hate shopping for running shoes!

[Melalvai]

I don't have any advice, but I plan to get the vibram five finger shoes. I don't have any special foot/ankle/leg concerns. I just think from all the reviews I've read that these will be great.

[jessmarimba]

Yeah, I was hoping that, too. I have a pair. I think my therapist will disown me if she knows I wear them...so far I've just tried them for hiking.

[zoom-zoom]

NB 905s...? Honestly, the 904 was the shoe that turned me off to that series. My favorite shoe EVER was the 902. The 903s were OK, but the uppers were cut all weird. Then NB changed the last with the 904 and suddenly their wides were no longer wide. I had to go up a half size to get them long enough, but then they were too long. I heard that they improved the fit with the 905, though, so I may have to give them another try.

Right now I am in the Nike Run Avant+ and Lunarfly+ (same sole unit, just different uppers). They retail for $80, but I usually find them for closer to $60. The Mizuno Wave Elixir might be a good try, too, though I tend to find their heels too hard.

[OakLeaf]

Just if you want to transition to a minimal shoe, make sure you do it GRADUALLY. It's easy to want to push and do all your running, or even all of certain days' runs, in your new shoes (or your birthday shoes), and that's how people wind up injured.

Do plenty of barefoot indoor exercise - yoga and targeted foot exercises - as well as strengthening the hip adductors and rotators so that you're no longer excessively pronating. (What your feet do when you're standing still has little to do with your stride, but it can show you where you're letting your muscles get lazy.)

[jessmarimba]

Haha Oak - i am learning to run all over again No worries about too minimal too much too soon!

But I've been working on that overpronation for years and it hasn't done a thing. I've never been injured on that side or had any issues with that ankle - it's much stronger than the straighter one - it just looks wrong. Which is why I'm thinking I should just do what I want anyway and buy shoes somewhere where no one will tell me that what I want is wrong.

[KnottedYet]

I never try to "fix" someone's overpronation unless they are having pain or functional difficulties.

Sometimes, that's just the way someone is made. No biggie.

Wear whatever feels good to run in. Your body will tell you. The right shoes will feel magical like the right bike. (because they will be working WITH you, just like the right bike works WITH you)

Try a pair of Chaco Z1 or Z2 in the midst of your test-driving... just to humor me. They are great for midfoot striking. (the heel is neutral, even though the medial and lateral heel counters make it look thicker. I measured with a caliper, and my caliper don't lie)

[yellow]

Don't overlook the Inov-8 shoes. You should be able to find some to try on in Denver.

[jessmarimba]

Knot, I have a pair of Z2s and ZX2s and I love them...but it was 47 degrees out today I have run in them in the summer and they're great!

Jen, I like the orthotics - I am used to them, but the orthotics in combination with stability/motion control shoes give me massive blisters. I can only take one or the other. They help if I have to walk but make next to no difference when I run. But since I'm doing a lot of walking with the running now, I'll probably keep them.

And Yellow - I have (so far) out-shoed two running store chains here, neither of which had them on the display wall. I'm not sure where to head next. Besides Google.