Pros & Cons of Zero Drop Running Shoes

David Leventhal

Let's talk zero drop shoes....like Altras.  What are the pros?  What are the cons?  This is a topic is know nothing about so I'm looking to add some info to my brain. 

dnesom

Don't know if this answers your question, but... I like running in my 0 drop Merrell Road Gloves on track days which entail relatively short but hard runs. For long runs a bit more cushioning is nice, though there may be 0 drop shoes that have some thicker cushioning??? I don't see a difference in performance between either type of shoe outside cushioning comfort.



I'm not at all sure if there is a specific advantage to zero drops vs. anything else in general. They are part of my arsenal of shoes though. I alternate between a 10mm drop, 4 mm, and 0 drop through the week. A few years ago I was plagued by constant minor running injuries and read a couple of articles claiming alternating between styles of running shoe would help prevent injury. For me it seems to work I've alternated shoes since and have been (running related) injury free for 2.5 years. YMMV...



Here's an article I read a while back: http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/study-backs-rotating-shoes-to-lower-injury-risk 

The article is probably unrelated to your question but explains why I started using zero-drops and other types of shoes.

Best,



Dave

Peter Noyes

I think the pro is that it is easier to run with a midfoot strike which is arguably better running form. With a large drop, its hard not to strike with your heel. The traditional shoe has around a 12mm drop. The Hokas have a 4mm drop which is substiantially less, so you may already be running in a shoe with little drop.

I like the Altras more for the Toe Box than the zero drop. I have bunion problems that get exacerbated by all other shoes I have tried. One downside of the Altras is the height of the toe box really narrows at the end which causes my toenails to die and fall off. This also happened to Tim Cronk. I have run in the Altra's excursively for over a year now using 5 different models. So far the ones that seems the best on my toes are the Torin 2.0s, I don't have that same squishing sensation for now.

Robert Sabo

I wear Altra s for work everyday but don't really run in them. The big risk with zero drop is Achilles injury if you switch too quickly and don't allow some adaptation. The principles behind Altra zero drop and anatomic toe box "encourage natural foot function (strengthening?)" which the inventor admits makes more sense to wear all the time and not just for the hour or so one is running. Their other recommendation is if you have foot problems use there more cushioned shoe and use minimal cushion if you have knee or hip issues.

Mike Roberts

I like Hokas and Newtons when I'm running no more than 25 miles/week.  Once I crossed that threshold and headed towards 40, Achilles started to ache, ultimately leading to a sidelining injury.  For my current IM build, I'm happily back in Asics, which means I really have to focus to achieve mid-strike, but my Achilles feel great.  I think that's the big "con," and I confirmed it the hard way for myself.

William Jenks

Yes, ultimately the idea is to encourage you to have midst/forefoot strike.

Of all the things that you can do to give yourself a calf strain,though, one of the best is to dramatically change the drop on your shoes and start running a lot in them right away. You've probably heard stories about that sort of thing with Newtons, but I am quite convinced it's not specific to Newtons...it's about losing 10 mm of drop and not doing it gently/slowly.

David Leventhal

Thanks guys. Any suggestions on how slowly one should transition - assuming an avg of 25 miles per week in total volume? I guess I'm wondering is it like a 3 mile run in the zero drop once a week for a month & then build from there or can I ramp up quicker?

Mark Maurer

I transitioned to Newton's some years back so I don't remember how long I took, but it went something like this. Run in Newtons for a half mile then change to other shoes and finish the run. Repeat a couple of times. Run for a mile in the Newtons and finish the run in old shoes, again for 2-3 times. 2 miles Newtons, etc. Since I normally run 3-4 times a week it was about a week per step. If I remember correctly it took about 6 weeks - 2 months to get to where I was using the Newtons for all my runs. Start slow and listen to your body.

Later I changed to another variety of Newtons and I didn't take time to transition to them and I was doing a lot of speed work and I started having calf and Achilles problems. I went back to my normal model and the problem went away so don't assume that once you get used to a brand that your legs will react the same to all of their models. 

Scott Giljum

@David, I have run in Altra's a fair amount and I know their guidance on transitioning is for the first week or two on a few short runs done in them. The following weeks you can add a bit more distance, and by week 6 or so you are able to do longer runs in them. My personal experience with them is that plan basically worked though I needed to roll my calves out after each run as they were definitely being used more than in my previous shoes. If I didn't, I was more at risk of calf strains and the like. Hope this helps.

Tom Glynn

I run in the Saucony Kinvara shoes. 4mm drop is still a fairly low shoe. Shoes are lightweight, very comfortable, I get good mileage out of them and I've never had issues, even with reasonable mileage (40+ miles per week). I've probably had 10 pair

Leslie Knight

Echo start low and go slow.  I switched over 5 yrs ago and all my shoes are 0-4mm drop with more cushioning for my long run shoes and less for my short run shoes.  I started even more conservatively because I was also transitioning from heel strike to mid foot strike.  I started with 5 min of new shoe/strike and finished run in usual shoes.  Too 3 or 4 runs for the calf ache to resolve, then went to 6 min, then 8, then 10, etc and then I started increasing by half mile at a time.  Rule was, no progression until my run/recovery was discomfort free.  Worked perfectly.