Shoe help for an old(er) guy

I'm 60 and weigh 190 and think the minimalist shoes are too light. I would go with a little more cushion and heel for training and wear your Free for racing.

Ok Topcat and thanks - any specific models that work for you? I want to add heel support but still have a light feel if possible.

I'm female and I run in the Frees, I like the 5.0+ w/a thin insole that has some arch support (I have high arches) and that seems to work. I can run 8-10miles in them. I wear the 3.0 for the short stuff.

I'll be hitting 67 in January. Been running for many, many years. I've had very good luck with the Lunaracers from Nike. I've also had AT issues on and off over the years, and the Lunaracers don't seem be be an issue it. Seriously thinking of dropping $130 on the Hoka Cliftons: Very light, stable, and lots of cushioning, and the extra cushioning is something I seem to need at this late date.

I was thinking of the Hokas as well but was worried that they might be too different for an older runner like me. The Lunargildes 5s that I have just don't feel right for me -- I've always been a very "light" runner on the roads, and with those things, you can hear me a block away hahaha

I might give the 5.0 a try :)

here's a link to a RW thread about Lunaracer vs Glide:

http://community.runnersworld.com/topic/nike-lunaracer-vs-lunarglide

Buy the Hoka Clifton (super light) and alternate with the Free.

Another thing to consider is using more than one type of shoe. Rotating shoes (even the same model of shoes at different levels of wear) will help to reduce overuse problems.

The current nike frees are a shoe for gym goers and walkers. They don't serve as a great shoe to constantly train in unless you are a super light female. I find that they are more of a stylish, casual shoe but the 4.0 and 5.0 look super newbie geeky anyway. If you like the softness of the shoe, i recommend the saucony A6- much more durable than any nike shoe anyways. New Balance makes the most durable and best fitting range of shoes on the market- My entire team runs solely in new balance voluntarily. Any shoes you buy from new balance will be a good edition. You may want to try a three shoe rotation- one minimal trail shoe like the new balance 10v2 trail, a cushioned shoe like the saucony kinvara or new balance fresh foam, and a racing flat somewhere in the middle like the new balance 1400 or mizuno sayonara. You won't need to replace your shoes as often because a rotation allows for the foam to last a bit longer, a rotation is an investment now but its worth it.

I would suggest the Nike Free 5.0...there is more structure to the shoe than the 3.0, but it is still a very flexible shoe. Also, if you are having achilles issues, the heel height increases by 50% relative to the front of the shoe (8mm heel-to-toe drop v. 4mm). This should take some of the work load off the achilles.

Another option is to get a heel cup and just put them in when you achilles tells you to...and take it out otherwise.

Thanks for the good advice. I'm going to check them out and see which ones I can get here that also feel comfortable to me. I live on Margarita Island in the southern Caribbean so it's not always possible to get what you want w/o having them shipped from the U.S. - another option. Thanks again.