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

Julia1971


    did the Nimbus feel clunky because they were bulkier/less flexible for really quick running? 

     

    Hmm.  I'm not sure the lack of flexibility really bothered me but I'll think on that.  I think one of the reasons I like the shoe is that it is stiff - my feet are kind of narrow, so I like how snug it feels relative to other shoes.  If anything, I guess I just felt like there was too much cushion.  Like my foot wasn't making good contact with the ground because I had these pillows under my feet.

    npaden


      I'm also curious about this subject.

       

      About 80% of my running is on dirt/gravel roads so I've been looking at trail running type shoes to train in.

       

      I bought a pair of Inov-8 F-lite 230's a month or so ago.  They have a drop of 6mm and I'm still working into them.  Longest run in them so far is 4.5 miles, but they seem to be working out really well. VERY light feeling compared to my ASICS Cumulus shoes I've been running in.  Contemplating running a 10k in them this Saurday, but probably wont.

       

      I naturally have a midfoot strike so the lower heel drop hasn't caused me any issues yet that I know of.  Feet feel fine, but I'm still putting in the vast bulk of my mileage in my ASICS Cumulus.  I'm still following the break in procedures pretty closely though.

       

      I also bought a pair of Vibram Spyridons that I've been wearing around alot although I haven't run in them yet, again following break in procedures.

      Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

      Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

      bhearn


        For a light, cushioned trail shoe with a substantial drop (I think 10mm), try the Montrail Rogue Fly. I loooove them. After 8 years of running everything in road shoes, I'm converted.

        kcam


          Just for reference here's a discussion of Flats I started in one of the user groups.  It starts with a list of shoes that I thought fit the 'flats' category with some of their statistics.  This list is quite dated (from 2011).  I'm now running 10K races and below in Mizuno Universe which make you feel, if not run, unbelievabley fast.  I train at least 3 to 4 days a week in shoes called Altra Instinct which are true zero-drop shoes, nuetral and 9 ounces.  I think, as others have noted, you have to get your legs accustomed to zero or near-zero drop shoes.  

           

          Note:  Brooks flats have some of the highest heel-to-toe drop numbers ... meaning they would probably be a good fit for someone trying to transition to racing flats as, in that respect, they are similar to a lot of trainers.  The very popular Brooks T6 "flat" actually has a heel-to-toe drop of 12mm yet weighs in at ~6.5 ounces.

           

          Flats

          bhearn


            The very popular Brooks T6 "flat" actually has a heel-to-toe drop of 12mm yet weighs in at ~6.5 ounces.

            Thanks for that -- I've been looking for something to replace my discontinued Fastwitch 4. (But I still have a stockpile of several pairs, so I'm good for a while.)

            bhearn


              I ran Rainier to Ruston 50K last weekend; Zach Gingerich was there and handily won the 50M. This is a course that is maybe 40% rough trail. He ran in the Nike Mayfly -- 3.5 oz. However, he evidently had already trashed one of the shoes by 11 miles in.

              xor


                The T6 is now the T7.  It has an 11mm drop and a bit more cushion in the heel than the Fastwitch.  Heel to toe, the T7 is 23mm/12mm.  The Fastwitch 5 that you want to avoid is 19/15.

                 

                Importantly (maybe, maybe not)... Fastwitch has a bit of pronation structure built in.  T7 has none.  The Brooks shoe more like the Fastwitch from that perspective is the ST 5.  However, ST 5 will feel different.  It has a drop of 12 and  28/16 heights - might seem like platform shoes. (but I don't know Fastwitch 4. Might be similar. I brought this up because of the pronation control)

                 

                Weights: At 6oz, the T7 is your lightweight shoe, which makes sense because it has no stability goings-on.  Fastwitch is 8, and ST 5 is 8.6.

                 

                Brooks also pushes Green Silence as a race shoe.  No stability stuff. 7.2oz. 24/14, so 10 drop. 

                 

                Of the various Mizuno racers, you might check the Musha. It is most like the Fastwitch.  A wee bit of stability, 22/13, 8.5oz.

                 

                bhearn


                  Thanks.

                   

                  Fastwitch is 8, 

                   

                  Is that the Fastwitch 5? It got heavier?? The Fastwitch 4 is 8 oz in M11.5, so much lighter at the reference size (9?).

                  xor


                    Si, Fastwitch 5 in mens size 9 is 8.0oz.

                     

                    (per runningwarehouse, which of course might be wrong)

                     

                    Bob saw this, but expanding for others.  Zach's Mayfly.  So, Mayfly is an odd shoe - the upper seems (to me) to be a lot more like paper/fabric than the typical shoe.  By M11, one of Zach's shoes was torn stem-to-stern.  Ripped, all the way through, from the front to the back.  Basically, he was running on a little flat sole.  

                     

                      Mayfly is an odd choice for an ultra since they are supposed to only last for one road race.  The upper is made of Tyvek.

                      Runners run

                      stadjak


                      Interval Junkie --Nobby

                        Mayfly is an odd choice for an ultra since they are supposed to only last for one road race.

                         

                        Guess that's one way to get the most for your money . . . if it's going to last only one race, might as well make it as long as possible.

                         

                        (I also try to take as many swings as I can at the golf course -- you know, after paying those expensive fees and all)

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

                        xor


                          Mayfly is an odd choice for an ultra since they are supposed to only last for one road race.  The upper is made of Tyvek.

                           

                          I think I can 'splain part of this.

                           

                          Rainier to Ruston is a weird race, as these things go.  50 miles, officially 50.8... but here's how it breaks down...

                           

                          5 road miles.

                          16 miles, mixed bad ass hard trail with deep mud and easier rails to trails... with some deep mud.

                          (Zach's extra 5 mile excursion when he was directed onto the 50k course by a volunteer.  A mix of road and bad ass mud trail)

                          15ish miles of paved rails-to-trails.

                          4 miles of freaky sand gully running, with long deep puddles.

                          11ish miles of sidewalk and road.

                           

                          Yes, he ran 56ish and still won.

                           

                          HOWEVER... he was under the impression that more of the race was road.  He told me that he was not expecting the mud and trails.  Perhaps he would have worn different shoes if so.  I think he was expecting a 50 mile road race, good prep for badwater.

                           

                          Or maybe he just likes crappy old shoes.

                           

                          bhearn


                            (Zach's extra 5 mile excursion when he was directed onto the 50k course by a volunteer.  A mix of road and bad ass mud trail)

                             

                            Yes, he ran 56ish and still won.

                             

                            Nit, the out-and-back actually only adds 3.7, so he ran 54.5. But over a mile of that 3.7 was shoe-sucking, cannot-possibly-run-through mud.

                            Julia1971


                              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.


                              Feeling the growl again

                                Here's my update...

                                 

                                 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.

                                 

                                 

                                Thanks for the update.  Always nice to know the result of the discussions.

                                 

                                The practicality of flats on some roads can be a real issue.  My routes at home are significantly limited by the fact that the county 3 miles north of us is 80% unpaved...and the dirt roads are a survace of marble-sized sharp rocks with no clear dirt in between.  Even in normal trainers it is painful after only a couple miles.

                                 

                                I used to run with (well, race with in a friendly competitive manner anyways) a guy who was trying for the Olympic Trials.  I even helped set up a crew of guys to work together at the race where he finally got his qualifier.  Then he took a shard of glass through his shoe and into his arch during training...ran the Trials but had to DNF.

                                 

                                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.

                                 

                                I have not bought a pair of them in years (I am due) but I always liked the DS Racer as a middle-of-the-road shoe.  Either as a marathon racer or for long workouts on the road when you want something faster-feeling than a trainer but not as minimal as a flat.

                                "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

                                 

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