The Search For The Perfect Trail Shoe
One of the greatest appeals of running, as you surely know, is the sheer simplicity of the experience.
There’s no kit to lug around, no second-guessing of equipment choices, no faffing with tuning, rigging or prepping, and no days impaired or cancelled because you don’t have the right gear.
Most importantly, there are no perplexing thought spirals about whether equipment is good enough.
Too much gear can be a burden.
This is why I’ve never really fallen in love with mountain biking despite having world class trails all around me. A bike seems like an unnecessary and limiting complication sometimes. There are too many moving parts, too much that can break. You can’t deviate from trails on a whim, or explore the walls of a gorge, or plunge through rivers and thickets just to see what’s there.
Less equipment means more freedom.
But the paradox of this is that part of me really loves kit…
Most of my childhood was spent coveting windsurfing boards with graphics that were the epitome of cool in the 90s (honestly).
I like good design. I’m interested in evolving theories about what works or doesn’t, and I can appreciate how the right kit can improve performance, even if it’s just because the aesthetics make you feel good.
For running you really just need the will to start moving, and that’s great, but getting the right shoes can make it better in a variety of ways.
There’s a lot of variation in shoes, but because they’re simple, comparatively cheap, and wear out quite quickly, you can really dial in what suits you over time.
Shoes probably won’t make you faster, but they will make you more comfortable and provide motivation to run more. The right shoes can definitely help you run longer.
When I started running I was completely sold on minimalist / barefoot theories, but increased mileages led to severe knee pain, including a stretch of 2-3 weeks where I literally couldn’t crouch down and stand up again without using my hands.
I still love the feeling of minimalist shoes and run in them from time to time, but for most of my running they just aren’t practical. If you’re trying to run on loose or rocky terrain like scree I’d say shoes are non-negotiable. To be perfectly honest, once I tried shoes with cushioning and grip there really was no going back.
I love the idea that our foot is perfectly designed by nature and doesn’t need anything added to it, but it’s been a few thousand years since most of us were really cut out for running everywhere in bare feet. Besides, ancient hominids may not have needed shoes to cover vast distances on the plains of Africa, but I bet they’d have liked them. Hunting would’ve been a lot more pleasant in Hokas.
For most people who do the majority of their running off road, I’d say two pairs of shoes are necessary. You need pair for everyday running on hard surfaces with enough cushion to cover some distance and decent grip, and a pair that are perhaps more minimalist with aggressive grip for shorter, hilly runs on technical or muddy terrain.
If I was forced to choose just two pairs from my current quiver it would be Hoka Speedgoat 4s as the everyday / distance shoe and Adidas Terrex Speed SGs for technical terrain or hill races.
As I said in an earlier post, I bought a lot of shoes last year, most of which were unnecessary, so this year I’m buying none.
Most of the shoes in the picture above have already done 200-300 miles, and the Speedgoats at the top right are approaching 600 miles. Since I’ll be racking up fair mileage in these shoes, I’ve decided it might be useful to write about some of them.
Most shoe reviews are based on initial first miles and impressions, but I thought it would be interesting to record what the lifespan of some of these are and how durable you might expect them to be. I like stuff that lasts.
My write-ups will likely concentrate on the other things I think are most important. The attribute I value above everything else in a shoe is grip. If you mostly run trails or technical terrain then you can’t overstate the important of this. Feeling secure on your feet is pretty fundamental to enjoyment of running.
Comfort and cushioning are secondary concerns, and other things like drop, durability, protection, cost and look are all negotiable (to a degree).
For my reviews I’ll include the mileage I’ve had from each shoe; what type of running / terrain I think it’s best used for; pictures to give you an idea of durability, and how much I paid / where I got them. Likely there’ll be notes on lug depth, cushioning, fit and drop as well.
This is unlikely to be my only post each week, but more of an extra I’ll do intermittently.
I plan to start with the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever put on my feet. It’s a shoe I’m almost certain does make you faster: the Adidas Terrex Speed Ultras.