Hey fellow 'twitchers - with tri season right around the corner, I’m reaching out to y’all and soliciting feedback on the best racing flat to wear for plantar fasciitis, and the best every day training shoe to combat the HORRIBLE effects of plantar fasciitis?! Been using Altra products and Pearl Izumi racing flats, but open to suggestions? I’ve got a full season planned and can’t let this nagging injury get in the way…THANKS!!
I just got some SuperFeet carbon insoles and they helped a lot.
Interested to hear what others think: I never had plantar until 4 years ago when I ran hard barefoot through T2 on asphalt and then ran the 5K in racing flats. I think I’m the atypical runner here who runs in Nike. I alternate between Pegasus and Vomero, don’t run in flats anymore and can keep the plantar at bay with this approach.
I initially tried altra to cure my plantar problem and it only seemed to made it worse at that time… I had very weak glutes which only made it all worse.
I tried the NB hanzo flats and they force my left angle into pronation (bad ankle) so I haven’t used them in almost a year. I had been running in zoots and had worked perfectly for me except that these shoes a too narrow for my feet but ran well on my Ali 14 for many miles & still wish I could find them somewhere online but now I moved on to soucony fastwitch 8 and I am in luv with these shoes!!! Currently got 2 if them as of right now.
Plenty light, lil cushion, with a hint of support makes it a no brainer for me… give it try! Btw, I’m a big dude at 200lbs and can confortbly run 8-10mi after that, I do start feeling the pounding from running but if you’re lighter than which more than likely you are then it will feel good v n better!
Just make sure your glutes are up to the task as they can help a lot in the over-pronation part
I never had plantar until 4 years ago when I ran hard barefoot through T2 on asphalt and then ran the 5K in racing flats
Same way for me…I’m trying to decide on some different shoes now also.
Your condition sounds like, you need to try running in Brooks Ghost 11 shoes for plantar fasciitis. I just got them, and they are really helpful.
I had been a life long Nike Pegasus wearer, but a short stint in a pair of Vomero’s along with an attempt at the 100/100 last year lead to Plantar fasciitis. Or so that is what i blame, I think they were just too springy, soft and I tried to change up a go treadmill for the 100/100. Too many changes and an increase in volume at one time.
My initial fix was to add Superfeet and go back about 2 generations in Pegasus to a slightly stiffer version. That got me back running, but the PF was still nagging. I have now moved on to Suacony Endorphin Shifts with Superfeet. This is giving me the right level of stiffness and cushion and my running is slowly coming back. Still prefer staying off road on softer surfaces, but that not always possible.
Been using Altra products and Pearl Izumi racing flats, but open to suggestions?
If those shoes are working for you, then DON’T change them. There are not magical shoes that will clear up PF, if that’s what you are looking for. Correct the underlying issue and you should be fine in just about any shoe that is comfortable and has enough support for your foot.
First, if it were me, I’d switch from from the zero drop Altras. The entire chain from the back of the knee joint and down to the toes is often the issue. Many times overly tight calf muscles contribute a lot to that issue. Whether it be grastin (most extreme) to self massage, work the calf to break up tightness and adhesions. We’ve had a LOT of luck with lo flex shoes. Hokas are excellent but some feel them as too soft and not very responsive. A great option is the Saucony Endorphin Shift as it is still yet very responsive. The matching flat would be the Endorphin Pro which is stiff again with the CF plate. We’ve seen a huge improvement in lesser symptoms and cures of PF with those shoes, as they reduce the bending of the mid foot so the aggravation is less. I’m sure there are other shoes some may suggest as stiff, but these have worked a number of times for us. Good luck; been there and have gladly have not had any issues in a few years.
x2 on Superfeet inserts. I have the orange running model in every shoe I wear 24/7 since I have been managing my plantar fasciitis.
As for shoes, I now race most of my sprint tris and 5k’s in my lighter training shoes (Brooks launch). I would rather run in a few ounces heavier shoe than deal with a flare up and impact my next race.
As for treatment, I have found Graston scraping technique to be a life saver. I have it done by my local chiro. Also have found benefit from acupuncture.
x2 on Nikes … I trained and raced in them (the cheap ones!) for many seasons, then PF knocked me out of running for almost a full year.
I splurged (for me) on the Nike React Infinity Run last year, have been running on them comfortably since then with no therapy needed other than wearing a compression sock on my left foot once every week or two.
TBH I threw my Hoka Bondis away; I finished Boulder 2016 and other races in them, but they were never quite comfortable.