Question:
To those who switch back and forth
between road and trail type running
shoes depending on the training
or racing environment, what advice
would you give in general about
what to look for in a trail shoe?
My road shoes
are New Balance 76x and 83x types,
with nothing much going on in terms
of motion control needs. I'll probably
get a pair of trail shoes for the
summer and welcome any general advice
about what has worked for you.
Answer:
I run all my races, road or trail,
in the same shoe(asics 20nn). if
I was to run a race with tons of
lippery rocks, I would look for
a shoe with more traction but like
you, I would have to hunt. In general
trail shoes are real and smoke.
Some just make the color dark and
claim a trail shoe. Others make
significant changes to the stability
and profile and would suggest you
try them on. Trail shoes have just
as high a
signal to noise ratio.
When I ran
both trail and road, I used my road
shoes (Saucony Grid Stabils) all
the time. But I have always run
in road shoes that would have traction
in snow - hence, they're reasonable
for easy trails. However, my current
shoes are Brooks Tresp trail shoes
and are working really well for
me (almost 100 miles on them, but
no runs over about 1.2 hrs yet)
- again on easy trails, BUT they
do have noticeably more traction
than Stabils and a MUCH better ride.
These will work in some areas that
my Stabils were wimpy for. Their
road twin, Adrenaline, was what
my PT had recommended to me for
my foot situation, but that is somewhat
wimpy in the forefoot and tread
is not suitable for trail. So he
switched me to the Tresp. I know
some found the Trespes didn't work
for them, and I've heard some people
complain about durability.
I also have
several pairs of trail shoes that
didn't work for me - as do most
people that venture that direction.
And my road shoes worked better
than many of the trail shoes. Trespes
would not work for point-side-up
rocky trails. the kinds of trails
you'll be running is the primary
concern. Unless you know you'll
be on some really rocky stuff, you
probably won't need anything special,
although I'm not familiar with the
treads on your shoes. Many trails
are quite easily doable in road
shoes and road shoes probably work
better than trail shoes on some
(I don't like the feel of lugs through
the sole). Are your trails dirt,
smooth rocks, pointy-side-up rocks,
clay mud, organic mud, loose gravel,
many stream crossings, etc ?
Some treads
supposedly clean themselves of some
muds better than others. Some work
on rocks better - traction and foot
protection are two different things
with the protection via a plastic
or nylon plate in the forefoot.
Some of the newer trail shoes
are more flexible than older ones
- my trail Tresp are more flexible
than road Stabils, hence easier
to do hills and their shock absorption
is much better. Breathability -
let water drain out. In cold winter
snow (subzero F), I prefer a bumper
of leather or rubber around the
toe just above the sole - just enough
to keep snow out and provide a little
insulation against it.
In wetter
condtions that would, unfortunately,
keep the water in. Durability of
sole and upper. Soles that have
great stickiness on rocks may lose
that stickiness over time as that
layer wears off. The Tresp has a
really weird upper (mesh over a
skeleton) that I would think would
be likely to snag on things, collect
debris, and/or tear although I haven't
had a problem yet.
Lower heel
profiles are helpful for stability,
esp. when running across gr, and
to keep from slamming heels on steep
downhills.
