Do I Need A Stability/Support Shoe? Problems with Adidas Supernova ST

So I’ve been running in varying forms of stability shoes for pretty much my entire running-life; I’ve tried a fair few different shoes in my rotation in recent years (the Brooks Adrenaline being a solid favourite, Asics Kayano, Asics GT-2000, Asics DS-Trainer, Saucony Guide, Nike Structure, Nike Lunarglide to name a few) but they’ve all been in the “stability” category. I’ve had a few gait analyses over the years, varying in quality and they always seem to suggest that I’m a mild overpronator and a mild stability shoe would be beneficial for me.

The most recent pair of shoes I’m trying out is the Adidas Supernova ST and the first thing that I noticed just when putting them on was how much cushioning the Boost foam gives them compared to almost every other shoe I’ve run in. I know the Supernova STs are considered very light in their “support” or pronation-control, despite their branding as a stability shoe and worryingly after maybe 7-8 short runs, totaling ~30 miles, I’ve had significant DOMS in the upper-lateral calf muscle after every single one.
Is DOMS in that area indicative of a lack of adequate pronation-control in a shoe?Is this something I should try to gently push through and adapt to, or are these shoes a non-starter for me?Should I still be rigorously sticking to shoes with some kind of support aspect to them?
I generally run with a fairly midfoot strike but for some reason the extra cushioning in the Supernova ST’s *seems *to make me more forefoot-dominant. This experience has me a bit confused, because I don’t have any problems in the Asics DS-Trainer, which is pretty sparse in terms of any sort of support, especially in the forefoot, but the Supernova STs are just killing me.

Just in case it’s relevant, I’m 32, running around 20-40 miles per week atm, mostly Z2. PBs of 19:20 for 5k up to a 3:12 marathon.

The biggest difference between all the shoes you mentioned in the top and the adidas is the Boost foam. I would say it’s your reaction to the Boost foam causing the calf issues. I first suggest pulling out and older pair shoes you had success with and do your next run in them. You’ll know instantly if it’s boost foam. I say it’s the foam because the support differences between all those shoes including the adidas is all within the same general range.

As far as do you need a stability shoe or not. Other than the adidas shoe it sounds like your running has been relatively injury free and you have shoes you really like. If that’s the case find shoes that mimic the feel of your favorite shoe. If they are stability shoes great, if they happen to be one of the many very supportive neutral shoes than that’s great too. Only you can determine what you like when it comes to fit and feel. There are characteristics of your favorite shoe or shoes that add up to that fit and feel you like. Now just go match it. If you try a shoe on in the store and it’ matches it then it will work for you even if it’s not a stability shoe. Let your foot be the judge. If you put the shoe on and it doesn’t match to that fit and feel then don’t even try. You can’t work a shoe into your liking. It either feels good right away or it will never feel good.