I am sorry I just can not justify paying those high newton prices, what other shoes are people using out there that are good for mid & forefoot strikers?
I’ve tried quite a few different shoes, and I’ve been using New Balance 825s for a while with good success for mid foot striking. When I try a new shoe, and it doesn’t promote a mid foot strike, it is definitely a deal breaker for me.
I’m curious to hear what others think, and if they agree with my past experiences.
I wear Newtons now but had success with Saucony Tangents in the past.
Saucony Grid Sinister (I didn’t like), Type-A or any other shoe with decent forefoot cushioning and a low heel stack.
Other than forefoot or mid foot, what type of shoe do you wear? Stability? Cushion? MC? Anyone can recomment Saucony Sinister but what if you need stability? What else are you looking for in a “forefoot” shoe??? More cushion on the forefoot that cushions landing? Or lower heel? I don’t think a shoe can be categorised as fore or mid foot. It is more of the user’s biomechanics. Newtons do NOT make you a forefoot runner.
Other than forefoot or mid foot, what type of shoe do you wear? Stability? Cushion? MC? Anyone can recomment Saucony Sinister but what if you need stability? What else are you looking for in a “forefoot” shoe??? More cushion on the forefoot that cushions landing? Or lower heel? I don’t think a shoe can be categorised as fore or mid foot. It is more of the user’s biomechanics. Newtons do NOT make you a forefoot runner.
I am sorry I just can not justify paying those high newton prices, what other shoes are people using out there that are good for mid & forefoot strikers?
The new ZOOT shoes are designed with mid/forefoot strikers in mind and they deliver on that design. They eliminate a lot of bulky excess cushion that ‘traditional’ (ie, heel strike) shoes have while avoiding gimmicky ‘forefoot’ stuff. They are stable, light, comfortable, and feel ‘lively’ if you know what I mean. So far I have two months of training on mine and next to no signs of tread wear. That surprised me. The shoes are, for me, extremely comfortable. I have not worn socks with them ever and have never had blisters or hot-spots (they are designed to be worn barefoot). The only negative I have found so far is that the tread does not provide much traction for trail running, but IMO that is a small price to pay for what I believe are the most progressively designed shoes on the market.
I second the Type A. Nice bouncy, flexible forefoot with mild heel height, very light and durable.
I was a little skeptical after rod recommended them, but gave them a try–love 'em.
I’m absolutely in love with Vitruvian running shoes. www.vitruvianrunning.com
Those who said look for a shoe that doesn’t have a big drop from the heel to the fore-foot are thinking in the right direction.
Most pronation control shoes are designed for heel strikers moving from a lateral heel strike to a medial toe off, collapsing the arch in between.
When you look at the shoes, if they have a big heel pad on side (usually lateral/outside for those who heel strike on the outside), that is probably not the shoe for you…regardless the stability control or cushioning system (see Adidas SuperNova Cushion, Nike Vomero, Mizuno Creation, etc…all fine shoes, just look more like choices for heelstrikers). Most shoes are built that way though as most runners heel strike despite the fact that it’s harder on you as a runner…but as there will not likely be an overnight revolution in the shoe design industry making all shoes for forefoot and midfoot strikers instead, we have to look at options that exist for now…
Brooks Radius and Glycerine seem to be built fairly low to the ground. I’m running in Axiom 2’s and think they work pretty well for my mild pronation. I fore to mid-foot strike and roll in a little before coming back off the middle of my feet (from video-analysis on a treadmill anyway). Asics and Mizuno have options to, as does Adidas, NB, Avia, etc.
Unfortunately, you usually only find the shoes that are “flatter” front to back in a racing flat thickness with only EVA (or the equivalent) in the forefoot…which tends to breakdown fairly quickly…meaning you have to pay attention and replace them when necessary.
In the grand scheme of things, shoes aren’t that big of an expense, especially as you can sometimes get two racing flats for the price of one upper level road shoe, so that helps…and getting shoes that fit and work well for you should save a lot of downtime from injuries…along with proper running form, which it sounds you are working on already.
NFI in anything…just sharing some general unqualified opinions.
Thanks for the info Ryan: I want to give the Zoot’s a try, but I can’t find enough information to figure out the model I should order. I just started with mid foot striking two months ago, I run with neutral shoes and I weight 150 pounds, my main race for 08 is IMKy so long runs are the main concern. What do you think???
As much as i would love to try the zoot shoes out, $130 for a pair of running shoes is not an option. Paying that much for shoes that will be toast after a month or two of solid volume is ridiculous. Even considering the market they are targeting(we all know triathletes arent exactly frugal), i cant see serious runners replacing their flats or lightweight trainers for these shoes.
My Newton’s just wore out. I didn’t keep track of the miles, but I would say 250-300 and the soles were worn through. Although I absolutely loved the shoes and ran completely pain free for their lifetime (and this is during rehab for my knee), I couldn’t justify the price again for that kind of wear. I went to my running store yesterday and tried on half a dozen pairs of shoes. I couldn’t believe how many shoes had huge built-up heals (like the Asics DS trainer and Nike Air Diamond). Running in them, there was just no way NOT to heal strike. I finally found a shoe that wore almost exactly like my Newton’s. I went with the Adidas Supernova Light. It is basically a racing flat vs high performance trainer. I was able to get them for $75. Now THAT I can handle.
Jodi