shoe Cue ads on Instagram? What was the last thing you bought from an Instagram ad? What’s the weirdest?