Advice for the “Sunday runner” in choosing the most suitable running shoe
Enrico Maria Corno
April 20, 2022 – 09:56 am
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the Sunday runner, the one who trains in spring alternating a kilometer of running and a kilometer at pace, the one who has the sole objective of having fun, staying in shape (possibly without damaging his knees and back) and maybe running a non-competitive one every now and then, the one who doesn’t he has an athletics team behind him, nor a group of competent friends with whom to exchange opinions and technical advice. Beyond the suggestions that you can get from the specialized salesman in the shop, with what criteria does the Sunday runner approach thebuying a new pair of shoes when he is faced with a shelf with dozens of different pairs of shoes? And above all, what can you think in the face of those new models so particular and different from the traditional ones? Shoes with huge soles, shoes with very wide toes or with very low soles … beyond fashion, what type of runner were they designed for and who are they suitable for?
Running shoes with a thick sole
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Until two or three years ago, those who wore and ran with a pair of Hoka shoes was indicated by the other runners. And maybe we even got some mischievous smirk. In the past years only the Hoka brand produced these running shoes with such a bulky sole, especially at the midfoot and heel: today there is no brand – from Asics to Nike – that does not have at least one shoe of this kind in the catalog. The Hokas were made for mountain running and that sole, so massive, bulky and even ungainly, had the purpose of giving support to the foot, welcoming and protecting the heel, so stressed.
At the same time, themidsole in that area of the foot is very light and has two different densities, to cushion the impact with the ground and to return part of the thrust, without however destabilizing the foot and without the risk of inflammation. The same sole with rounded toe and heel helps the gait. In short, they are ideal shoes for those with delicate ankles and problematic knees and for those in particular who need support in the step, especially runners of a certain weight.
Wide toe shoes
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In the beginning it was Other Running, an American brand that promotes “freedom of the toes”. You know the Vibram Five Fingers, that kind of “five-toed” shoes? The concept was to free the toes to make the step as natural as possible, allowing them to feel on the ground and move independently and without the constrictions of a shoe. Altra Running instead simply chose to widen the sole of the shoe at the height of the toes, leaving “half an inch more to the right and another half a centimeter to the left”, virtually achieving the same goal. Who needs such a shoe? More or less at all, since let your toes work better during the stride or stride facilitates balance and proprioception and helps the foot stay healthy.
Shoes “without heels”
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The technical term is Drop Zero. Zero is the height difference between the forefoot and the heel. The translation is “no heel”. This is the non plus ultra of “Natural running”the practice that tends to replicate running barefoot. This is the peculiarity of Athletic mousean ultra-specialized and certainly niche brand but which is becoming more and more successful in the trailrunning. A model like the Terraventure 3 gives a new feeling and surprising comfort when wearing it for walking but when it comes to running it becomes unsuitable for weight runners, especially if they run onasphaltand very suitable for light runners with very toned quads.
April 20, 2022 – 09:56 am
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