Advice on shoe for forefoot striker

1) Why do you think you need more cushioning (ie. what injuries/pains do you deal with)?

2) How long have you been a forefoot striker?

Newton?

Male or female

weight

amount of weekly mileage

terrain

foot arch

are all huge factors in picking a shoe

Men's ASICS

GEL-Lyte33

Men's ASICS

GEL-Blur33 2.0

Men's ASICS

GEL-Speedstar 6

Men's Nike

Free 3.0 v4

Men's Brooks

PureConnect

Men's adidas

adiZero Aegis 2

Men's Etonic

RCS ELITE

Men's K-Swiss

Kwicky Blade-Light N

Men's Merrell

Road Glove

Men's Mizuno

Wave Precision 12

anything from Men's New Balance

Minimus

Men's Newton Running

Distance

Men's Saucony

Hattori

Men's Zoot

Kiawe

Some more info:

1. I think I need more cushioning since I am just feeling banged up all the time with minor injuries (knee and hip mostly) since trying some minimalist shoes. It's a strong gut feel that the cushion is lacking.

2. Female, 5'7 125, high arch, running on roads with rolling hills.

Thanks!

Brooks Pure Project line. Check which one in particular fits your fiot the best.

Women's ASICS

GEL-Nimbus 14

Women's Brooks

Glycerin 10

Women's Mizuno

Wave Creation 13

Women's Nike

Zoom Vomero+ 7

Unless you have a certain product line you prefer over another

+1 for the Pure line. Surprising amount of cushioning in a minimal performing package.

Pics?

Girlwithabadfoot wrote:

Some more info:

1. I think I need more cushioning since I am just feeling banged up all the time with minor injuries (knee and hip mostly) since trying some minimalist shoes. It's a strong gut feel that the cushion is lacking.

2. Female, 5'7 125, high arch, running on roads with rolling hills.

Thanks!

I am surprised no one has suggested the new Nike Pegasus. Just tried them for the first time after a long time Pegasus user in the 80's and find them very comfortable with nice large toe area, so no pressure up front and plenty of bounce without a lot of overkill. The Pegasus seems to have made a comeback in my opinion.

Girlwithabadfoot wrote:

Hello letsrunners. I was wondering if anyone had advice on a good shoe for a forefoot striker who underpronates and needs alot of cushioning. The minimal shoes are good for my footstrike but I find they don't provide the cushion I need. I have a narrow foot, a high arch and run moderate mileage (about 60mpw). Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

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I have sort of slammed the Nike Lunar series on these boards (with the exception of firmer ones like the LunarGlides) because they are too squishy for me (softer Lunars cause me problems due to too much motion, both in pronation and supination, and I never had supination problems before). Firmer midsoles have worked much better for me since then.

But, precisely from your description, the softer Lunars may be just for you. LunarRacers in particular; the main complaint against them has been that they are extremely narrow, but they would likely be a perfect fit for you. Very lightweight, and cushiony they definitely are.

You being a forefoot striker, they will not restrict your motion at all, and likely will encourage some pronation that you ordinarily would not have, which will help you for more natural shock absorption, in addition to that provided by the midsole.

They are easy to find online; and if you are very small or large size, you may be able to find models from a year or two ago for as little as 30 dollars. Look on Runningwarehouse.com, Zappos.com, and Eastbay.com.

Lower heel-to-toe drop is the best option for forefoot strikers. A lot of the options mentioned above are great styles and almost every company has a minimal style on the way. Even Mizuno has a zero drop shoe designed for forefoot/midfoot runners:

http://one50south.blogspot.com/2012/07/mizuno-zero-drop-running-shoes.html

http://one50south.blogspot.com/

cowboybob wrote:

I am surprised no one has suggested the new Nike Pegasus. Just tried them for the first time after a long time Pegasus user in the 80's and find them very comfortable with nice large toe area, so no pressure up front and plenty of bounce without a lot of overkill. The Pegasus seems to have made a comeback in my opinion.

Agreed, go with the Pegasus. I find that it is an adequately cushioned shoe, but also does not have an excessively built up heel that interferes with efficient form. Good shoe for forefoot/midfoot strikers that need some protection.

Toe to Heel drop of only 4mm, but plenty of cushioning. I'll never run in anything else. I can get 1000+ miles out of them and have no problems with them breaking down.

Girlwithabadfoot wrote:

Hello letsrunners. I was wondering if anyone had advice on a good shoe for a forefoot striker who underpronates and needs alot of cushioning. The minimal shoes are good for my footstrike but I find they don't provide the cushion I need. I have a narrow foot, a high arch and run moderate mileage (about 60mpw). Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

I think the following shoes would be worth trying on:

NB 890v2

NB 1080v2

Brooks PureFlow

Brooks PureConnect

Saucony Ride 5

Saucony Kinvara

Saucony Cortana

Newton Distance

Newton Gravity

Keep in mind that you don't need to go minimalist to be an efficient forefoot striker. A lower heel-toe drop will make it easier, but much harder on the calves/achilles. There are many "bulky" trainers that have good cushioning and work well. I am a forefoot/midfoot striker and wear the Lunarglide+4 given that I pronate. They do have a bit of a heel (10-11mm i think) but I learned forefoot using 7mm drop road flats. They put too much stress on my achilles, but I love the cushioning on my lunarglides. Try out the new Pegasus to see how they feel!