My $18 Walmart Starter Pro Wear Test (Read 298 times)

Short version. Bought them Saturday for $18 wore them for my runs Monday, Tuesday and this morning and I will likely wear them tonight on a 10-11 miler. Feel great. No issues other than I should have bought a half size smaller.

Long version. I've been wearing Puma FAAS 550 since July 2012 pretty much exclusively other than flirting with a pair of go runs for a couple months until I lost one of them (I love the go runs). I am a 5'9" 175 lb neutral runner who prefers a minimal shoe with as small a heel toe drop as possible. (When I was only logging 45-55 miles a week I would take out my insoles to get closer to the ground, now, with my current mileage, my knees and feet  demand that I leave them in.) I need a new pair of Pumas badly but my wife tells me I have to wait. Last week was a 70 mile week for me and on Saturday my left knee and right foot were killing me. Since my daughter and I were heading to Walmart to get her a bathing suit, I grabbed a pair of fluorescent lime green running shoes that seemed really light and neutral but that had a little bit thicker sole than I'm used to, but for $18 I was willing to take the chance.

As mentioned above, the shoes are fine... a big toe box and seemingly much more cushioning than I am used to. My right foot felt better almost immediately and oddly enough my left knee feels as good as it has since I tweaked it back in October.  So that's good. I don't love the shoes but I like them a lot and a lot better than many more expensive shoes I've bought. After I get my new 550s, I'll probably swap this shoe out a couple times a week for my junk mile runs to save wear and tear.

Since no amount of internet searching has led me to the actual shoe on either starter's or walmart's websites, or anywhere else, and I have no idea what the model name is (not on the shoe, may have been on the tag which is gone), I have a picture sitting on my desktop ready to upload if I can just figure out, or someone can tell me, how to do so.

First off, let me say I'm new to running and I don't even know my style of running, although I did just buy a new pair of shoes that I use only for running, but with only 70 miles on them I still can't see a discernible wear pattern that indicates my running style; maybe I just need to take them to my local running store and see if they can.

Having said that, I always buy cheap shoes from wal-mart-like stores. I don't log near the miles you do, currently only doing between 20-25 miles per week. I don't know, maybe as my mileage increases I will seek more expensive shoes.

Per Mikey's suggestion, I got 11.2 oz per shoe, that was after tonight's run so they were pretty wet with sweat. My faas 550 weigh 9.6 oz dry. Still liking them a lot after a longish run tonight.

Nice. This is some running science I can appreciate particularly since you're freely publishing your findings. I'd imagine the upper will fall apart quicker than usual, or the sole of the shoe will separate prematurely. Or, maybe they'll just be a badass pair of $18 shoes.

 but with only 70 miles on them I still can't see a discernible wear pattern that indicates my running style; maybe I just need to take them to my local running store and see if they can.

Any of your old worn shoes will do. Set them on a table and look at them from behind to see if they lean this way or that.

Those Walmart shoes sound intriguing.