My neverending shoe saga.

[shellfish26]

I know, I know. Running shoes totally depend on the wearer, so I hate that I am asking this question, but I'm curious to hear if anyone has any input that might help me to narrow down my search.

I need a stability shoe-I am a pronator. And I have bunions so I need a wider toe box.  And nothing around the toes that can rub. 

After switching to a stability shoe last year, I was happy with the Ravenna 5s.  The update to the 6 was OK, but I had a lot of heel slippage in those.  The 5s are pretty much gone everywhere in my size.  These last few weeks, I've been trying out the new Adrenaline 17s and am hating them.  They are so stiff and there is so much around the toe area.  (Too bad, because they are super pretty, lol!)

So, I am thinking that I need less cushioning, but still enough to get me through 25-30 mpw. 

I guess I am looking to hear from anyone who may have found the Brooks stability shoes to be too much.  What are you wearing?  Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

[Wines Not Whines]

I wear Brooks Adrenalines, so I'm probably no help, but I buy them much larger than my normal size so there's room for my toes. I haven't tried the new ones yet. I'm still wearing the 14s because I stockpiled them when they were on clearance.

I know some people like the Saucony Guides and Asics Kayanos for other moderate stability shoes.

[venice2007]

Brooks destroyed my feet. Nothing worked for me until I started wearing Newton shoes. Check out newton. They are fantastic for me and may work for you.

[labbie]

I'm a pronator and need a wide toe box. I've had good luck with New Balance. My current shoes I'm rotating between are asics gt2000-2 (3 is the current model, haven't tried them), and saucony omni 14, which I am in love with.
I also wear a full size larger than my shoe size.

Sent from my XT1080 using proboards

[arch01]

I had bunion surgery a few years back (6 I guess now) and still like a wider toe box without actually having to buy wide shoes. I get re-fitted each year and still go back to my Nike Zoom Structure Triax-the 17s were narrow, but the 18s were great. Havne't tried the 19s yet.

ETA: I go 1/2 size up from my normal size.

[runblondie26]

The Ravenna is on the very light end of the stabilty spectrum (the 5 landed me in PT last year because it didn't control my pronantion enough), so no wonder the Adrenalines felt stiff to you.

I find Saucony's tend to have a roomier toe box, but are not too wide throughout the rest of the shoe. You might like the Guide, but it does have more stability than the Ravenna so you might find it a bit clunky in comparison. However, it is a popular model for moderate pronators, so maybe worth a try.

[cinco]

I prefer a flexible, lightweight shoe with a wide toe box. So far I have always been happiest with the Mizuno Wave Inspire. I don't like the newest version as much, but it still seems to work better for me than other shoes.

[runblondie26]

Going to threadjack...A motion control shoe seems hard core, so I can't imagine I'd need that, but I'm starting to feel like the Guide doesn't have enough suppport for me either. labbie Do you know where the Omni falls on the range of stability? I might try that next.

[sweetiesparkles]

Guides!

[hannahb]

I mildly pronate. I've worn ravennas, Mizunos inspire, and brooks cadence. I HATE adrenalines. I got a free pair awhile ago and gave them away. They are too much for me and feel like bricks.
I use the cadences for speed work and short distances. I up to inspires when going longer distance and fatigue is a factor.
Recently the inspires are not agreeing with me. Want to try a pair with maybe 100 miles on them? Size 8.5?

[mastistyle]

Another over pronator as well.  I started out with Brooks but have since changed to Asics.  The Brooks were too heavy of a shoe for me.  The gel kayano does offer a wide D width, lots of gel cushioning with a narrow heel cup.  They are about $160-but I think I am getting 350-400 miles out of them before I get a new pair.

[froggy76]

I wear Mizuno Wave Inspires. I love them. I tried the Brooks, but they felt too cushy compared to the Mizunos. You may want to try them out because otherwise I think the fit and stability are similar.

I've also found that a lot of problems can be solved with new insoles and various lacing techniques. I don't wear my shoes just the way they come out of the box I lace them differently (skip lacing across my arch because it makes my feet fall asleep, use the heel lock technique at the top to keep my foot from slipping forward), and I buy Dr. Scholl's inserts for a little more cushioning and support.

[labbie]

Dec 1, 2015 9:11:32 GMT -5 runblondie26 said:

Going to threadjack...A motion control shoe seems hard core, so I can't imagine I'd need that, but I'm starting to feel like the Guide doesn't have enough suppport for me either. labbie Do you know where the Omni falls on the range of stability? I might try that next.

According to this, the Omni is a "tad" more supportive than the Guide.
Omni vs. Guide
I didn't try them both on (they didn't have the Guide in my size) but as compared to my previous NewBals and my current Asics GT2000, I really like the fit better on the Omni- I have a better fit in the heel and mid foot while still lots of room in toe box. 

[runblondie26]

Dec 1, 2015 13:17:39 GMT -5 labbie said:

Dec 1, 2015 9:11:32 GMT -5 runblondie26 said:

Going to threadjack...A motion control shoe seems hard core, so I can't imagine I'd need that, but I'm starting to feel like the Guide doesn't have enough suppport for me either. labbie Do you know where the Omni falls on the range of stability? I might try that next.

According to this, the Omni is a "tad" more supportive than the Guide.
Omni vs. Guide
I didn't try them both on (they didn't have the Guide in my size) but as compared to my previous NewBals and my current Asics GT2000, I really like the fit better on the Omni- I have a better fit in the heel and mid foot while still lots of room in toe box. 

Thanks for the info! Answers my question perfectly. I'll have to keep an eye out for a sale; I'm curious to try out the Omni now.

[enfuego23]

Dec 1, 2015 8:48:24 GMT -5 cinco said:

I prefer a flexible, lightweight shoe with a wide toe box. So far I have always been happiest with the Mizuno Wave Inspire. I don't like the newest version as much, but it still seems to work better for me than other shoes.

I got the newest version of the Mizuno Wave Inspire and I'm not liking them much either:( They feel super stiff to me - almost making me look for another shoe:( 

[al320]

So ive been a kayano runner from the start. The adrenalines killed my achilles. Or maybe the glycerines? Whatever, i cant do brooks. The newer models of kayano have less of a drop and bother my achilles. Im wondering if i should try the guides? Ive been debating hokas, but i havemt researched the drop.

[fuckyourcouch]

Dec 1, 2015 21:16:29 GMT -5 al320 said:

So ive been a kayano runner from the start. The adrenalines killed my achilles. Or maybe the glycerines? Whatever, i cant do brooks. The newer models of kayano have less of a drop and bother my achilles. Im wondering if i should try the guides? Ive been debating hokas, but i havemt researched the drop.

Adrenalines also killed my Achilles. I need a neutral shoe.
I always end up back in nikes. They just always feel right.

[al320]

Dec 2, 2015 0:27:30 GMT -5 fuckyourcouch said:

Dec 1, 2015 21:16:29 GMT -5 al320 said:

So ive been a kayano runner from the start. The adrenalines killed my achilles. Or maybe the glycerines? Whatever, i cant do brooks. The newer models of kayano have less of a drop and bother my achilles. Im wondering if i should try the guides? Ive been debating hokas, but i havemt researched the drop.

Adrenalines also killed my Achilles. I need a neutral shoe.
I always end up back in nikes. They just always feel right.

Nikes are like not even comfortable enough for me to walk around the store bad lol

[shellfish26]

Thanks, everyone for your advice and suggestions! I wrote them all down and took my list to the store to spend the afternoon shoe shopping!  Nothing really felt great except the Inspires. But they still felt strange around my ankle- I felt like they were so high. (This is where I would have been happy to try yours out, hannahb, but I'm a 9!)  So, I just decided to try the New Balance 870s and was so surprised that I loved them!  Nothing felt off, and they were super light but cushioned. I wore them for many laps around the store track and on their treadmill and couldn't see any potential issues.   So, I'm keeping everything crossed that these will work!  And bonus....they were <$100!  

I was definitely intrigued by the Newtons that venice2007 suggested.  I don't think I could make them my full-time shoe, but I am considering adding them into rotation.  However, the guy sitting next to me liked them and ended up buying them after he saw me with them!