I am intrigued by the less is more approach being touted by Newton et al and would like to try.
However, I have some honkin big orthotics that work wonders for my ankles and I wear them whether running or walking around normally.
I don’t think my body would allow me to run without them (especially in a race) but the weight savings going from normal running shoes to racing flats would be a net savings nonetheless.
Anyone have any personal experience with this?
I am tempted to pull the trigger on a pair like this:
Mine don’t fit into my racing flats well at all. They’ll work with a “performance training” shoe but I haven’t found a true racing flat that works with mine.
Most people do NOT wear them in racing flats. Kinda’ defeats the purpose - if you truly need that much stability, then you shouldn’t wear the “flats”. Otherwise, just use the flat for shorter races without the orthotic (since most won’t fit in them anyway) and use the device for other times if needed. You can have a thin graphite/carbon orthotic made to fit in a racing flat for that rare person though that weighs about 3-4 oz. Best to just use a neutral, lightweight trainer as they are getting plentiful.
orthotics wouldn’t fit in my racing flats. My gel insoles dont either, so I just use the thin “pad” (cant really call it an insole) that is provided. Its kinda sewn in there anyways, so no can do on the moving.
As others have stated, you need to be cautious when placing a “corrective” orthotic in a neutral shoe or race flat, although the later is usally ruled out anyway due to fit. If you have posting in your orthotic for correction, some of the biomechanical impact of the correction can be lost over a single density midsole. There are of course exceptions and I have done combos of orthotics to all 3 categories, but mostly end up with a stability shoe.
Depending on your needs there are some off the shelf orthotics with some correction, here is one of my favorites: (http://www.aetrexfoot.com/products.php?cat=12) that can work nicely in light weight shoes. Posting via wedges are another option but would require some know-how.
The good news is their are many very good light stability shoes that work well with orthotocs and some available in widths.
Here is some examples:
Mizuno Elixer
Brooks Axiom
Saucony Tangent
Asics DS Trainer
New Balance 903 (comes in 2E)
Nike Zoom Elite
UA Illusion
