What Running Shoe? HEP!!!!

1) Keep doing your piriformis strength and stretching.

2) You may be having problems because of alignment on your footstrike, but IMO, hip problems usually are more related to your running form (too much forward lean, etc) than the shoes you wear. If you overpronate, you might use your piriformis to counter that, but the adrenaline is a stability shoe anyways.

3) If you are not into "gimmicks," New Balance and Brooks seem to be the most plain-and-simple companies. Asics does some wacky stuff with their gel technology sometimes, but they are a very popular shoe. Mizunos are also fairly popular and don't seem too outlandish, but I don't trust any cushioning that I can see through.

4) You could try going with a more lightweight trainer, but don't hop into racing flats. Your calves will explode:

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/09/running-technique-part-ii-scientific.html

I can give you my experience. I was disappointed when my favorite model (which I had been wearing for several years) was discontinued. So, I started to search for new shoes. I ordered a pair of Supernovas over the internet, and I hated them. I wore them three times and now they sit on the shelf. I went to my local running store and tried on a bunch of shoes and settled on the Asics DS Trainer. Wow, I've never had a shoe that feels so comfortable...like a god damn slipper. But, as you know, shoe preferences are extremely individual.

Shoes: have suffered and continue to suffer from piriformis (hip/hamstring/butt) issues.

I did too for years; now I don't. I attribute it to moving to minimal shoes. One data point, and of course my interpretation is subject to errpr.

What do you regard as minimal shoes? Racing flats? Lightweight trainers? Which brands and models? I think all of Puma's shoes tend to be minimal... what do you guys think about what they have to offer. What are the DS trainers like?

I ran about 3 weeks of 90 miles per week for my first marathon this fall (averaged 75 miles per week for about 15 weeks). For my spring marathon I want to get closer to 100 mile weeks by adding an additional 2nd daily run (3 per week) and a medium long run.

Was thinking I would do my 2nd runs in a minimal shoe, workouts in flats and something with a little more heft for the rest.

Good idea?

Thanks for the suggestions guys... anything else?

Shoes wrote:

What do you regard as minimal shoes?

Less shoe than what you've been wearing. It's an individual process and should be progressed based on individual limits and how your body feels in the adaptation process.

I asked the question because I don't know what minimalist really means as far as make. Left to what I have in my mind, there are racing flats and trainers, with some shoes made by Puma somewhere in between. You said "less shoe then what I have been wearing"... like what?