I wrote this up for a Garmin group I am in and figured I might as well drop it here too.
I am a huge underpronator. About a decade ago, I got some vibram five fingers and they changed my life. Maybe that was because of gait, or maybe that was because of strengthening all the other muscles that I had neglected due to my multiple ankle injuries over the years.
I stopped wearing vibrams as much in part because I had a bad time wearing them on a bike. Again, maybe I just went further on the bike than I was prepared for, but it's not something I plan to ever do again. I do keep a pair in a bag for changing into when I make pit stops on my bike. I gotta remember to wear toe socks. That's in the summer. I can also walk half decent in the fall and winter cycling shoes.
In any case, I heard that you get some of the same benefits from a maximalist shoe, and gave some hokas a shot. That was probably in fall of 2015, but I can't be sure. At some point those shoes wore out. There was a time when I was running more than I do now, so I haven't replaced shoes that much. Plus, I got a pair of La Sportivas for winter running. I live in Minneapolis, so I definitely need something special if I am running outside in the winter. Tomorrow the windchill when I get up will be -29F.
In any case, I bought another pair of hokas at some point. I still have these. They are the Clifton 4. I haven't been nearly as impressed with these, and actually had my first ankle injury in years in them. It's entirely possible it was a case of too much too soon, and not the shoe. In any case, although Altra has been around since 2009, I didn't know about them when I started wearing vibrams and then hokas. I'm not against hoka. I have no allegiance.
I don't know that my running history is all that relevant, but in October 2021 I am going to attempt 50 miles in 8.5 hours. I've walked 50 miles (well 48, actually) and that's definitely not a time you can get by walking.
So, what shoes would people suggest given the above and these thoughts about the shoes specifically:
1. I don't care what the shoes look like.
2. I don't care all that much what they cost. This seems a little ridiculous though: https://opieway.com/collections/footwear/products/mens-riverside-lo-natural-dublin
3. I would prefer something made in USA, and there are definitely options such as https://www.somfootwear.com/collections/featured-products/products/trailhead and New Balance, but when I have looked at New Balance in the past they haven't been the right shoe for my foot-type.
4. Bonus points if vegan. The pair of shoes from SOM I shared above are vegan. I have had vegan sneakers in the past and not been impressed, but maybe the binding agents have gotten better.
5. The main thing is being right for my foot and the type of running I am going to be doing.
I am a huge underpronator. About a decade ago, I got some vibram five fingers and they changed my life. Maybe that was because of gait, or maybe that was because of strengthening all the other muscles that I had neglected due to my multiple ankle injuries over the years.
I stopped wearing vibrams as much in part because I had a bad time wearing them on a bike. Again, maybe I just went further on the bike than I was prepared for, but it's not something I plan to ever do again. I do keep a pair in a bag for changing into when I make pit stops on my bike. I gotta remember to wear toe socks. That's in the summer. I can also walk half decent in the fall and winter cycling shoes.
In any case, I heard that you get some of the same benefits from a maximalist shoe, and gave some hokas a shot. That was probably in fall of 2015, but I can't be sure. At some point those shoes wore out. There was a time when I was running more than I do now, so I haven't replaced shoes that much. Plus, I got a pair of La Sportivas for winter running. I live in Minneapolis, so I definitely need something special if I am running outside in the winter. Tomorrow the windchill when I get up will be -29F.
In any case, I bought another pair of hokas at some point. I still have these. They are the Clifton 4. I haven't been nearly as impressed with these, and actually had my first ankle injury in years in them. It's entirely possible it was a case of too much too soon, and not the shoe. In any case, although Altra has been around since 2009, I didn't know about them when I started wearing vibrams and then hokas. I'm not against hoka. I have no allegiance.
I don't know that my running history is all that relevant, but in October 2021 I am going to attempt 50 miles in 8.5 hours. I've walked 50 miles (well 48, actually) and that's definitely not a time you can get by walking.
So, what shoes would people suggest given the above and these thoughts about the shoes specifically:
1. I don't care what the shoes look like.
2. I don't care all that much what they cost. This seems a little ridiculous though: https://opieway.com/collections/footwear/products/mens-riverside-lo-natural-dublin
3. I would prefer something made in USA, and there are definitely options such as https://www.somfootwear.com/collections/featured-products/products/trailhead and New Balance, but when I have looked at New Balance in the past they haven't been the right shoe for my foot-type.
4. Bonus points if vegan. The pair of shoes from SOM I shared above are vegan. I have had vegan sneakers in the past and not been impressed, but maybe the binding agents have gotten better.
5. The main thing is being right for my foot and the type of running I am going to be doing.