Running shoes
Folks,
I am running in asics nimbus right now. They are okay, but I've been getting some hotspots and thinking about trying a new shoe.
I'm also thinking about a racing type shoe that's a bit lighter than my trainers.
So...with any suggestions on shoes that are compareable to the Nimbus.
I run with more of a midfoot strike, maybe a bit more to the front of the foot. I am an over-pronator, but that was before I started with a midfoot strike. I used to be in corrective shoes and have orthotics and all that crap, but found I am a much better runner and get far fewer (none) injuries without all the crap in my shoes.
So...ideas for trainers:
Ideas for racing shoes:
Thanks!
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Comments
I don't know what would compare exactly but go to a running store with your current shoe and tell them you want something similar from another brand to see if the fit your foot better.
Since it sounds like you have changed your running someone recently, I would stick with the heavier shows for training for a bit.
If you are interested in Zoot shoes for training, the following are the netural shoes they have with the most support. Probably a bit less then your Nimbus, but still a good amount.
Ultra Kalani at 10.5oz
Ultra Otex at 10.4oz
Energy 3 at 10.0oz
For racing, a lighter shoe should not be an issue, but I would go with a mid weight shoe for a bit before going down to a racing flat style. Some netrual Zoot options to consider:
Ultra TT 4 at 8.7oz
Ultra Race 3 at 8.7oz
I would stay away from the Speeds for now, and maybe go to something like that after you have proven you can race in the shoes above with no issues for a while.
FWIW, I did something similiar for about two years and slowly worked my way down to lighter shoes. Now, I almost always train in a shoe under 9oz and race half ironman and short in 6.9oz shoes.
I was the same as you: mild over-pronator and tried all those stability shoes and all that and it wasn't helping at all. Switched to neutral shoes and everything has been great. The Brooks Launch were just that bit of Heaven in a running shoe that I have never experience before. They're light enough at 9 oz and pretty minimalist.
I train and race in them. They're not going to last as long as a trainer like the Nimbus (which I occasionally use as well) but you can usually get them for $80 and you can probably get 300-400 miles out of them. I have three pairs: two to alternate for training and one pair to race in.
I talked to my local running shoe shop and Zoot is overhauling their tri shoes this year. I just checked the Zoot Sports site, and no tri shoes are on it.
Overhauling is a bit extreme... the 2011 tri line is going to be released in March.
Here it is from lightest to heaviest with some notes:
Ultra Speed - unchagned other than new colors. very light neutral shoe
Ultra Race 3.0 - pretty much a completely new shoe. think speed upper, with laces added on a sole similar to the old race. In otherwards is is the weight of the Race 2 but has the upper like the speed with laces. light neutral shoe
Ultra OVWA - new shoe. basicially a stability version of the Race 2. But with a new upper.
TT 4.0 - pretty much the same as the 3.0 but red or pink now
Tempo 4.0 - pretty much the same as the 3.0 but yellow or teal now
The Energy and Advantage got a few decent upgrades but are now considered run line instead of tri line shoes. I have all the run line info if you want that as well.... or anything else you want to know about Zoot
I've been running in these shoes for the past 18-24 months. Everything got better with the neutral shoe and I have not had a running injury since. I also lost about 60lbs in that time, so I'm sure that played a role. But for the last 12 months everything has been very consistent. Running a fair amount and all in the same shoes (brand and style, not the same pair).
But the I've been getting some blisters recently and my big toe area gets the hotspots. plus the shoes weight like 5lb each when they soak up all my sweat. Could be because the treadmill, but i get this pretty often.
I like the idea of zoot shoes but my foot is just a bit wide and I like to try shoes on before buying. there aren't any retailers in my vicinity. :-(
We do have a running store in the area, they carry a pretty wide selection. Of course they don't carry any of the recommendations here. :-(
If asics work for you, stick with Asics. The Landreths are the next lightest nuetral shoe. You can also try the speed star. The latest ones are super ugly but very comfy. I run in lots of different Asics nuetral shoes, right now the sky speeds and the speed stars. I would run all the time in speed stars but they wear out kinda fast. The great thing is that I know that any of them in a size 11 will work great for me. Whenever I buy shoes that are not Asics they tend not to fit as well and I go back. Finding the brand/type that fits you well is a great idea IMO.
Here is the Landreth, I would go there and see what you think. Plenty of cushion but lighter for sure:
http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/ASC1428/
These are the lighter ones [don't get too crazy about light shoes just yet]
http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs...werID=1201
Thanks! My running guy kinda scared me. I love my shoes now, and was affraid of what they would become. Last year it was difficult to find the shoes locally in my size, so I ended up buying online after waiting and waiting until I gave up 2 weeks before my first race! Hopefully this year will be different as I would REALLY like to try them on before purchasing just incase the sizing is slightly different. Hmm..I'm wondering if I should do the TT for training and the Ultra Race for racing (and "breaking in" training).
How do you know so much about Zoot...?
I test Zoot products and stay in touch with a few of the folks that design the products. I'm glad to answer any other questions you have about their shoes or other products as I have tried almost everything, but let's start another thread if that is the case so we don't take Eric's thread even further off topic.
I decided to stick with the asics nimbus as my heavy trainer as it has been good to me. Plus at 190-200lbs the cushion is probably a good thing. I realized that I might be having a problem with a specific pair of them as they are a size too big. At one point I went with 13's instead of a 12 2E or just a 12.5. It was a while back and I think I got them cheap. I can swap sizes from 12-12.5 and the D to 2E...but 13 is too big. So this pair might go away and I'll pay closer attention to which pair I am wearing. I've been swapping with 4-5 pairs of shoes and several are old...if not all of them. So I got a single pair of the Nimbus and I am going to use that pair pretty exclusive for a bit to see how it feels before making a switch. Plus, I want to see what happens as I get back on the road. I've been on the treadmill a LOT this winter. More than I ever have in the past. That could easily be part of this.
I went with an Asics Gel-DS Sky Speed for my new racing shoe. They are lighter at 9.8 oz and my nimbus are 11.9. So I should be able to tell the difference.
I am really interested in the zoot product. But without being able to try one on and the price...I am just not willing to pull the trigger. I'm not interested in wasting $140 on shoes that aren't comfy. I really like the sockless angle. My 2nd toe is insanely long. It always gets crammed into my sock an the toenail falls off all the time now. Going sockless might help prevent that.
Their shoes were VERY hard last year due to supply issues. This was a good and bad thing for them as the popularity of the shoes grew so fast they couldn't keep up. The previous year they had left over shoes in the warehouse at the end of the year, but last year by later summer all popular sizes and models were pretty much impossible to find.
They have ramped up production this year and added additional models, but my suggestion is to buy them early in the season.
I agree 100% with Eric and Daniela about trying them on. Everyone's foot is different and fits shoes differently. Since most local stores don't carry much Zoot product, I always tell people to order from roadrunnersports or runningwarehouse as both have free shipping and returns and stock most Zoot shoes. Nytro probably stocks the most Zoot product of anyone but I don't know what their retrun policy is like on shoes.
Also, I think both Zoot and Newton shoes are very expensive to train in, but I think they are both good race shoes. I typcially recomend people just get one set for racing for the year and train in other shoes.
Just three pairs???
I was referring to my thee pairs of Brooks Launch. Don't worry, I have about 10 other pairs of random running shoes.