I'm retiring 2 pairs of Saucony Zealots tonight, one with 500 miles, and the other with 300. I would usually just do what I always do and get another pair of Zealots (neutral, 4mm drop, cushy), but reviews seem to say that the new Zealot has a narrower toebox, and I'm afraid.
My current "regular" running shoe is the Saucony Breakthru (neutral, 8 mm drop, light but not minimal). I'm looking for a cushier shoe for long runs or when I just feel like I want more shoe. I used to run in Saucony Guides, but hated how clunky they felt.
My problem is my toes. I know Saucony is known for having a narrow toebox, but for some reason it seems to work for me. I have long second toes with perma callouses on the ends of them . My big toe joint has been hurting a lot lately, not really when I run, but still worth mentioning. At the very least, I don't want a shoe that would make this worse. So I want room in the toebox. I hate the way that Asics and Nikes feel on my toes, for example.
Do I just go to the LRS and try a bunch of shit on? Do I go all in and buy a pair of Hokas? I'm thinking Altras for the giant toebox, but they are super ugly and I'd have to go to a different LRS (where I don't get a discount) if I wanted to try them on. Plus when I ran exclusively in low-drop shoes, my heels used to hurt. But those were also minimalist shoes, which could very well have been the real factor.
Ideas? I seriously haven't tried a lot of different running shoes. And I hate to spend $100+ on shoes that end up not working.
Are we there, yet?
I run in Brooks Glycerin 14s, 13s before that. It's a neutral shoe, cushioned, 9.2 oz, but with a 10mm drop. It has a big enough toe box that I don't have blister problems in that area even when I run ultras. I get my blisters on the bottom of my feet, not my toes. They run about $150 retail, but hopefully Runner's Warehouse or other on-line site has them cheaper. I get a club discount at my LRS.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Super B****
Do I just go to the LRS and try a bunch of shit on?
That's probably what I would do. (Except that since my "LRS" is now part of a huge conglomerate and I don't really feel any particular loyalty to them anymore, I'd just do that with RW.)
I've never worn the Breakthru -- I tend to avoid Saucony in general because I find the toe boxes way too narrow -- but it sounds a lot like the Brooks Launch. I don't know that I'd necessarily call them cushy, I prefer the Ghosts for that, but they're definitely enough for longer runs. The fact that I've chosen this as my marathon shoe for the second time has nothing to do with that...
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Do you have a DSW nearby? They sell a small selection of "real" running shoes, often at better prices than the LRS
If you want to try on a bunch, some Dicks sporting goods now have all the shoes out, so you could try them. And since it's self serve, not feel bad about then buying them somewhere else.
Have you tried the Mizuno wave rider? That's my go to, but I got a pair of Breakthroughs because they came up in the shoes like mine search on RW. My toes feel a little cramped in the Breakthroughs, but not in the Wave Riders.
I'm liking the Brooks Ghost when I want a cushioned shoe. My LRS has really helped me when I needed to switch shoes though so I would go with that. They are really good and worth paying more
I find most of the shoes you mentioned super narrow so not sure what to recommend but maybe Ghost in wide? I would say altras since they have the widest toebox of all but they are 0 drop and not everyone can tolerate that.
Damaris
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I'm all about the new balance. Big toe box. More wides available. I wear a stability shoe so my info may not apply to you. New versions are on the shelf now.
Still waiting for the perfect race picture. 5K PR-33:52 , 10K PR 1:11:16, First HM 2:42:28
Well New Balance I'll get to try in Dec. if I negative split my marathon. Easy, right?
I've never worn wide widths before but I have super narrow heels so would my foot move around in them?
Brooks were always my second choice shoes back before I fell into my Saucony rut. Twice I went to the LRS intending to buy a pair of Brookes, and twice I bought something else after trying things on.
The thing about Mizuno is they only do 12mm drop, and Altras are only 0 drop. I think I'd do better with the 0 drop, as long as there was cushioning.
I think the Mizuno Catalyst and Sayonara are less drop, maybe 10? Not sure, didn't like 'em when I tried them on at Holabird Sports.
I have a wide forefoot and narrow heel and always have to wear wide shoes. My favorites at the moment are the Asics Nimbus and Cumulus, though I don't know about the brand new models. (The Nimbus especially is really cushy.) I also like the Sauconny Echelon. Because shoe manufacturers keep changing their models, you really should just spend a couple of hours trying on shoes. Buying the new model of an old favorite is how I ended up with a blood blister, when it turned out the new shoes had a strap that went right across my bunion.
Singer who runs a smidge
Barefoot!
When it's all said and done, no one remembers how far we have run. The only thing that matters is how we have loved.
Well New Balance I'll get to try in Dec. if I negative split my marathon. Easy, right? I've never worn wide widths before but I have super narrow heels so would my foot move around in them? Brooks were always my second choice shoes back before I fell into my Saucony rut. Twice I went to the LRS intending to buy a pair of Brookes, and twice I bought something else after trying things on. The thing about Mizuno is they only do 12mm drop, and Altras are only 0 drop. I think I'd do better with the 0 drop, as long as there was cushioning.
I have narrow heels and my feet never moves with large toe box shoes. But I use altras, which are large toe box shoes, vs a wide shoe, which is wide all over.
And Altras have a lot of cushion. Depending on the model (I use Intuitions and Ones, the least cushioned, but they have others more cushioned).
Pretty much. Although you can narrow down the amout of shit you'll have to wade through by doing a little online comparing at running warehouse or running shoes guru before you go in.
One of the problems for me is that I have to actually like the shoe. This sometimes eliminates a model that might otherwise work for me, but I refuse to run in some butt ugly shit just because it's all the rage. If it doesn't appeal to me, no bueno. 👎
I looked around and ordered some Altra Intuitions from the House. If I don't like them, I'll try something else. The Torin's reviews kept saying the toe box was short, so decided to go for slightly less cushion but maybe a better fit from the Intuitions.
Intuitions are the ones I use for my runs and marathons, unless I use the Ones. Good choice. I find the Torins too heavy for me. Hubby uses the Paradigm.