Looking for help with trail shoes.
Good people of r/running, I've been looking to start trail and mountain running this season but found it difficult to find good shoes for me. I'm a mild overpronator and am currently using Asics GT-1000 as my go to shoe. I was wondering if anyone could reccomend a good trail shoe that will keep my feet (and knees) safe like the GT-1000 does.
Posted Jun 17, 2014, 7:35 AM UTC
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Everyone is a little different, but I wear a mild support shoe on the road and don't on the trail. No problems.
Also, depending on what kind of trails you're talking about, your road shoes are very likely just fine. People run and win trail races in road shoes all the time. Have you tried them out on trails? What aren't they doing that want trail shoes for?
First thing to look at would maybe just be the Asics GT2000 trail, which is pretty much just the road shoe with a slightly knobbier outsole. Beyond that, Asics has their Fuji line of shoes that have knobby, grippy outsoles, rock plates, drainage holes, specific uppers, etc. They've got more minimal models and beefier ones. Outside of Asics are dozens of other options covering pretty much anything you could want.
tldr: Your road shoes are possibly just fine, but if not you need to identify what they don't do, and find a trail shoe that does that.
Thanks for the response. My current training includes 3 days of road running and one run in the forest, on a soft surface, or dirt roads. I am looking to start running more on dirt roads and foresty paths, with some roots, branches etc. I was chiefly concerned with my road shoes sometimes not giving me a good feel of the path, and at the same time, being too stable to feel secure on my feet.
So while I appreciate the shoes stabilizing my gait on paved roads, the same thing makes me a bit insecure on a more uneven/softer terrain.
Most trail shoes seem to have less stability, but you could also find a less stable road shoe if you find one that fits well. It doesn't sound like you need anything super luggy, technical or protective.
My first trail shoe (Mizuno Ascend) was basically a trail version of a light stability shoe and does fine for road to trail stuff and non-technical single track. I only use gnarlier ones when it's wet and sloppy, or extra rocky or something. If I'm just doing fireroads and logging cuts I'll often just wear my road shoes. The only real trouble I have with the road shoes are lack of grip on loose or slick trails, otherwise they do pretty well.