If they weren’t moving faster than the eye can see, you’d notice on the feet of Beijing Olympians a lot of brand-new footwear.

Nike alone developed new shoes for 32 of the Olympics' 35 events, according to spokeswoman Cindy Hamilton, and some of that new technology is already available at retailers.

Sounds like a good excuse to go out and buy some new athletic shoes, right?

For sports from cycling to basketball and running to hiking, proper support and traction can make any activity easier.

When Do I Need New Shoes?

Consider a new pair of athletic shoes any time you're trying a vastly different sport. Walking shoes won't work for soccer, and no marathoners are wearing basketball shoes.

Another good guideline is every six months or every 300 to 500 miles, retailers said. Most shoes' cushioning won't perform well for much longer, and then the benefits of the shoe are lost.

Another good indicator: If you wake up with sore feet after an activity, it's time to buy new shoes.

Ask Questions

You'll save yourself a lot of time sifting through the hundreds of athletic shoes stocked in most sports stores if you find a sales associate and start asking questions. Sales managers said their shoe associates get a lot of training initially and a lot of continuing education to keep them in the know on current trends.

"I ask basic questions: 'What are you going to do in the shoe?'" said Brad Lohman, the sales manager for Omaha's Peak Performance. "I ask them if they have aches and pains."

Lohman said there are three basic foot types. Neutral people have knees that track straight over their ankles and they're few and far between. Overpronators roll over the insides of their feet and make up the vast majority of people. Supinators roll over the outsides of their feet.

Lohman said the best thing you can do to get good advice about your next pair of shoes is to bring in your last pair of shoes.

"We can check the wear patterns to see if that shoe is correct for you," Lohman said.

The right shoe will get your heel down straight and help keep your stride in line as you move forward, Lohman said.

Chris Kenzy, the sport shoe manager at Scheels, a sporting goods store with 23 locations in seven western states, said one common mistake he hears people with high arches make is assuming they want a high arch support. He said too much arch in the shoe forces people to roll over the outside of their feet and cause more problems. A better solution is midfoot stability.

Match Footwear To Your Game

Matching the shoe to the event may seem obvious, but it isn't what sales managers notice about shoppers. Kenzy said non-runners tend to try to buy running shoes for every activity because of all the styles and colors.

“They look really cool,” he said.

If you're going to walk or hit the gym, a running shoe is fine. But if you're going to crosstrain and include some court sports or step aerobics, you want something with lateral support.

"Some people want one shoe for everything, and that's just not possible today," said Kenzy. "Don't wear a running shoe for volleyball. Running is a straight forward activity. Volleyball is back and forth. Running shoes don't have any lateral support, so you'll roll an ankle."

Lohman said he performs a quick gait analysis on customers, then combines that information with the wear patterns on an old shoe and the aches and pains reported by the user, then starts narrowing the hundreds of choices to a few dozen. Runners need the most cushioning to absorb the pounding pavement. Walkers want shoes with a skinnier midsole.

"That helps transition as you pull your toe up, and makes the transition smoother, since you don't leave the ground," Lohman said.

One Shoe For All Mankind

Unlike the lifetime of focused concentration on a single event that most Olympians have, many of us want to try our hand -- or feet -- at all kinds of games. For shoppers who refuse to narrow the field, shop for crosstrainers.

"A true crosstrainer used to be something cut a little higher," said Kenzy. "The big thing these days is how the midsole is set up. If you have an unstable midsole, you're going to roll your ankle."

Nike is setting a new pace for crosstrainers with the SPARQ TR Elite Trainer. SPARQ stands for speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness, and it's a dynamic training protocol that provides tangible and measurable results to athletes, Nike’s Hamilton said.

"We developed footwear in concert with SPARQ to support that kind of training activity and launched in March and April," Hamilton said. "That is the shoe that can stand up to different activities."

Get Proper Fit

Once you're in the right shoe, pay attention to fit.

Lohman said no two feet will match exactly, so buy for the larger foot. If there's a big discrepancy, Brooks brand shoes will mix and match pairs.

Also, leave about a thumb width from the end of your longest toe to the shoe's edge to prevent banging your toes into the shoe wall and creating bruises.