Shoes were still pretty terrible even in the "noughties".
Everyone seemed to wear Asics Kayanos, despite the fact that it was a shoe made for overpronators.
Even the neutral shoes were so "piece-y". The midsoles had too many different compounds of gel, plastic and dual density foams that the shoes always ended up feeling so clunky and unnatural. And don't get me started on how flat they were (rockers weren't really a thing until Hoka popularised them in the twenty-teens).
The uppers on these behemoths always seemed to bunch as well; cutting into the toes at the lowest eyelet of the laces. And there were seams everywhere.
Everyone seemed to deal with them though, as they didn't really have a better point of reference. I can tell you that some of the runs in these shoes were among the most enjoyable I've ever had.