Vote counting week. A wee bit high on the stress-o-meter. Can't believe we're seeing this kind of garbage in this country. People are nuts.
Had some crappy weather to end last week - just an easy 9.3 miler on Sunday - and pushed part of the week into this week. Tuesday - took it easy - 7.2 miles of anxious running. Wednesday - anxious intervals: 3x1000 at 4:02 (5k pace; 2 min. off) followed by 4x200 at 0:43 (1 minute rest). These all felt pretty good. Today easy 4.6.
As I've been fighting my injury - I've decided to summarize my shoes experience. For those reading - I'm about 150, medium over-pronator - usually run in stability shoes.
The summary table gives the tale of the tape.
Mizunos have the best arch 'wrap' - some support naturally via the way the upper curls down to the
sole. Pretty decent cushion/feel and stability. The negatives - not super stable. If it were my only shoe - the pronation control probably wouldn't be enough. Still good to have them eating up some miles.
Brooks I loved last year. This year's model seems a bit off. Definitely need the orthotic to help with my arch issue. They feel nice and cushioned. Not sure I'm feeling the 'max' stability though. Kinda about the same as the mizuno.
Hokas have been my goto this year. J-frame seems to work best for stability (for me anyway). Love the lightweight and rocker feel. The cushion feels ok - not super plush like other hokas - but I've done most of my long runs with these- so certainly adequate. Since the sole is so wide - arch support from the upper is non-existent - definitely need those orthotics to run in.
Recently, I've tried some of the interesting toe-box shoes. I actually bought the Topos first. I love walking around in these, but I just didn't think they had enough motion-control for me. They feel amazing - a great fit. Just don't feel comfortable putting in huge miles - and they kind of have a slappy feel that would make them not great for faster workouts. The Altras are similar. The toe box feel is good - the overall feel is ok - not as good as the Topos though. They also do feel heavy. I'd think the pronation control would be great - but find my heel clipping my inner leg often - which tells me they aren't working as designed. They may be cushioned, but the slappy feel doesn't feel great running. I think that the 0 mm offset is either something that I'm not built for - or something I'd have to get used to. I'll continue to try and put a few runs in each of these to see if I get used to them, but I don't see them getting a second chance - and I'm glad I bought them at a discount. Next year - probably going hoka, mizuno again. The brooks don't have a ton of miles - so I'll stretch those into next year.
One thing i am missing is a good 'fast' shoe for some workouts and races. I'd love to try the brooks hyperion tempo or saucony endorphin speed - but I'm not sure how the lack of stability would factor in. Would be nice to have a rocket to race in.
