More footware advice

Ok guy this one's a bit more long winded. Bit of background first. I've been running, purely on a treadmill, on and off for a few years. I'm not a great runner, due largely to my flat feet. I always run on an incline to battle shin splits and haven't been able to run on the road for that very reason. I've got 2 pairs of motion control trainers (Brooks Beast and an old pair of Asics gel foundation 11). I've also done a fair bit of hill walking and have good Salomon boot which suit the over pronator.



Now my hill walking buddy, who also does a lot of road running, having learned that I'm spending more time on the treadmill, wants me to a) do some road running and b) some hill running (he doesn't ask much of me.)



I've read a bit about fell/hill running trainers or trail shoes. And the general opinion is that you get plenty of support and rigidity from them that they don't need to specialise in motion control trail shoes.



Which brings me to my question. If I were to start doing a bit of both of these new activities would a pair of trail shoes be suitable for a road running over pronator, given the supportive nature of an off road shoe? Are they suitable for say 10k on the road ir would they be too heavy and rigid?





And on that same train of thought. If my motion control running trainers provide significantly more support that a standard trainer, how are they likely to hold up to running up the rough terrain of a small mountain? In other words, do I really need to buy a pair of trail shoes at all?

Comments

  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭
    which small mountain do you have in mind? You can make your way up a well paved track like Skiddaw or Snowdon in your stockinged feet.



    Theres not a lot of difference between a pair of low end trail shoes and a road shoe, just a bit more grip. I think you'd notice it though, even on meadow grass you can feel a little more bite as you run. I ran a marathon in my trail shoes on the road, no problem, but I wouldn't wear those shoes to run on anything other than a well maintained public footpath, I'd want something a lot toughter and more aggressive, and those qualities would make it difficult to use them on the road.
  • theres snow on Skiddaw today, I'd use a decent 4 season mountain boot.image

  • Trail shoes tend to be less cushioned than road (very generalised comment given depends on models available) so that they are a bit more responsive plus don't need so much cushion on softer ground. So bear the cushioning in mind - being new to running my knee joints find it hard so I avoid wearing my less cushioned trail shoes on the road. I have a more cushioned trail pair for when I'm on mixed terrain and very cushioned road pair for anything more than a short run on the road.
  • http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fife-stirling/dumyat.shtml

     

    Walked it a couple times, in fact walked the entire range during our various visits to the ochils.

    It's a small hill, just over 400m, but only about 250m ascent from the carpark i'll set off from. But it's rocky and certainly for running, it'll be quite steep in places.

  • I think I'll just shell out for a pair of trail running shoes then. I was hoping I might get away with my running trainers, but I suspect that was a bit hopeful.

    I also hoped, if I had purchased trail running shoes they might be ok for the road, so I would get plenty of use of them, as I don't envisage me doing a huge number of hill runs.

     

    Anyone bought Salomon trail shoes, I've got plenty good wear from their hiking boots.

    https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/sal1574/salomon-xa-pro-3d-limited-edition-trail-running-shoes/

     

  • Kind of resurrecting an old thread here, but I have an update or 2.

    I've managed to get a good few miles in since this thread and now feel I can upgrade my status from complete novice to beginner :smiley:

    I've started to say farewell to my shin splints, turns out you just need to get some miles under your belt and toughen the legs up. Running shoes are not the miracle cure.

    As for the Trail running shoes, my Brooks are more than sturdy enough to tackle hills and despite perhaps not having the grip of a trail runner, I've yet to slip on even steep grassy sections.
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