Shoe suggestions for low-volume, wide-toed foot?

[Becky]

I'm an occasional runner at best, and I'm finally in need of new shoes. But I'm having trouble finding what I want and need, and hoping that some folks here may have ideas for me.

I'm looking for a low-drop, lightly-cushioned shoe for mostly road and treadmill running. I already have a pair of VFFs that work well, but I'd like something slightly more cushioned and more normal in appearance.

I have medium width, low-volume feet with narrow heels, but wide toes. Therein lies my problem: my two outside toes end up jammed into the front of the shoe, even though the ball of my foot is happy. Many "wider" shoes give me too much volume in the toe box upper, leading to a sloppy fit.

Most recently, I tried the Brooks PureConnect and loved it, except for the shape of the toe box. Any suggestions for a similar shoe with a more squared-off toe box?? I'm looking at Keen A86 TRs and Altra Delilahs as possibilities, but can't try them locally.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[OakLeaf]

Lemings (http://www.lemingfootwear.com/) have no cushion, but I don't know why you couldn't stick an aftermarket insole in there, especially if your feet are low volume.

I can't run in mine (yet....) but for daily wear I just simply totally absolutely ADORE them. They are the first shoes I've ever worn in my entire 52 years that actually fit my feet. And they don't look weird at all. (I still have to size up one size in length to get the width I need, but it's not really noticeable to me.)

I just bought my second pair in a different color. I don't think it'll be long before I own all three colors. :p (Whoa, looky, FIVE colors now! :D)



ETA: You mentioned Altra ... I don't know the Delilah, but I have a pair of size 11 Intuition that are yours if you want them. 58 miles and I've given up trying to sell them. Nice square toe box, but the overall width is just way too narrow for my forefeet. If your feet are B width at the metatarsal arch, then you should be fine in them. I didn't find them to be overly stiff, which is a major complaint that Danny Dreyer has with the Altras - I'd put stiffness about on a par with the Nike Zoom Triax Structure I've been running in - but I think the Delilahs are more minimal.

[Becky]

Thanks, Oak, for both the feedback and the offer. Unfortunately, I'm only a size 8.5; otherwise, I'd take you up on it!

How's the upper volume in the Leming shoes? Comparable to most Keens, or less?

[OakLeaf]

I've never worn Keens. The Lemings are pretty low volume, my feet are low volume also. But I keep them laced fairly close except toward the forefoot, which is why I'm pretty sure there would be room for an insole, especially if your feet are narrower than mine. My heels are also narrow in comparison to my forefeet, and it's not an issue with the Lemings at all.

[zoom-zoom]

Sounds a lot like my foot (though mine are very much WIDE through the toes). I have recently fallen in love with the Nike Free Run+ 3. Not quite as minimal as the regular Frees, but still not a lot of shoe (I think the heel/toe drop is ~7mm, which is still quite low). They feel amazing to run in. Grippy and flexy and like I have nothing on my foot.

[Becky]

I tried a pair of Nike Free 3.0 (http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/NIK1445/cmproductcrosssell/) last night, and liked them except for the fluorescent pink color. I'm not certain that they're wide enough at the toes, but I loved how flexible the upper was.

I don't understand Nike's nomenclature yet...

[Veronica]

How do you know if you have wide toes? Is there a ratio for length to width?

Veronica

[Becky]

How do you know if you have wide toes? Is there a ratio for length to width?

Veronica

I've never seen a formula for it. All I know is that they keep running into the sides of my shoes (on the outside of the toe box) and causing discomfort.

It's not that my toes themselves are wide, but that they have a wide spread from big toe to pinky toe compared to most shoes. (Yeah, I was having trouble explaining it to the LRS guy last night too!)

[Veronica]

Well, I'm guessing mine aren't wide then since I was born with hammer toes. My toes have no spread! :D I hope you can find something that works for you. You know TE lets you try shoes and return them if they don't work out.

Veronica

[zoom-zoom]

I tried a pair of Nike Free 3.0 (http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/NIK1445/cmproductcrosssell/) last night, and liked them except for the fluorescent pink color. I'm not certain that they're wide enough at the toes, but I loved how flexible the upper was.

I don't understand Nike's nomenclature yet...

These are the ones I have (http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpageWRS-NFRN3W6.html). Yeah, running shoes names are nuts. No one is more irritating to follow than New Balance, though. I wore them for years and the numbers-as-names thing made me nuts. They get to the end of a # series and start over, or simply rename the entire series with another confusing series of #s.

The + in Nike shoe names simply means they have a little cut-out under the insole for putting one of the little Nike+ transmitters.

I just looked on Running Warehouse's shoe fitter thing and it appears that the Free runs narrower than the Free Run -- so the Free Run may be something to consider.

[GLC1968]

Have you tried any of the shoes in the New Balance Minimus line? The shape and volume would probably work for you and they have either 4mm or zero drop options (last I checked, anyway). They also look cute/normal. The only missing feature is cushioning but like Oak suggested, maybe an insole?

My feet are similar to yours and the NB Minimus is the best fit I could find. Prior to discovering them, I had trouble with toe issues either right away when I put on the shoe (width) or after 5 or so miles of running (too much room, poor shape to the shoe, etc).

[Becky]

Have you tried any of the shoes in the New Balance Minimus line? The shape and volume would probably work for you and they have either 4mm or zero drop options (last I checked, anyway). They also look cute/normal. The only missing feature is cushioning but like Oak suggested, maybe an insole?

I did, but I can't remember which model it was. The toe box felt too curved/short, although that may have been resolved with a bigger size. I didn't like the salesman, so I didn't stick around to find out!

I'll add the Minimus line to the list of things to try. Thanks!

[nscrbug]

Becky....you may want to take a look at the Merrell Bare Access Arc shoe. I just bought a pair last week to supplement with my Altra Intuitions. It is a zero-drop shoe that has some cushioning (I'd say a smidge less cushioning than the Nike Free 3.0, which I also have). Nice wide foot-shaped toe box, very flexible upper.

Linda

ETA - here's a link to the exact pair I have. http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/MRL1005/

[Susan Otcenas]

You might want to look at the Saucony Kinvara. I have feet exactly like you describe: narrow heel, wide forefoot, squared off toes (I describe my feet as triangles!) and low volume. The Kinvara fit me really well.

[OakLeaf]

Hmmmmm. The Kinvaras I tried on a couple of years ago were super pointy in the toes. I might give them another try if they've changed their design.

[zoom-zoom]

Hmmmmm. The Kinvaras I tried on a couple of years ago were super pointy in the toes. I might give them another try if they've changed their design.

I tried my friend's pair--she has a narrow foot. Length was good. But felt like pointy-toed pumps. Wide is apparently relative. Some Ds are snug on me.

[jessmarimba]

The kinvara 2s didn't. The 3s are coming out now/soon, so maybe those?

But I have really narrow, low volume feet and thought both the kinvaras and new balance minimus shoes fit great. Odd that wide-footed people like them as well!

[Becky]

Thanks for all of these great ideas! It gives me shoes to look for when I'm shopping, rather than blindly guessing or torturing the LRS employees.

The Kinvaras were nearly perfect. Unfortunately, there's too much room in the toe box upper, so I have trouble lacing them tightly enough without creating "bubbles". This seemed to be more pronounced with the 3s than the 2s. They're stil pointy though, IMO.

I went ahead and ordered a pair of Keen A86s and a pair of Altra Delilahs. The Delilahs have crazy amounts of toe room, are super light, and surprisingly comfortable for being so thin. I was most surprised by the extra room on the big-toe side. The little-toe side feels awesome.

But the Keens were the real shocker. Despite their pointy appearance, the outer curve of the toe box starts far enough forward to make my toes happy. The upper is quite low in volume, which I found to be a departure from Keen's normal fit. For me and my low-volume feet, this departure is a good thing. I have to lace them pretty tightly, so it seems like there's enough adjustibility for higher-volume feet than mine.

I need to take both pairs for a treadmill run. But, for now, the Keens are definitely staying, and I'm still making up my mind about the Altras.

[Susan Otcenas]

Hmmmmm. The Kinvaras I tried on a couple of years ago were super pointy in the toes. I might give them another try if they've changed their design.

Shape has changed a bit, as has the construction of the uppers in general. Kinvara is on version 3.