Over the past 3 years, I’ve done all my running in “minimalist” shoes with a neutral heel-toe drop. This includes ironman, several half ironmen and steady training for a couple dozen shorter races. My only injury consisted of a pretty persistent hamstring strain last year and constant hamstring tightness.
My shoes for the past little while are listed below. I’m in need of some new shoes, but I’m wondering if it might be time to go back to something with a little more heel support. I continue to be a slight heel striker and really want to focus on avoiding injury and having something that will allow me to really increase my mileage. My key race for the year will be a marathon, and I plan on fitting in a lot of running.
These are my shoes, in order, that I used for training over the past 2-3 years.
Saucony Type A3
Newton Sir Isaac (i think)
Kinvara x2
Kinvara 2 x2
Newton Distance
My only real pain is that sometimes my heels feel slightly bruised and I always have super tight hamstrings. I love the feel of the Newtons over the Kinvaras, but the price doesn’t seem worth it. Should I consider going back to a regular training shoes vs the lightweight trainers? More heel/toe drop or stick with what’s “working”?
I recently went to a running store (fleet feet) and it was the best decision I’ve made in a while…ran on a treadmill and outside in them (tried 5 pairs). Then made my decision…id do that.
Have you checked out Brooks’ new project pure line? I tried Newton but just couldn’t get into them. But I’ve had no problems moving towards a minimalist type shoe with the Brooks.
Have you checked out Brooks’ new project pure line? I tried Newton but just couldn’t get into them. But I’ve had no problems moving towards a minimalist type shoe with the Brooks.
Have you checked out Brooks’ new project pure line? I tried Newton but just couldn’t get into them. But I’ve had no problems moving towards a minimalist type shoe with the Brooks.
Switch to Brooks…
I ran in Brooks Adrenaline for years (2003-2009) before switching to a lighter, more natural shoe.
Sounds like I might need to head out to a local store and see if I can’t compare the Purecadence, Fastwitch, Newton and others.
Saucony Mirage? I’m using them and are really liking them. I came from the other side though; I was running in Brooks Adrenalines before, and am still using them dor LSD.
Pure cadence, ST5’s, Launch, all good racing/training shoes. I have used/use them all. The Launch is a great all purpose go to shoe for longer training runs (10+miles) and marathons. It’s a neutral shoe, provides good cushioning without being a 13 oz. boat…I think they run around 9 ounces. One note on the pure cadence though, it’s pretty minimal and you have to be an efficient mid/fore foot striker or you will destroy your heels and calves.
Check out the Hoka One One Bondi B’s. Laugh at me all you want, but they are awesome shoes to add to your rotation. I split my time between the Kinvara, a pair of K-Swiss K-Ona’s, and the Bondi B. I’d probably never race in the Bondi B’s, but they make awesome recovery shoes. Even though they look beefy, they are surprisingly light coming in at only an ounce or so more than the Kinvara. And they have a 4 or 5 mm heel drop making them a fairly minimalist shoe in that aspect.
Pure cadence, ST5’s, Launch, all good racing/training shoes. I have used/use them all. The Launch is a great all purpose go to shoe for longer training runs (10+miles) and marathons. It’s a neutral shoe, provides good cushioning without being a 13 oz. boat…I think they run around 9 ounces. One note on the pure cadence though, it’s pretty minimal and you have to be an efficient mid/fore foot striker or you will destroy your heels and calves.
I’ve had pretty good luck with minimal shoes for distance training & racing. Did ironman training in racing flats and I generally find the Kinvaras to be pretty bulky on the cushioning spectrum. Thanks for the suggestions
I guess what it comes down to, is I really don’t know what ‘type’ of shoe I should be trying. Despite running for a dozen years, my shoe selection to this point has been fairly random and arbitrary.
How do you determine what type of stride/show you really need? I’ll admit that I’m not really sure if I’m a stability or neutral runner. The wear pattern on my shoes suggests I’m a slight heel stricker and I land slightly on the outside and push off slightly on the inside. Mostly centerline roll though.
I’ve been using performance neutral shoes for a while now. Kinvaras/Newtons have never given me calf tightness and I like very light, minimal sole shoes.
x3, love the Pure lineup. Flow and Connect for me, and on January 1, the DRIFT!
Big +1 for the Pure Connect. Minimalist design (low heel to toe drop, good toe flexibility) but lots o’ cushion. Been using them for a little over a month. Not the greatest shoe for uneven surfaces, maybe, but overall a great shoe.
i have found it best to rotate. having a few shoes on the go seems to help with injury prevention.
makes sense to me because each shoe makes your body see a slightly different stimulus.
my current line up:
kinvara
wave precision (if you like the kinvara i think you will like these too; similar cushion, maybe a bit more plush, but low to the ground and more heel support, but still light)
as has been noted by others before me, the hoka bondi b is the shoe that god (with an assist from a skinny frenchman) made for triathletes.
you’ll find reviews on the main site, as well as testimonials from the forum. but, simply put:
low drop (4mm).
cushioned (no more heel bruising).
stable (can hold up your orthotic).
no more mad calf disease.
no more leg soreness late in the run.
no more stiffness the next day after a hard run.
light enough to be your racing flat.
but i can’t blame you if you first spend a few years and a couple of thousand bucks trying all the newtons and sauconys and brooks. if you’re still running in 2015 and you’ve exhausted all the “name” brands, post back here and thank those of us who turned you onto this shoe.
“I’d probably never race in the Bondi B’s, but they make awesome recovery shoes.”
i don’t know why you wouldn’t. i have enough shoes to open a running shoe store. last year, i ran several 5ks and a 10k, as well as a couple of triathlons, and i just couldn’t find any reason to choose any shoe other than the bondi b. i’m no olympian, but i ran 17:24 and 38:08 last year in these shoes, and in the 55-59 those times usually beat everybody in “real” racing flats. maybe my competition laughs, but, usually only when they see me at the turnarounds.