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Light Weight Trainers/Racing Flats? (Read 1499 times)

    mizuno wave precision 12 is available at REI.    light weight with standard 12 mm drop.  neutral.

     

    Julia: I just bought Brooks Pure Cadence (4mm drop) & will start trying them out soon on short, easy days because of the 4 mm drop.  down from the 12mm from the Adrenelenes which has been my main shoe.   stability shoe.   Almost went with the Ravenna because stability like the Adrenelenes but bit lighter weight & 8mm drop & then maybe go with a still less lighter/lower drop at some point.  but ended up just going with the Cadence.   The Connect is neutral & more narrow , also 4mm .

     

    Also use the Brooks ST4 (earlier generation of the ST5 that Spaniel uses) for races up to 10k & speedwork type stuff.  Used these once for a HM & just about ruined my knees, but it may have been more about the course & pavement condition.  Ran another HM 5 mths later in Adrenelenes (PR) & had no issues whatsoever. 

     

    bottom line is my plan was to find a more multipurpose lighter/lower drop shoe to use for mid distance training, speedwork-tempo, & races longer than 10k-hence the Cadence.  My ST4 should get me through this summer for races but probably not beyond.

    WhoDatRunner


    Will Crew for Beer

      If you end up liking the Wave Riders, try a pair of Wave Precisions next.  You will likely not find them in a store, I never have.  They are lighter, with a bit less cushion, mostly in the forefoot.  I'm on my several dozenth pair.

      Just a note on the fit of the Wave Rider vs the Precision. The forefoot in the Precision is huge compared to the Wave Rider. If you prefer a narrower shoe the Precision may not be for you. I had to go down a half size in the Precision and I'm still not too keen on the way it fits. I much prefer the Brooks Launch as a lightweight daily trainer.

      Rule number one of a gunfight, bring a gun. Rule number two of a gunfight, bring friends with guns.

        Here's my update...

         

        I went to the Local Running Store closest to my house to try on some shoes.  I asked for a light weight trainer/racing flat and the associate brought out maybe 3 pairs of light weight shoes for me to try one.  I had to press her to bring me a racing flat.  I think it was either because a) I don't look fast enough to wear a racing flat and/or b) they don't have very many of them anyway.  In the end, I didn't like any of the flats anyway - they were either too wide in the forefoot (in an ideal world, I'd be wearing narrows) or too thin for the roads I'll be running on (which have all kinds of rocks, sticks, hyperdermic needles, etc.)  I did buy the Mizuno Wave Riders, though, with the idea of transitioning to something like this as my everyday show.

         

        I also went to another LRS that's more of a pain to get to, but I thought might have a better selection.  It was worth the trip as they had a much broader selection of these types of shoes.  They brought out at least 8 different shoes for me to try on and were very helpful in helping me figure out why I wasn't liking one shoe over the other.  In the end, I bought a pair of the Brooks Pure Connect with the idea of using it for speedwork and short races.  I also liked the Brooks Cadence but the Pure Connects are very narrow so I fell in love with that fit.

         

        Really looking forward to gradually working them in to my shoe rotation over the next few months.  And, maybe trying some other shoes - like the Cadence - eventually.

         LOVE my pure connect. Those are my long runs/race shoes (ran my 50 mile race in them) and use the Minimus for short and fast stuff. Good luck Julia 

        Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson


        Feeling the growl again

          Just a note on the fit of the Wave Rider vs the Precision. The forefoot in the Precision is huge compared to the Wave Rider. If you prefer a narrower shoe the Precision may not be for you. I had to go down a half size in the Precision and I'm still not too keen on the way it fits. I much prefer the Brooks Launch as a lightweight daily trainer.

           

          Interesting observation.  The last time I tried a pair of Riders was probably 2006.  At the time I found no difference in fit between Riders and Precisions.  I have since just reflexively bought Precisions and other than some minor changes in the upper I have not noticed any change in the fit.  I have 6 years' worth stacked up in my garage as outdoor work shoes and don't notice much of a difference between them.  Perhaps the Riders have changed more??

          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

           

          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

           

          WhoDatRunner


          Will Crew for Beer

            Interesting observation.  The last time I tried a pair of Riders was probably 2006.  At the time I found no difference in fit between Riders and Precisions.  I have since just reflexively bought Precisions and other than some minor changes in the upper I have not noticed any change in the fit.  I have 6 years' worth stacked up in my garage as outdoor work shoes and don't notice much of a difference between them.  Perhaps the Riders have changed more??

            That's certainly possible as I've only worn the Wave Rider 14, so it may have had a bigger forefoot at one time. I can say that the forefoot of the Precision 12 size 10 is quite a bit larger than all of my other size 10 running shoes.

            Rule number one of a gunfight, bring a gun. Rule number two of a gunfight, bring friends with guns.

            xor


              >> I also liked the Brooks Cadence but the Pure Connects are very narrow so I fell in love with that fit.

               

              Those are very different shoes.  Connects are for the neutral-est of neutral runners.  Cadence has quite a bit of structure to help control overpronation.

               

                That's certainly possible as I've only worn the Wave Rider 14, so it may have had a bigger forefoot at one time. 

                 The WR 14 was a complete re-engineering of the shoe. Very different fit from all the previous versions. After a backlash, Mizuno went back to the original fit with the WR 15. 

                 

                  I had the Wave Rider 13s and bought that year's corresponding Precisions, perhaps the 12, and thought the forefoot was way bigger. I agree that it was likely the upper, though. They probably use the exact same last sizing. I've found their fits after that to feel mostly the same.

                   

                  I think the Brooks T7 Racer is an incredible shoe. It's extremely comfortable and featherweight for a shoe that still has a standard heel-toe drop. The New Balance MR1400 is similar. For anyone who wants to feel like they're using a flat, but is afraid for their calf/Achilles, I recommend these shoes. Order .5 up in the T7. Most people using these shoes won't find the cushion satisfactory for regular road running.

                   

                  I think the adiZero line is fairly amazing. The shoe's cushioning does a great job of never being too hard or too squishy. If you could only own one shoe for the rest of your life, the Adios wouldn't be a bad choice.

                   

                  If I could have gotten to the OP a few days ago, I would have actually recommended Nikes. They're the one brand that is notoriously too narrow. The original LunaRacer, Nike Streak 3 or 4, or the Lunarspeed Lite might have been right up your alley.

                   

                  ASICS has great shoes, too, but I feel like i've already rambled enough.

                  stadjak


                  Interval Junkie --Nobby

                    As someone who has sadly been relegated to the "support shoe" side of the store, I look with envy at all the neutral choices.

                     

                    Personally, I suspect the running shoe people see 6'3" me and figure I "must" be over-pronating . . . then confirmation bias does its thing.

                     

                    Sure, I've never had an issues I could directly link to arch-support: how could I reasonably do that?  So, I just cautiously follow where the head-lemming tells me to go.

                     

                    ASICS 1170s - heavy, durable, comfortable, and cheap (kinda).

                    2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

                    WhoDatRunner


                    Will Crew for Beer

                       The WR 14 was a complete re-engineering of the shoe. Very different fit from all the previous versions. After a backlash, Mizuno went back to the original fit with the WR 15. 

                      Interesting. Could be why I didn't like the 15 as much when I tried it on and why I'm not really crazy about the Precision. I liked the 14, but wanted something a little lighter.

                      Rule number one of a gunfight, bring a gun. Rule number two of a gunfight, bring friends with guns.

                      xor


                        Personally, I suspect the running shoe people see 6'3" me and figure I "must" be over-pronating . . . then confirmation bias does its thing.

                         

                         

                        Um, this is not that hard to figure out.  Have someone video you on a treadmill from behind.  If you overpronate, it'll be clear. And by how much. 

                         

                        But even if they don't video you, a reasonable shoe person will watch you run to make that judgment.  Anyone doing this based on your height needs some lessons.  I humbly suggest you don't whip out the term 'confirmation bias' on them though.

                         

                        Julia1971


                          >> I also liked the Brooks Cadence but the Pure Connects are very narrow so I fell in love with that fit.

                           

                          Those are very different shoes.  Connects are for the neutral-est of neutral runners.  Cadence has quite a bit of structure to help control overpronation.

                           

                          Yes, that was misleading on my part. They are very different shoes. None of the racing flats were working for me and I was going to settle on trying the two lighter weight neutral trainers as everyday shoes. But the last shoe I tried on was the Connect.
                          Julia1971


                             LOVE my pure connect. Those are my long runs/race shoes (ran my 50 mile race in them) and use the Minimus for short and fast stuff. Good luck Julia 

                             

                            Thanks! I can't wait to try them! I'm racing a 10K this weekend, though and don't want to change anything this week.
                            Julia1971


                              Update #2.

                               

                              I had two fairly new pairs of Gel-Nimbus when I posted this, so the transition has been slow as I milk all the mileage I can out of them. But, now that they are both in the upper 200s, I'm trying to do more mileage in the lighter shoes.

                               

                              I still like the Pure Connects as a racing shoe (if I ever race any time soon) but after almost 100 miles in the Wave Riders, I found them to be a little stiffer in the mid-foot than I would like. So, I mined this thread for suggestions and then went back to my LRSs to try out some shoes. I bought the Wave Precisions and Pure Cadences. (Oh, and I'm the one that added "Pure Cadance" to the equipment list. I know spelling/grammar drives some of y'all crazy. Sorry). I ran a few miles in the both and the Cadence are going back - too mushy feeling. I like the Precisions so far but I've only really run in them once. Thanks again!

                                 You probably would have liked the Wave Rider 13s.  I hate how Mizuno has destroyed their flagship shoe.  You can compare the stats between the 13s, 14s, 15s and other shoes on Runners World.com and see that the flexibility has been completely compromised.  They are a completely different shoe now. 

                                 

                                http://www.runnersworld.com/shoemine-results?field_result=Y&gender=21&manufacturer=78&model=339

                                http://www.runnersworld.com/shoemine-results?field_result=Y&gender=21&manufacturer=78&model=2021

                                 

                                Update #2.

                                 

                                I had two fairly new pairs of Gel-Nimbus when I posted this, so the transition has been slow as I milk all the mileage I can out of them. But, now that they are both in the upper 200s, I'm trying to do more mileage in the lighter shoes.

                                 

                                I still like the Pure Connects as a racing shoe (if I ever race any time soon) but after almost 100 miles in the Wave Riders, I found them to be a little stiffer in the mid-foot than I would like. So, I mined this thread for suggestions and then went back to my LRSs to try out some shoes. I bought the Wave Precisions and Pure Cadences. (Oh, and I'm the one that added "Pure Cadance" to the equipment list. I know spelling/grammar drives some of y'all crazy. Sorry). I ran a few miles in the both and the Cadence are going back - too mushy feeling. I like the Precisions so far but I've only really run in them once. Thanks again!

                                "Shut up Legs!" Jens Voigt

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