i tried the asics bandito and the nike marathoner. Didnt like the fit of either. (i have high arch, narrow foot, neutral strike). Now considering ordering either the saucony fastwich 3 or the mizuno ronin 2…any thoughts?? advice?
Thoughts? Just one man’s opinion but…
Understand that having a high arch with a narrow foot you are putting a tremendous amount of pressure on your forefoot. Running a marathon in a racing flat with that structure means a much higher likelyhood of injury and/or muscle fatigue (most likely in your calfs).
If you’re an experienced marathon runner with talent (sub 3 at least) who has not had any injury issues, then give it a shot and I would be going with Mizuno (just a personal preference).
If you are a pedestrian runner just trying to qualify for a BQ time…just go with a regular pair of comfortable shoes and skip the fancy stuff. In this case your limiter is training, not shoes.
I only speak from experience (not as a coach). I have a high arch, narrow foot, neutral strike and run a sub 3 marathon BUT I would still not wear a racing flat. That foot structure means my calfs are on fire by the end of a marathon and I couldn’t imagine racing flats being of any benefit to that.
i tried the asics bandito and the nike marathoner. Didnt like the fit of either. (i have high arch, narrow foot, neutral strike). Now considering ordering either the saucony fastwich 3 or the mizuno ronin 2…any thoughts?? advice?
Get thee to a Running Store. Don’t guess. Have experts fit you. You, my friend, have a which requires a specialized shoe. Don’t just say “Today I think I’ll try the Zoots”.
Good shoe companies will have 1,2, maybe 3 trianing shoes designed specifically for high arches/narrow feet. Racing flats? Good luck!
Surely there must be a specialty running store within a hundred miles of where you live. Well worth the drive!
My wife has high arches and a narrow foot and usually trains in Mizuno Wave Precisions. She’s raced in Mixuno flats before, but much prefers the Nike Zoom Marathoners. She’s worn them for half and full marathons and lots of triathlons with no issues and fast times…
There are no local running store that carries these types of shoes. Plus, I think its funny that people really believe that these “experts” can do a better job then I can in picking out a shoe that is appropriate for me. Yes, some of the salespeople are very knowledgable and experienced…but many that I have dealt with have been on the job for about a month and their expertise is based on a 30 minute orientation lecture and a bit of reading…
You aren’t comparing apples to apples with the Ronin and the Fastwitch 3. The Ronin would more closely match with the A2, the Fastwich 3 with the Wave Precision.
Since I think you are running Boston in these from other posts ;), I’d suggest something more like the Fastwitch 3 or Wave Precision (or Adidas Boston - imagine that: nice shoe really) since there is so much downhill running and you can’t avoid a lot more heel striking/quad pounding than you would like.
Good luck!
I’m not a sub 3 hour marathoner…(3:13 which qualified me for boston, which is why i’m buying new shoes), But I think i’m fairly efficient and can handle less cushioning then I currently have. So I’l give it a try, if my calf’s or feet get sore, i’ll only use the shoes for shorter distances.
Great reply! Thanks, I will look at the boston.
I just ran the HAT 50K in the wave precision…I’m not a fast guy, but they are comfortable, neutral and light…maybe not as light as a flat, but they can handle cushioning for the long haul…and did I mention they are comfortable??? b2
I’d suggest the saucony A2’s and the nike lunar racers.
Dave in Va
I have the same foot type. Take a look at the Saucony Grid Tangent. It’s essentially the fastwitch 3 with a little more support and a little more cushion. I’ve been using it as a trainer for the past few months, up to 17 mile long runs so far. It did require a little bit of adaptation to strengthen the calves, but after taking the time to do that I’ve noticed I’m tolerating higher weekly loads better.
I have the ronin and I like it but would be a little wary of running a full marathon in it. A buddy of mine did IM AZ in it and said he loved it. We are both about 145lbs though(something to think about). I liked the Saucony Type A for the marathon as well. Lightweight and lots of cushion but I think it is pretty similar to the fasttwitch. The Saucony definitely has more cushion than the Mizuno but they are both great.
Well it seems Saucony decided to stop the Grid Sinister which I really like (as daily shoe and running shoe)
Doing a bit of a research, I am tempted to replace them with the Wave Precision (as daily shoe and running shoe).
However you are comparing the Wave precision to the Fastwich 3. So maybe I am missimg something but based on http://runningwarehouse.com/ at least in term of weight the Precision 10 are a lot closer to the Grid Sinister:
Precision 10: 9.7
Grid Sinister: 10.3
Fastwitch: 7.3
However it seems Grid Sinister is the shoe with “less support and a lot closer to neutral”.
So are you comparing Wave Precision 10 to Fastwich 3 based on support/neutral irrespective of weight?
Thanks,
Fred.
Yes. Regarding “weight”: much like bike parts (Deda comes to mind), the published weights (usually mens size 9 US or Euro 42/3) are often WAY off. I actually weigh many shoes (seriously) and find many interesting trends. Also, when companies come up with a new “material” (i.e Asics solyte), they usually advertise it, then publish a weight that must have been done without the laces and sockliner 
I am not a running expert, but I have raced shorter distances in both the Wave Precision and the Grid Sinister. You can still find Sinisters on ebay, fwiw. I tried the Fastwitch but it was too narrow (I have a wider foot). The precision has more cushion than the sinister, but less support- much more flexy. The sinister is stiffer, but more supportive, which is why I race in it now. Look on ebay for them, they have the white/black/green ones at the moment. I am rocking the blue/black older models, which are sweeeeeet.
–T
I’m not sure this applies to the particular shoes you are looking at, but I used to run in Mizuno’s. Really liked the way the felt. Thing is, in those days my longest runs were maybe 10 miles. Then I started to run longer and was having forefoot bruising issues.
I went to a running store and the salesperson explained to me that the Mizuno’s do not have a plastic plate running the entire length of the shoe, only from the heal to the middle. That left the forefoot unprotected. He said a lot of people have trouble with them after 12-14 miles.
I now run in Saucony. They work well for me. Train in Grid Sinister (which I now see are discontinued, so I’ll have to pick up a few pair) and race in Fastwitch.