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Low drop, neutral, wide forefoot w/ some cushioning? (Read 1939 times)

TeaOlive


old woman w/hobby

    For the past year I've been using these four shoes:

     

    New Balance Minimus Trail 10 are good for shorter runs.   But they they have no fore foot cushioning.  

    I tried on the Minimus Road but the feel is not the same as the trail.

    Asics Hyper Speed's are okay but wear out too quickly for me.

    I don't like of Saucony Kinvara at all or Hatori.  I do like Saucony Grid 4 but they are too narrow even if I up size.

     

    Our local store doesn't have much in the way of low drop / minimal shoes in stock.   

     

    Ideas / suggestions?

    steph  

     

     

      The Hyper Seed wears out too quickly for you? That's the first time I've heard somebody complain about the longevity of that shoe. I've had some success with the Mizuno Ronin and Adidas Adizero Pro/Hagio being okay with being wide enough for my wide feet, but I don't know that they'd last any longer than the Hyper Speed. Asics Tarther was good.

        I have--and love--Altra's Insinct.  I believe the women's is called the Intuition.  Zero-drop.  Neutral.  VERY roomy toebox (more so than the Minimus).  They've got cushion and come with two insoles so you can adjust how much cushion you have.

         

        They're also bullet proof.  Mine have well over 500 running miles on them, plus I wear them around in addition to running in them.  They're still great.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if they lasted 1,000+ miles.

         

        You can check them out hereRunningWarehouse carries them, too--and they have a fantastic free return policy.   

        "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
        Emil Zatopek

          Have you tried the Saucony Mirage? It's got a roomy toebox (no more black toenails), about a 4mm heel drop, and I find it more comfortable than the Kinvara. It does have just a bit of stability built into it, but I find it impossible to tell in practice.

           

          I went back to the Mirage after I ran in the Brooks Pure Flow for a couple of months and had a series of injuries -- calf muscle, ankle and heel pain, you name it. Two days back in the Mirage, and ALL of the problems went away.

          TeaOlive


          old woman w/hobby

            Thanks every one!

             

            xen, Yes I wear the red right off the mid foot then right down into the white.  The red material is quite soft and I must slide my foot quite a bit.

            Any of the asics with the red out sole wouldn't work.

             

            rgilbert, I have been looking at the Altras on line but have held back because of the price and I hadn't heard any thing about them and hadn't seen any locally.  But I do think that I will give them a try.  Do you use yours on asphalt?   Yes, I like running warehouse.  Wlll be using them for the Altras thanks.

             

            mstuartm,  Hm. I think that the Mirage looks quite a bit like the grid 4 shape so it looks kind of narrow.  

             

            I'll start with the Altras and go from thereSmile

            steph  

             

             

            TeaOlive


            old woman w/hobby

              I have--and love--Altra's Insinct.  I believe the women's is called the Intuition.  Zero-drop.  Neutral.  VERY roomy toebox (more so than the Minimus).  They've got cushion and come with two insoles so you can adjust how much cushion you have.

               

              They're also bullet proof.  Mine have well over 500 running miles on them, plus I wear them around in addition to running in them.  They're still great.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if they lasted 1,000+ miles.

               

              You can check them out hereRunningWarehouse carries them, too--and they have a fantastic free return policy.   

               

              And rgilbert,  I love your dog!  What a face.

              steph  

               

               

                You might also want to try the Brooks PureFlow. Very good reviews. Wider than the Pureconnect. 4mm drop. I tried them and liked them a lot. I have a few shoes to burn through before I buy a pair. 

                 

                vdelrosso


                  I second the pure flow, I'm loving them so far.  I also have an issue wearing through the hyperspeeds (~160 miles), and only rotate them in for speed or races now.  I put in just over 500 in the minimus roads - first 100 they sucked (wanted to return them), then became a pretty solid shoe.  I'm hoping the pureflows will last 300-500, only have about 40 in them now, but they've quickly become my favorite shoe.  Newtons are pretty comfy too, but I'm wearing through them almost as fast as the hyperspeeds at triple the cost (174 miles with obvious wear)...

                   

                  If you go with the altras let us know what you think, I had been looking at them until I talked to a couple of guys who work at running shoe stores who really hate them for various reasons so I've been steering away from them...

                    And rgilbert,  I love your dog!  What a face.

                     

                    Molly says "Thanks!"  Well, she looked at me and tilted her head when I said she was complimented.  Close enough Smile.

                     

                    My Altras are my road-and-sidewalk shoe, many miles of which is at the local parks/bike paths that are asphalt.  I'd say about 70% of the miles on them are asphalt, concrete for the rest.  Wore them today, in fact...536 miles now. Smile

                    "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
                    Emil Zatopek

                    TeaOlive


                    old woman w/hobby

                      Okay.  I ordered the Altras.  I used the Runblogger10 discount.  I actually Just bought  a new pair of hyperspeeds last week. 

                      But it was a stop gap measure and they were on saleSmile

                      Yup I will let you all know how Altras work out.

                       

                      Thanks all.

                      steph  

                       

                       


                      SMART Approach

                        Have you tried the Saucony Mirage? It's got a roomy toebox (no more black toenails), about a 4mm heel drop, and I find it more comfortable than the Kinvara. It does have just a bit of stability built into it, but I find it impossible to tell in practice.

                         

                        I went back to the Mirage after I ran in the Brooks Pure Flow for a couple of months and had a series of injuries -- calf muscle, ankle and heel pain, you name it. Two days back in the Mirage, and ALL of the problems went away.

                         

                        +1. So impressed with this shoe. I have a bunion and this shoe as a roomy toe box and mesh in the bunion area. Worth a try and good color options!

                        Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

                        Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

                        Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

                        www.smartapproachtraining.com

                        TeaOlive


                        old woman w/hobby

                          Okay.  I ordered the Altras.  I used the Runblogger10 discount.  I actually Just bought  a new pair of hyperspeeds last week. 

                          But it was a stop gap measure and they were on saleSmile

                          Yup I will let you all know how Altras work out.

                           

                          Thanks all.

                           

                          Altra Intuition:  Not for me.  

                           

                          There is a large lump under the arch / instep.  Why?  It felt like some what like the Sketchers go run.   Yuk.

                           

                          Anyway, they felt bad with either of the two inserts.  I even tried with no insert.  Back they go.

                          steph  

                           

                           

                            Altra Intuition:  Not for me.  

                             

                            There is a large lump under the arch / instep.  Why?  It felt like some what like the Sketchers go run.   Yuk.

                             

                            Anyway, they felt bad with either of the two inserts.  I even tried with no insert.  Back they go.

                            To me, when I choose a shoe, first and foremost importance is the shape of the shoe.  If my foot can't sit on the shape of the shoe, no gimmick in the world is going to convince me that it's the right shoe for me.  This Atlas seems to me, their gimmick is no forefoot drop (or whichever people use it); the same thickness from forefoot to heel.  That's their gimmick.  There had been many, many, many "gimmicks" swept through the running shoe industry.  Some of which I actually liked were; lacing on the side, extra arch support, etc...  But none of those would be good enough if the shape of the shoe is not correct.  To me, these Atlas look way too straight.  Whether the heel area is thick or thin; if I wear shoes like this, I know I'm going to have some problem of my foot sticking out one way or another, hanging over the edge of the shoe.  

                             

                            One other observation is that, if you have to accommodate imbalance of the shape of the shoe by playing around with insole, that ain't right.  If you need a special insole, orthotics or any of those "extras", that means the shoe is not for you.  Your foot doesn't need those extras, but that shoe does. 

                              Sorry the Intuition didn't work for you, Steph--the Instinct (mine, at least) doesn't have that bump that you had a problem with.  

                               

                              Maybe I have funny shaped feet, but my Instincts are almost exactly the same shape as my foot, Nobby Smile.

                              "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
                              Emil Zatopek

                                Maybe I have funny shaped feet, but my Instincts are almost exactly the same shape as my foot, Nobby Smile.

                                Rgilbert:

                                 

                                All due respect, I very much highly doubt anybody's foot is shaped like the BOTTOM of Instincts.  It is possible--there's always an exception--but, unless you have a very tiny arch toward the heel (usually people have the arch more toward the front), nobody's foot is shaped like that.  That said, granted, some people do have more straight-ish foot.  Most of NB shoes are very straight (except for some of those Minimus shoes) and many people love them.  Your foot MAY FIT IN on the shape of Instincts correctly (there's difference) but I highly doubt the shape of the bottom of your foot is shaped like that--just because the sole has those toe-like thingie, it won't make it "foot-like".

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