Places like Road Runner Sports and Running Warehouse have liberal 90 day return policies that allow you to "test run" shoes. When my wife wanted to switch up her shoes she ordered 5-6 different models from Road Runner, tested them all, and only kept the ones that worked for her. It was a pretty simple process.

my local running store has a liberal 2 week test period which is pretty cool, but I was wondering if I should be doing some kind of exercises or strengthening program to make me less susceptible to the shin splints. or if there was a good in between shoe people used to move away

I don't know much about shin splints, but how would you honestly rate your gait? Heel-, mid- or fore-foot striker? Heavy on your feet?

The Brooks Adrenaline is a great shoe and would be a good candidate for you to transition away from the maximum stability. It's designed as a jack-of-all-trades "do-anything" shoe, so nimble enough to run interval sessions but still forgiving enough for long distances. It's lighter and firmer, than the Beasts but still has a lot of support and a decent stack size.

Whatever you choose, I'd definitely use them in rotation with the Beasts, start off just using them for your shortest/easiest runs for a few weeks and progress from there.

First off this is an issue that Roadrunner sports, Amazon etc can not help you with.

You need to go in and talk with someone who has access to a wide variety of shoes and deals with runners on a daily basis. Someone who has fit thousands of people with problems that make yours look like that are adding 2+3. Someone who will figure out if you've got late phase pronation vs early phase pronation and can select shoes that are more appropriate for your pronation.

You need to test run at the store numerous shoes in the motion control category and stability category. You need to try on 3-5 pair and select 2-3 that feel good to you when you stand in them. Then you need to go run with them even if it's just for :15. If it doesn't feel good there, put it back in the box.

You need to then whittle it down to 2 or 3 pair that you like. Then you need to run Shoe A & Shoe B against each other at the same time. Then since one foot pronates more severely you need to swap feet with Shoes A & B then go run them again. Repeat with that with the Shoe C.

If you do it this way you select the shoe that feels the best to you, not the person at your LRS. They guide the process with the selection of a variety of shoes that may work for you but you figure out which is the best shoe for you.

If you want we can arrange a time for you to come to Tucson and I'll help you figure this out.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

i'm a midfoot striker most of the time. when i get tired i have been known to land a little bit aft of midfoot but not a true heelstrike.

here's some crappy cell phone video:

I'll give you my n+1 experience. I was a Brooks Beast runner for many years until I too wanted to transition to a lighter shoe thinking it would make me a better runner. Three or four years ago (can't remember) I did transition to the Adrenaline. I want to say it felt good and I was running well (but not that much faster) in it. This September, I went back to the Beast. Why? Because for the past two years I've been battling plantar fasciitis and insertional achiillies tendonitis. I spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on treatments to get rid of those maladies and finally I did with rest and switching back to the Beast. I am running pain free and finally getting some decent mileage in wearing the Brooks Beast. Coincidence? I don't think so but can't prove it. I will continue to be a Brooks Beast fan until my next running injury ;)

I used to be a heel striker and my first shoe was a Beast. As my body adapted to mid-foot, I needed a little less structure. Currently running in Asics Kayano and Hoka Arahi. Might try out Brooks GTS 17 or 18.

I'm a Brooks Beaster too. Here's my n+1. I use the Beast as my everyday running shoe, but when I race or need to do 400/800/1k repeats @ 5k/10k pace, I'll wear Brooks Adrenalines. I do notice my pace is quite a bit faster with the Adrenalines.

Why do I still use the Beast as my everyday running shoe? Because I know I won't get injured. It's that simple. Having a lighter shoe for workouts may feel nice, but it won't help any if I get plantar fasciitis or shin splints. I struggled with both these injuries in high school - plantar fasciitis from bad soccer footwear and shin splints during XC season.

So my advice is: get some Brooks Adrenalines - but only wear them for races or fast interval workouts. If you want to be safe, just use the Adrenalines as if it were a racing flat. I also have a set of racing flats, but I won't use them for anything longer than a 10k - and even at that point, it's pushing it.


FYI, the reason Adidas soccer boots fit better than your Nikes is because you overpronate. Adidas boots are generally wider so they accommodate flat feet/overpronators better. When in doubt, get Copas.

I run in Hoka Arahi (wides) very comfortably and I have some similarities with you. Have used Beasts & Adrenaline from Brooks but the Arahi is an altogether better shoe for me. Light, stable and not as chunky as the Beast or the Hoka Stinson which I've also tried.
That's my $0.02.

"Why do I still use the Beast as my everyday running shoe? Because I know I won't get injured. It's that simple."

This.

Also, when I asked the question about less bulky shoes as I increased my workouts over the years, an experienced runner said, smiling wryly and shaking his head, "man, your feet are only going to get worse as you get older."

So, just get some cool laces or something? Lean into it. (I swear I've thought about dyeing the Beasts, just to keep the "dad shoe" vibe away for a season).

Andrew Moss

A long time ago I went from the Beast to the Addiction to the Asics 2100 series to the Kayano.

That's just me. I would suggest you find a slightly lighter pair of shoes you like and rotate them in once or twice a week.

I really like desert dude's method though.

I don't know why you think of yourself as a mid-foot runner when you clearly heel strike, it's not a bad thing at all. Your position over your feet looks really good as far as I can see.

jaretj

I was a Beast guy that also used the Addiction. Didn’t notice much difference though. I tried the Adrenaline, but the shape is WAY more curved than the Beast or Addiction and didn’t work with my feet. I found i needed a straighter lasted shoe.

I am currently on the Hoka Arahi. It is straight, but i may try the next model up motion-control wise next time...or just go back to the Addiction. I wish Brooks would also lessen the drop on those!

But i found it wasn’t so much the amount of pronation control, but more of the last shape (i have this issue, mainly on my right foot, for almost every kind of shoe i have).

Everyone who wears motion control shoes 'thinks' they are a true midfoot striker until they try the gold standard and run barefoot or in minimalist shoes. You'll most likely get a rude awakening of what a true midfoot strike is - almost certainly a lot more than you had in mind.

I used to love my motion control Brooks Transcends for marathon training but turns out they were likely setting me up for overtraining as they'd let me slog out miles when I shouldn't have been due to fatigue/etc. Now I'm nearly fully transitioned to barefoot/minimalist, and it's literally impossible for me to use my mid-forefoot barefoot strike technique while wearing the Transcends - the big drop and big cushion makes it totally awkward to do a proper midfoot strike, especially on downhills. I immediately revert to my heelstrike method when I wear them, so I don't wear them much anymore!

this is how we found the Beast for me many years ago. well actually, it was just the nuclear option at the time after trying a bunch of others. I've redone the process once or twice through the years but always end up getting scared of trying something new and I end up walking out with the Beasts. i guess i just have to be more bold, and also find someone who knows about different kinds of pronation, i had never heard that before.


i always figured it still appeared that there was some heelstriking because of the huge sole on the Beasts. i do run over my center of gravity so i can't entirely wrap my head around both heelstriking and landing over my feet like jaretj said

I started running on the Chariot in 1981, and stuck with it until they were not available anymore. Runner World sent me a pair of Beast to try, and I have not looked back ever since. While I no longer run, I still wear them all the time. I get about 8-10 months out of a pair.

I think you will be hard pressed to find a better shoe. I have tried many, and the Beast is the best of the lot. In fact its virtually in a class by itself.....at least for my feet.