Runners/Joggers/Walkers & Shoes

[CarbonSteel]

At the beginning of April I started walking every day and during that month I went from zero to 10 miles per day at a 3.2 to 3.4MPH pace. I quickly found that ordinary shoes (tennis, cross trainers, etc.) would not pass muster (for very long). So, I went to a local running shop and they helped me find a good shoe (Asics Nimbus 17 & 16; I have six pairs now).

The person told me that for someone walking a few miles (1-3) perhaps any shoe would work (unless you have special needs such as under/over pronation), but when you cross that 6ish mile range, you are in a different category altogether and need a shoe designed for it. I have been a "cheap skate" through the years and never really thought much about good shoes--until now.

I cannot begin to tell you the difference between my old no-name shoes and the Asics Nimbus series. At the end of the 4th mile, I was starting to feel a fair amount of pain on the ball of my foot and now I can do 7-8 miles without stopping with no issues at all. I have a neutral motion, but have a very high arch. I also tried Brooks Glycerin 13s, but they did not work as well as the Asics.

What about the rest of you? Have a good shoe story to tell? What works for you?

 

[spasm3]

I wear the asics cumulus and nimbus shoes. No comparison, especially if you are on your feet all day. In addition, the nimbus and cumulus have more arch support. They are worth the money.

 

[Andrew1972]

I have been happy with some Made in USA New Balance's from their factory store in Lawerance MA. I believe they retailed for $150-$200 but picked them up for $60.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
I wear the asics cumulus and nimbus shoes. No comparison, especially if you are on your feet all day. In addition, the nimbus and cumulus have more arch support. They are worth the money.
I tried the Cumulus and it did not fit as well as the Nimbus--though I wanted it to because wide sizes only have 2 colors in both of them. I went up 1/2 size, but the Nimbus just feels better and the 16s are a little firmer than the 17s. I had never thought about having more than one pair, but it definitely makes sense to alternate and allow the shoes to dry out.

 

[dishdude]

They also wear out, if you're walking/running everyday they need to be replaced every 6 mos.

New Balance does make a good shoe!

 

[BRZED]

I like Mephisto walking shoes, Keen hiking boots and Haflinger felt slippers.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I wear the asics cumulus and nimbus shoes. No comparison, especially if you are on your feet all day. In addition, the nimbus and cumulus have more arch support. They are worth the money.
I tried the Cumulus and it did not fit as well as the Nimbus--though I wanted it to because wide sizes only have 2 colors in both of them. I went up 1/2 size, but the Nimbus just feels better and the 16s are a little firmer than the 17s. I had never thought about having more than one pair, but it definitely makes sense to alternate and allow the shoes to dry out.


The nimbus is definitely better padded and feels good, i may not buy any more cumulus although they are not bad.
I do have a pair only for work, as i some times get things on them like blood vomit etc. When i do bring them home, its to wash them in a bucket of dilute clorox.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
They also wear out, if you're walking/running everyday they need to be replaced every 6 mos. New Balance does make a good shoe!
I never thought about that either until the person in the local store told me about it. I am sure my old ones were worn completely out although they still appeared to be in good condition. For me a good guesstimate is about every 300 miles (give or take) and to prevent buying a new pair every month (at my current pace), I opted to buy multiple pairs and alternate on a daily basis and phase in new pairs as I go along.

Good point!

 

[steveh]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
At the beginning of April I started walking every day and during that month I went from zero to 10 miles per day at a 3.2 to 3.4MPH pace. I quickly found that ordinary shoes (tennis, cross trainers, etc.) would not pass muster (for very long). So, I went to a local running shop and they helped me find a good shoe (Asics Nimbus 17 & 16; I have six pairs now).

The person told me that for someone walking a few miles (1-3) perhaps any shoe would work (unless you have special needs such as under/over pronation), but when you cross that 6ish mile range, you are in a different category altogether and need a shoe designed for it. I have been a "cheap skate" through the years and never really thought much about good shoes--until now.

I cannot begin to tell you the difference between my old no-name shoes and the Asics Nimbus series. At the end of the 4th mile, I was starting to feel a fair amount of pain on the ball of my foot and now I can do 7-8 miles without stopping with no issues at all. I have a neutral motion, but have a very high arch. I also tried Brooks Glycerin 13s, but they did not work as well as the Asics.

What about the rest of you? Have a good shoe story to tell? What works for you?
I also have a high arch. I had a pair of the Brooks Glycerin 11s I liked them a lot. Tried a pair of Mizuno Wave Creation 15s they were ok. My last pair of shoes were Mizuno Wave Prophecy 4s I like them a lot.

 

[53' Stude]

I love my New Balance shoes. Have 2 work pairs and 3 every day pair

 

[raytseng]

if you're really getting into it, the shoe is just half the story.

Then you need to consider the insole-so Insole+shoe is the combination that you need, unless you're lucky enough where stock insole works for you.

It's definitely normal for enthusiasts to stock up on multiple pairs their shoe before they become discontinued, as well as rotate shoes to prolong life.

 

[Kira]

Hello, All my life I knew there were about 3,450 little bones in our feet.
I assumed one's feet needed to be "held together" and I was right.

The refinements offered by modern shoes (in my opinion) center around perfecting the sole material for proper cushioning and wear characteristics.

Of course the sides can breathe much better now-a-days.

The New Balance line is a good one. I also have Cross (Denmark based brand) shoes which work excellently. Kira

 

[Squirrelee]

Asics GT-series here. I've worn them for several years now and tried switching to the Nimbus last year - no good - ended up with bad achilles problems. I'm back to the GT's and have no issues.

As has been said above, buy last year's models at a 50%+ discount. Congrats on walking - keep it up!

 

[TWG1572]

I'll echo the advice given above to find a good shoe plus a good insole. The insoles really seemed to fine tune things for me and I've been a lot less injury prone. Knock on wood....

I run in Asics GT 2000's. I was a Numbus runner for years, but switched up on the advice of my running shoe store. They do the while running style / slow motion video evaluation, I used to think it was hocus pocus, but it did seem to make a difference.

 

[mjk]

Reebok DMX Sky. Unfortunately, Reebok discontinued them.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: Squirrelee
Asics GT-series here. I've worn them for several years now and tried switching to the Nimbus last year - no good - ended up with bad achilles problems. I'm back to the GT's and have no issues.

At first glance it sounds like you may overpronate, which is what the GT series is designed for whereas the Nimbus is for a neutral runner. If you are an overpronator, I highly recommend the Asics Kayano series. I have a few friends that swear by them.

Originally Posted By: Squirrelee
As has been said above, buy last year's models at a 50%+ discount. Congrats on walking - keep it up!
Thanks for the words of inspiration! Yes, I fully agree on buying last year's models. There is an Asics Outlet near me and I just bought 2 more Nimbus 16s at buy one get one 50% off. They were marked down to $89.99 so $135 for two pairs is a great deal (it is tax free weekend in Texas).

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
if you're really getting into it, the shoe is just half the story. Then you need to consider the insole-so Insole+shoe is the combination that you need, unless you're lucky enough where stock insole works for you. It's definitely normal for enthusiasts to stock up on multiple pairs their shoe before they become discontinued, as well as rotate shoes to prolong life.
You are talking about orthotics, right? I actually tried a few at the local shoe store, but my feet fit the Nimbus insoles very well and I very neutral in my motion. It is definitely something to remember though for when the models change and the insoles are not quite what they were with the old models.

 

[BRZED]

Specifically, as a hybrid walking/light terrain shoe I can recommend the Mephisto Tibo Allrounder. It is way more comfortable than a typical ankle high hybrid shoe but still durable and waterresistant with a slip resistant natural rubber sole. Unlike any other shoe I know it comes actually with a good insole. You can usually find them on sale for under $200, which is not too bad since the shoes outlast several insoles.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
At the beginning of April I started walking every day and during that month I went from zero to 10 miles per day at a 3.2 to 3.4MPH pace. I quickly found that ordinary shoes (tennis, cross trainers, etc.) would not pass muster (for very long). So, I went to a local running shop and they helped me find a good shoe (Asics Nimbus 17 & 16; I have six pairs now).

The person told me that for someone walking a few miles (1-3) perhaps any shoe would work (unless you have special needs such as under/over pronation), but when you cross that 6ish mile range, you are in a different category altogether and need a shoe designed for it. I have been a "cheap skate" through the years and never really thought much about good shoes--until now.

I cannot begin to tell you the difference between my old no-name shoes and the Asics Nimbus series. At the end of the 4th mile, I was starting to feel a fair amount of pain on the ball of my foot and now I can do 7-8 miles without stopping with no issues at all. I have a neutral motion, but have a very high arch. I also tried Brooks Glycerin 13s, but they did not work as well as the Asics.

What about the rest of you? Have a good shoe story to tell? What works for you?


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