Good info for all the above posts!! Question, what about stability trainers and their heel heights? I too, enjoy a lower heel height and would like to have something that I can train in with stability but with a lower heel. Suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
1. I really didn't like the current SN Comps. That medial post is like a boulder. I've tried 3 pair of adidas in the last few years, and didn't find any of them natural feeling. I saw a new SN Comp. on Eastbay , so I'm surprised to hear that they are not due out until 05. Are these the new ones:
2. The Spacer from Mizuno is good.
4. How does the forefoot in the DS Racer feel? I liked the fit of the old ones, but the forefoot felt like cardboard, and the heel was too mushy.
5. In my opinion, the Burn are a good transition shoe for someone running in something like a 2090. They are a little lower in profile and, to me, pretty natural feeling.
Trackhead-
I actually just saw the new SN Comp an hour ago. It's nice that the heel height is lower, but do you feel that it is too heavy and too much for a minamalist shoe at 9.0 oz or so?
After running in the Elite and the current SN Comp (which by no means are minamalist), it's time to go to less. We've got some Cubatos coming in soon- I take it that you would recommend the Cubatos over the SN Comp?
On the SNova Comp:
The primary objective is to get closer to the ground, lengthen tendons and muscles, etc... Weight comes next, so it goes on my list of recommended shoes.
Just in case somebody missed it, I've been injured on and off for some time. It's just hard to convince myself to actually switch to minimalist shoes. How should I go about having a smooth transition if I were to do this? Are minimalist shoes only for certain types of runners, or will they suit everybody? I tend to overpronate a fair amount, and have leg length differences.
bump
bump
OK, OK.....
Hard and fast way:
Got a pair of racing flats? Go running in them.
Slower way:
Start with 1 day a week, then two, then three.....Take one day a week and do a 20-30min barefoot run in the grass. Do it slow, its not for aerobic conditioning. Think of it as therapy.
when running in shoes it is best to have someone watch you to make sure that the shoe is moving properly. Even flats can make you pronate more than your body wants to.
I did it by just switching to the Adidas cubato (the best flat out there) for all my training. I had to reduce my milage by 40% but I was back in about three months. Most people take less time to adjust but like you I pronate quite a bit and have one leg shorter than the other. I proceded to take a full 2 minutes off my 5k time over the next 8 months. Not bad results.
Good luck.
Run happy, the rest of your day might suck.
This was discussed recently as well. I can't find the thread but I think I can summarize some of trackhead, et al, advice:
1. Make the transition slow. You will be using de-trained muscles in your foot and experiencing a range of motion much more taxing than normal. You'll be sore.
2. Make the transition with some barefoot running on grass or another soft surface. I don't think this has to be long but it should be form-specific so you can retrain yourself.
3. Attempt to strike on your forefoot and not your heel--make this an active process. I don't know exactly how this is done but I'm trying this; some part of this process seems to be a shortening of stride and landing underneath the body. A few people have mentioned using the Pose method but all the literature I've seen on this is for-pay only. Obviously a high-heeled shoe induces heel-strike so some form modification will be necessary.
4. Your foot is designed to correct your pronation to some extent. Some of this will be corrected by a stronger foot and some may need to be corrected by a change in form. Concerning the leg length--well I don't know anything about this.
I'm trying to learn this as well and I don't know all about minimalist shoes, etc. Certainly trackhead or someone else more knowledgeable can answer your questions more appropriately but they seem to be on vacation. I was quite skeptical about all of this but it makes very good sense. I already cycled shoes (about 4-5 brands/styles I run in on a regular basis) so I get some variation in foot stresses but trying to run in flats with a forefoot strike is a little different.
guess it took me a long time to write that post.
adidas cubato:
for anybody who has run in them and still advocates a more minimalist approach to footwear, how noticeable is the "Torsion system /which\ provides midfoot support and pronation control?"
thanks,
hrm
New as well wrote:
This was discussed recently as well. I can't find the thread but I think I can summarize some of trackhead, et al, advice:
1. Make the transition slow. You will be using de-trained muscles in your foot and experiencing a range of motion much more taxing than normal. You'll be sore.
2. Make the transition with some barefoot running on grass or another soft surface. I don't think this has to be long but it should be form-specific so you can retrain yourself.
3. Attempt to strike on your forefoot and not your heel--make this an active process. I don't know exactly how this is done but I'm trying this; some part of this process seems to be a shortening of stride and landing underneath the body. A few people have mentioned using the Pose method but all the literature I've seen on this is for-pay only. Obviously a high-heeled shoe induces heel-strike so some form modification will be necessary.
4. Your foot is designed to correct your pronation to some extent. Some of this will be corrected by a stronger foot and some may need to be corrected by a change in form. Concerning the leg length--well I don't know anything about this.
I'm trying to learn this as well and I don't know all about minimalist shoes, etc. Certainly trackhead or someone else more knowledgeable can answer your questions more appropriately but they seem to be on vacation. I was quite skeptical about all of this but it makes very good sense. I already cycled shoes (about 4-5 brands/styles I run in on a regular basis) so I get some variation in foot stresses but trying to run in flats with a forefoot strike is a little different.
Mostly accurate. However, I would strongly recommend against trying to run on your forefoot. While it is more natural, you should rarely try to change your biomechanics. What you should do is focus on keeping your stride rate quick (180 strides/minute at least) even when running slowly. You will likely find yourself heel-striking less as you do this and switch to minimalist shoes.
Also, your foot is not exactly designed to "correct" pronation. Your foot is designed to pronate. This is a shock-absorbing mechanism. What high-off the ground, high-heeled shoes do is exaggerate natural pronation. Whatever amount of pronation you have barefoot should be natural.
How do you transition out of orthotics?
trackhead what do you think of the nike mayfly? let's hear your opinion.
Whats a new good x/c flat for this fall???? Anything better than the old waffle racer????
Bump
Can anybody share there thoughts on th enew Aidas Rotterdam please..??...I liked the shoe but the size 10.5 was 12 ounces..a little heavy id say
The shoe I like Adidas Response Competition is a little soft in the heel
I tried it ... didn't like it.It has a high heel ... kinda big, kinda clunky.
Shrimpboat Owner wrote:
Can anybody share there thoughts on th enew Aidas Rotterdam please..??...I liked the shoe but the size 10.5 was 12 ounces..a little heavy id say
There was also a Adidas lite strike...I liked it but it seemed very soft..anybody try it..?
I've been wearing the Revolvers a little lately. I take back what I said about the Spacers. I love them, but the heels are probably too high for what the folks on this thread are trying to accomplish.
I read what Gordon Pirie said about avoiding a heel strike and having the toes dig in. I've been running barefoot on the grass for 1-3 miles a day. Also, last night I videotaped myself running in the Revolvers. I felt like I was running totally on my forefoot, but the video showed nice midfoot landing. It also didn't look like I was overpronating that much, which makes me wonder whether my orthotics are really necessary.
Have any of you altered your stride from a heel strike in orthotics to midfoot strike in flats and felt like this was a positive development for marathon racing, or did you find that the altered stride was too hard on the calves and that the lack of stability cancelled any other increase in efficiency?