Two shoe choices

[prl77]

I'm trying to decide between the Asics Evolution 2 and Brooks Beast. The first is a moderate motion control shoe for arched feet while the latter is maximum MC for flat feet. There is a review on this site of the Beast, stating it's "THE" motion control shoe all others strive to be. The Evolution, however, is the trainer of choice for two of three wear testers on that same review.

A seemingly knowledgeable guy at my local Foot Solutions store recommended the Beast based on what I told him about my shin splint problem I encountered while running for a week in flat Vans tennis shoes, obviously a poor choice, but that was before I knew about the importance of shoes for running. He also measured my foot and watched me walk.

My own test I did by making an imprint of my wet feet on cardboard showed a regular arch, not a flat foot, so I was leaning towards a moderate MC shoe, but now I'm a bit undecided and could use some guidance.

I'm 5'8", 165lbs, med/lg frame, beginning runner. I intend to run no more than 30 minutes every other day at an easy pace just for cardio benefits and weight control.

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks,
Peter.

[Joe Rubio]

Peter,

The shoes you describe really are for someone who overpronates quite a bit and tends to be a bigger guy. The Evolution has slightly less support, but is still pretty supportive shoes and generally for someone quite a bit heavier than you or who has a history of severe overpronation as in the case of the Beast. I would suggest a more moderate choice. Try a maximum support model which wil certainly provide more support than the Vans and odds are, it will be a more appropriate choice for you particularly since a large percentage of runners have success with support shoes, while a smaller percentage need motion control shoes. Models to consider would be the Mizuno Alchemy or Saucony Omni Ultimate if you have a medium to narrow foot, a Brooks Adrenaline or Asics 2120 if you have a mdeium width foot, or a Nike Equalon, Brooks Trance 6, Adidas Adistar Control for a medium to wider foot.

If you have additonal questions, please let me know.

Joe

[prl77]

On the Asics website, the Evolution is listed as maximum support as you recommend, but the 2110 is in the listed in the cushioned section which I thought was for high arched feet?

Peter

[Joe Rubio]

It's listed as a structured cushioning shoe, which is what you probably need. We call it support, they call it structure. Same thing.

There are as many as a half dozen different factors that determine what type of shoe you need with arch type being 1. Do not get hung up on arch height, get hung up on getting a shoe that will most likely work better than your Vans. The greatest # of runners have success with the shoes previously listed. You will have the best odds of success sticking there.

Joe

[prl77]

Ok, thanks for your help, I'll try the Adrenaline.

Peter

[prl77]

I went to RoadRunner sports to check out the Adrenaline and they wanted to go through their regular fitting process to make sure that it was indeed a good match for me. After everything was said and done, the very knowledgeable sales guy agreed that this was a good fit for me, so I bought them. He also sold me the blue superfeet insoles.

After running for about a week, only about 1-2 miles per day, I'm right back to the shin splint problems I was experiencing with my cheap Vans. You can imagine my disappointment of having the same problem after spending $125 on these new shoes and inserts. I haven't gone back to the store yet to see what they say about it, but will later this week.

Do I need a more aggressive MC shoe? The guy at the store said that I didn't. What do you think?

Thanks,
Peter

[Petemoss]

Peter, I can imagine - and am familiar your frustration. Aside from periodic clothing expenses, shoes are really the only on-going gear expense for runners. It's a pretty cheap sport by most standards - even with the trial and error shoe expenses. People like you & I, and others requiring some form of biomechanical correction will typically go through more $ in experimentation, than someone who does not. What works for me may not work for you - even though we might be in the same ("moderate overpronator" (for example)) category. I have a running buddy who was blessed with a natural gate and what appears to be perfect biomechanics. He can wear anything he wants - he could probably run barefoot or in Vans if he wanted to…it's sick.

The local shoe shops usually shake their heads in confusion when I tell them what I've tried, what worked, and what didn't… There seems to be a fine line in the support category that applies to me. Here's a recap of the last 18 or so months...

* Nike Air Structure Triax - fixed the shin splints! I thought it lacked cush however (I was 180lb at the time).
* Nike Air Kantara - Sweet. Nice ride, lots of support, lots of cushion, long lasting shoe. (I just ordered another pair).
* Brooks Beast (I bought after an injury) - Major support; too support much for me. Felt like I was fighting against the shoe. Heavy.
* Brooks Adrenalin 5 - Most comfortable shoe I ever had the opportunity to run in! Too bad I had to dump it after a week - not enough pronation control.
* Saucony Grid OMNI 5 (Ultimate) - Nice. Good support, light weight, wide toe box & narrow heel. Not too expensive. Not much cushion - but if you like feeling the road, it's a cool shoe IMO. I prefer a plushier ride (so I think).
* Asics Kayano 12 - I bought two pairs to alternate between. I thought I had found THEE shoe. Loved em at first - it's a good shoe, it still does a fine job keeping my pronation in check, but the premature loss of cushioning is taking it's toll during longer runs (I have only 200 miles on each). At $130 a pop - I can probably do better.
* Nike Air Equalon - just got them this morning and put 9 miles on em at lunch. These have promise. Time will tell…….. (ordered another pair of Kantara's to alternate with).

Bottom line, don't flog yourself over the Adrenalins. As you can see, you're not alone. My non-educated suggestion would be to try a maximum support shoe like the Adidas Adistar Control (which is next on my list), Nike Air Zoom Equalon, maybe the Mizuno Nirvana, to name a few. Moving right to a heavy duty motion control shoe (Like the Beast, Evolution) can dilute the joy from someone who doesn't require that much correction - there are supposedly some strengthening downsides to unnecessarily relying on major correction as well. Good luck!