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I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing?
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I used to run in a variety of different running shoes, mostly because I didn't know what I was doing. Then I got a bad case of plantar fasciitis that took a long time to recover from. Part of that recovery was going with Kayanos and Superfeet green insoles. That formula worked for me for 15 years more-or-less injury free (at least running injury free). Recently I had some tendinitis in my foot that kept me from running for a while. Working with a Podiatrist I made the switch to custom orthotics and have been running pain-free again for ~3 months with custom orthotics and Kayanos.

I read all these threads about folks trying out all the latest-and-greatest Hoka-this and Salming-that, and am wondering whether I should branch out a bit and try a few different shoes or leave well enough alone since I'm running injury free again. My big fear is that I switch to something new that feels great initially, but ends up causing some sort of overuse injury that takes time to recover from. Those of you that switch among different shoes regularly, please educate me on what I'm missing. If I was to try out a new shoe, what recommendations do folks have that are similar but perhaps "better" in some way than my trusty Kayano's? For info, I'm 6'0", 165 lbs (working my way down toward 160) and run 6-7x per week, ~25mi/wk currently. I also have very low arches and am a mid foot striker.

Edit: Also worth pointing out that I haven't been running in the same pair of Kayanos for 15 years. I cycle them out every 300-400 miles. (Yes, I could see that one coming a mile away).
Last edited by: jkatsoudas: Oct 11, 17 16:24
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Tried Hoka this season...going back to Kayano's.

_________________________________
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Stick with what is working for you. Function trumps fashion.
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Don’t change a thing. You’ve had success, did a modification and are now seeing success again. Stay with your Kayano and custom insole. Continue your program of replacing worn out shoes and stay consistent with your running. If during all that you run into another problem then address it. There is nothing exciting about what I just said except that you are running without problems. That’s exciting enough.

Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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I dig the Kayano's, currently have a pair of 24's that I've got in rotation. (Thanks Asics for the free shoes!) I also think they run better than the GT 2000/3000 although it's been a few months since I've had those pairs in the rotation.

You are not missing anything really. There are shoes you could try if you wanted, but I often tell people why switch if it's working.

If you wanted to go to Hola the Arahi but I think I'd classify that as a light(er) stability shoe more like the GT 2000/3000. The Gaviota might be another option although I feel it's less snappy compared to the Arahi.

Saucony you could try the Guide 10 or the new Guide ISO, again I feel it's more in line with the GT 2000/3000. The Omni or Hurrincane ISO might be more in line with the kayano. They have their new Liberty ISO's coming out and that could be an option.

i see runners/triathletes all the time going from mid to high cushioning shoes to (more) minimalist shoes. Maybe 10-1 high to minimal and back vs 1 going minimal to high back to minimal.

people want to change their running style now and then. Most don't realize it takes about a year to make those changes stick.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [SDJ] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks everyone.



SDJ wrote:
There is nothing exciting about what I just said except that you are running without problems. That’s exciting enough.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be running pain-free again!
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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I had a pair of shoes that worked for me and bought 12 more pairs on sale. Stick with what works.

The problem is that usually shoe companies don't leave well enough alone and change their shoes to keep their designs "fresh"
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [Economist] [ In reply to ]
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Economist wrote:
Tried Hoka this season...going back to Kayano's.

Why do people refer to Hokas as though they only make one model. The Tracer is completely different to the Bondi. I had the Stinsons and hated them, they were big, heavy clumpy shoes, I've now switched to Cliftons and they are the same weight as my Asics Noosa and are a completely different shoe to the Stinson. I used to run in 4 different shoes, Stinson for long runs, Pegasus for shorter runs, Noosa for long races and Hyperspeeds for short races. I now just run in 2 - Cliftons for all training and Hyperspeeds for all races.
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Have to agree with everyone else; sure there are other options out there but the Kayano is still a top-quality shoe in today's market.

It's certainly not as though you're stuck in the past, so if they're working for you then keep with them!
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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Man, I think you've found nirvana...a line of shoes that hasn't been EOLed or changed sufficiently to force you out of them. Stick with what works!

Eliot
blog thing - strava thing
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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jkatsoudas wrote:
... My big fear is that I switch to something new that feels great initially.... I cycle them out every 300-400 miles.

I am no expert, by why in the world would you ever switch from something that is working?

I ran in kayanos on the road before I switched almost exclusively to trails several years ago. Never had any problems, so I continued with kayanos on trails. To this day, I still have no problems (except that Asics fucked up the new kayanos - I still scour ebay for the older models), so I have not seriously considered trail shoes. I am nearly the only one who I see in road shoes at my races, but these never give me blisters, so there is no way I am switching. I'll give up a little on the traction end and comfort end so I can be blister-free for days (sometimes literally).

My point is - on trails, there are definite, real, advantages to trail-specific shoes. Even with these advantages, I won't switch from a problem-free shoe. So why would you switch from a problem-free shoe to a different one that offers no real advantage (the marketers of the new shoes will try to convince you there is a difference or advantage - there's not).

Bottom line. Don't switch unless you just like spending money and taking chances.
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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jkatsoudas wrote:
I used to run in a variety of different running shoes, mostly because I didn't know what I was doing. Then I got a bad case of plantar fasciitis that took a long time to recover from. Part of that recovery was going with Kayanos and Superfeet green insoles. That formula worked for me for 15 years more-or-less injury free (at least running injury free). Recently I had some tendinitis in my foot that kept me from running for a while. Working with a Podiatrist I made the switch to custom orthotics and have been running pain-free again for ~3 months with custom orthotics and Kayanos.

I read all these threads about folks trying out all the latest-and-greatest Hoka-this and Salming-that, and am wondering whether I should branch out a bit and try a few different shoes or leave well enough alone since I'm running injury free again. My big fear is that I switch to something new that feels great initially, but ends up causing some sort of overuse injury that takes time to recover from. Those of you that switch among different shoes regularly, please educate me on what I'm missing. If I was to try out a new shoe, what recommendations do folks have that are similar but perhaps "better" in some way than my trusty Kayano's? For info, I'm 6'0", 165 lbs (working my way down toward 160) and run 6-7x per week, ~25mi/wk currently. I also have very low arches and am a mid foot striker.

Edit: Also worth pointing out that I haven't been running in the same pair of Kayanos for 15 years. I cycle them out every 300-400 miles. (Yes, I could see that one coming a mile away).

If they work for you, you're missing out on nothing.

https://markmcdermott.substack.com
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [marklemcd] [ In reply to ]
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I was furious about the Kayano redesign, but I got used to the new style and have stayed with the model.

I still look at ebay, though, for the old models. Only stuff available these days are used shoes. No thanks.
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [TeamBarenaked] [ In reply to ]
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TeamBarenaked wrote:
I am no expert, by why in the world would you ever switch from something that is working? .

What prompted the question was a recent switch in cycling shoes. I've been riding in my trusty old Shimano road shoes for 7-8 years, and was quite happy with them but they'd gotten all old and raggedy-looking (and funky). I was in the LBS recently and they were running a 25% off sale on lots of stuff, including shoes, so I tried out the new Specialized S-Works 6's. Wow - what a revelation those shoes were! I am so happy I made that switch. That sort of prompted me to wonder if the Kayano's were a similar situation where they seemed fine but, unbeknownst to me, I was missing out on something truly superior. I tend to agree with the general sentiment though, that if it ain't broke, don't fix it so I'll just carry on happily running in my Kayanos. Thanks again everyone.
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [jkatsoudas] [ In reply to ]
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jkatsoudas wrote:
TeamBarenaked wrote:

I am no expert, by why in the world would you ever switch from something that is working? .


What prompted the question was a recent switch in cycling shoes. I've been riding in my trusty old Shimano road shoes for 7-8 years, and was quite happy with them but they'd gotten all old and raggedy-looking (and funky). I was in the LBS recently and they were running a 25% off sale on lots of stuff, including shoes, so I tried out the new Specialized S-Works 6's. Wow - what a revelation those shoes were! I am so happy I made that switch. That sort of prompted me to wonder if the Kayano's were a similar situation where they seemed fine but, unbeknownst to me, I was missing out on something truly superior. I tend to agree with the general sentiment though, that if it ain't broke, don't fix it so I'll just carry on happily running in my Kayanos. Thanks again everyone.

Unless you've been wearing the same pair of Kayano's for the last 7 or 8 years that's not a like for like story :)

https://www.pbandjcoaching.com
https://www.thisbigroadtrip.com
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Re: I've been running in Kayano's for 15 years... what am I missing? [JayPeeWhy] [ In reply to ]
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JayPeeWhy wrote:
Unless you've been wearing the same pair of Kayano's for the last 7 or 8 years that's not a like for like story :)

Yes and no. There's no real cushioning to compress or wear out in cycling shoes. Certainly the S-Works 6's didn't feel "better" because they were more cushiony. In fact, quite the opposite. They're very thin and lightweight, and feel like a far more direct connection to the pedal. Plus the heel cup is far more stable than anything I've ever ridden in before.
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