Which is especially misguided when you consider that, after the knee, the foot is the most frequently injured body part. Fact: One in five Runner's World readers has had a foot injury in the last 12 months, according to a recent survey.

What's more, foot anomalies can lead to pain and injury of the shins, knees, hips and lower back, making us injury-prone when we really shouldn't be.

Yes, it's time to start acknowledging the importance of your feet. Today.

Find the Perfect Fit
Proper shoe selection is vital to foot health--not merely the shoe brand and model, but the fit. "Bad shoe fit can cause a multitude of problems for your feet, everything from numbness and burning to blisters and painful calluses," says Rick Braver, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Englewood, N.J., who treats many runners. Shoes that are too short can cause black toenails. Shoes that are too narrow in the forefoot can cause pinched-nerve pain, bunions, corns or calluses. Shoes that are too wide allow the foot to slide around, which causes undue friction, which in turn can lead to blisters. And so on.

Unfortunately, many shoe stores carry only the most popular sizes. If you have especially large, small, narrow or wide feet, your shoe choice may be limited. Some brands offer width sizing in a couple of models--particularly New Balance, which offers three or four widths with every model. Orthotics wearers or runners with high arches often need shoes with more depth. So if you require a shoe that's anything out of the ordinary, you need to shop around. As always, your best bet is a specialty running store.

And when you go shopping, seek out a pedorthist. A few running stores have these shoe-fitting specialists on duty, but runners too often depend on salespeople with limited shoe-fitting knowledge. This is particularly true in big sporting-goods chain stores, where the person selling running shoes may not even run.

Even if you do get the right fit, realize that shoes shrink over time, particularly if you get them wet often (either from excessive sweat or precipitation). And while your shoes are shrinking, your feet are getting bigger and wider. Not overnight, mind you, but over the years your feet can expand two full sizes or more. Which is why you should be measured every time you buy shoes. (For more shoe-fitting tips, see "Get Fit Now" above.)