Any shoe experts? Will it cause problems to take sock liners out?

I bought some Brooks Ghost 10s a while back, to rotate with my Mizuno Wave Riders. When I had my gait tested, these were the two shoes that fitted and felt best, with the Wave Riders feeling as if they weren't there at all. The Wave Riders fit perfectly but, unfortunately, I should have gone another half size up in the Brooks, a fact that didn't become apparent till I began the longer runs, when my toes begin to press the end of the shoe.

I've taken the sock liners out, and that gives me approximately another half size of room. It also makes the shoes feel a little springier and more responsive. I'm not fond of the ultra cushioned feel of the Ghosts, or the way they encourage me to heel strike. Will removing that extra inside padding cause problems with slipping and blistering over a distance. I don't want to start running with them like that and find it distorts the footbed of the shoe so that the sock liners don't sit properly if I put them back in.

Anybody else done this, or has knowledge of it? I've googled like mad but not come up with ANY useful info. I suppose I will have to put the shoes on eBay if this solution doesn't work, I paid the full price for them and am unlikely to get much back.

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

Personally I would go with the non blister option and see how you go.

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Do you mean leave the sock liners in? They make the shoes too short now Im doing half hour runs.

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Take them out I would say to prevent foot damage...

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Ah, thanks. I will run in them tomorrow and see. I really dont like them much, so have to make a decision about whether to keep them before they get too worn.

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Go careful as the insoles offer cushioning etc. It’s the lesser of two evils I’d say!!!

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Yes, Im coming to that conclusion myself. My daughter has the same problem with hers. Im coming round to the idea of cutting my losses and selling them on ebay. Im happily reading reviews on other road shoes and think I will go in to Up and Running on Saturday and discuss it with them. The trouble is that I needed to have run in the shoes for some weeks to see if they suited or not. I think Im going for a lower heel drop too. I walk around in bare feet or flat shoes most of the time, and the Ghosts feel too high. My trail shoes have an 8mm drop, and that’s really comfortable for me. In fact i wonder if it’s the 12mm drop on the Ghosts that’s causing the problem, pushing my feet forward. They are too marshmallowy for me too. I prefer te responsiveness of the Mizunos. Ah, well, thanks for your help anyway. X

[Bazza1234 Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

IMO 12mm drop running shoes have definitely been designed and aimed at heel strikers!!! There is absolutely no need for 12mm heels for fore/midfoot strikers and in fact would make a run more difficult for them.

[Hidden in reply to Bazza1234]

I agree, though my Mizunos are 12mm and I strike with my mid foot with those. The Ghosts really pose a problem for me, especially downhill (of which there are many)

[Uphill-downhill Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Mizunos wave 4's are lush, love mine 💚

[Hidden in reply to Uphill-downhill]

What is the heel drop on those?

[Uphill-downhill Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

They're wave Paradox 4's with a drop of 12. Fit really well in the same size 6 as my other shoes.

[Hidden in reply to Uphill-downhill]

I want to go lower than 12mm drop, though my Wave Riders are ok and very responsive

[Millsie-J]

Sorry i cant advise but what I can say is my latest trail Brooks are size 7. My Brook road shoes are a 6.5. My normal shoe size is a 5. Different makes and different models all fit differently so it is really worth trying them on before you buy.

Hope you can sort it.

[Hidden in reply to Millsie-J]

The point is I HAD tried them, when I had my gait tested. All the shoes I tried were 7 1/2 though I take a 7 in day to day shoes. They seemed to fit fine, but once Ive been running a while they are tight. I know they all fit differently. The Mizunos are true to size, giving me a bit extra when my feet swell. My trail shoes are an 8.

[Millsie-J in reply to Hidden]

In which case I would take them back.

[Hidden in reply to Millsie-J]

Unfortunately I got the Mizunos from them but not the Ghosts, which I bought online and have worn too much to return ☹️ Oh, well, my bad. I just wish they werent so darned expensive!

[Millsie-J in reply to Hidden]

Just a thought, are you wearing different socks? Some are thiner than others. As its colder out have you changed to thicker socks?

[Hidden in reply to Millsie-J]

No, I use monoskin socks all the time x

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Socks!!! V important as they may be too thick for the shoes ...

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Nope, monoskin socks, hillys, as thin as you can get. My compression socks are thin too.

[Rignold]

Brooks are always sized small. I personally wouldn't wear them without the liner as they are designed to be worn with it in and not for the foot to be in contact with the outer shell. I had this with a pair of Nanos and wrecked both the shoes and my heels in short order. If you want a lower heel drop I would ditch Brooks and go for Inov-8s to be honest.

[Hidden in reply to Rignold]

Thanks, that’s just the info I needed and confirms my worries about ditching the inners. Brooks do do some with a lower drop, but I think you are right, I will look at others. I will look at Inov 8s and also read up on what else is around. I like the responsivenss of the Mizunos, but the mid foot is a little stiff - but I do like the shoes a lot and will keep those,they are quite nippy.

[Hidden]

Thanks everyone. Sorry to sound so negative in my responses Millsie-J , you were trying to help x

[roseabi]

Hi, don't know if they've any left in your size, but I bloody love these rather minimal New Balances, I have four (4!) pairs of them! 4mm drop, plenty of toe box, cheap as chips:

sportsdirect.com/new-balanc...

On the other end of the price spectrum, I bought some zero drop Vivobarefoot shoes recently, and I tentatively love them too. Vivobarefoot offer a 100 day trial of their shoes, might be worth looking at...

[Hidden in reply to roseabi]

Thanks more to think about. Such fun! 😊😊😊

[roseabi in reply to Hidden]

I'm feeding your habit, aren't I

[Hidden in reply to roseabi]

Lol, I believe the term used by addiction agencies is enabling 😂

[davelinks Graduate10]

That's a shame! I had to go up 2 sizes in my Brooks which felt great as soon as I put them on and still feel good after many runs, just wish they made me faster though!😁

running.competitor.com/2015...

[Hidden in reply to davelinks]

Which ones did you get? I got the Launch 4 in a sale and hey were very responsive, but even a size 8 was too tight. I gave them to my daughter who takes a shoe size 6, and they fit her!

[davelinks Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Glycerin 14, feel nice & supple..

[Hidden in reply to davelinks]

wondered about those

[Hidden]

My trail shsoes are Asics and quite narrow, ut getting an 8 solved that and they are very comfortable.

[Millsie-J in reply to Hidden]

I was just so relieved to eventually find a pair that suited. Glad yours are good too.

[Hidden in reply to Millsie-J]

I was really pleased. I took a chance and ordered untried, but I knew I could send them back to amazon if they didnt fit. Luckily they did, i took them out for a wet, muddy run, and the rest is history...

[Slinkyminky Graduate10]

Im also having pretty much the same debate.

I went into running shop and had gait analysis and really liked 2 pairs, Brooks GTS and Saucony Omni

I love the Sauconys but can't seem to get on with the Brooks and they feel tight and wish I'd bought a size bigger. They also feel too stiff

I'm now debating selling the Brooks and buying another pair of Sauconys 🤔

So I totally understand your debate and if I were you I'd cut my losses and sell the Brooks and not chance wrecking your shoes or your feet because of how much they cost

And I need to take my own advice I think!

[Hidden in reply to Slinkyminky]

I think you are totally right. Im going to Oxford on Saturday and get my gait tested again. I really like the look of the On Cloud and On Cloudflow. I did try some on last time I went to Up and Running, but at the time I was in the wrong headspace and couldn’t concentrate, so came out with nothing. Brooks are too cushiony and tight for me, and I don't like the height of a lot of them. I run up and down hill a lot here, and the downhill bits in the Brooks are giving me pain under my big toe nails.

Running shoes are so personal, not just the fit but what you want from them. I’m a neutral runner, which gives me more choice I suppose, but it’s still hard to get what I want. Although Im concentrating on running slowly at the moment, I do like light and responsive type of shoe.

Yes, you should take your own advice, and we should both avoid Brooks ☹️

[Sinross Graduate10]

Hi! How long have you had them? I had them too but I was getting blisters as I needed more support. I took them back to up and running (I'd worn them a lot) and they exchanged them for me after doing the gait analysis again.

They said to go back again if the ones I exchanged them for gave me problems, but they've been fine. Brooks have a 90 days guarantee so I'd try that before selling them!

[Hidden in reply to Sinross]

I've only had them since October/November. Unfortunately i didn't get them from Up and running (though I got the Mizunos from them). I think they were from. Wiggle. I thought Brooks only honoured the 90 day return if you bought from them direct. It's my own fault they are the wrong size. Though we narrowed it down to those and the Mizunos when I had my gait tested, I didn't run on the treadmill with them as I was only buying one pair at the time and the Mizunos just felt right, so I didn't get to check if the space in them was adequate.

I have a neutral gait so no support issues, just the size

[Hidden in reply to Sinross]

Just checked. Brooks returns are 30 days.

[Sinross Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Up & Running honour the 90 day return, but if you didn't get them from there it's not going to help, sorry! It's such a shame when they don't work out. I loved mine until I got blisters, they were like wearing slippers.

I personally like my Brooks but love my Asics Gel. I've always had Asics until recently and I still say they're the best (for me)

[HeleneCorsa Graduate10]

I'm obviously no expert but I think you're best cutting your losses and ditching the Brooks as there is no point risking harm to your feet (or ankles, knees, hips...). Do find out if there is any way of exchanging or getting a refund though, you might be surprised. As you mentioned, you could always stick them on eBay and see if there are any takers, without having any particular expectations...

That said, I understand there is quite a thriving market among fetishists for used footwear, including running shoes...

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Absolutely. I'm going in to Up and running on Saturday and get something else, then stick the Brooks on eBay and hope a shoe fetishist takes a fancy to them. They are welcome to the colour! If i never see another pair of Diva Pink shoes it won't be too soon! I like pink as much as the next person, but I wish women had more colour choice. Even when there are other colours, stores often don't stock them, or they sell out.

[HeleneCorsa Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

This is true and leads me to wonder - is there a particular difference between men's and women's shoes, other than the size? That is, if you take a size that is available for both gender versions of the same model, is there any other difference? I can't see why they would be. I generally take a 39 in running shoes which is usually the smallest available for men, and I am drawn to the more sober (ok, boring) colours of the men's shoes.

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Mostly the difference seems to be only in weight and colour. However, i was looking at one of the Asics shoes that seemed to be possible for me, but there was a 3mm difference in heel drop between the men's and women's, with the men's being lower. The women's were 13mm, which is even higher than the Brooks, which I find too high for me, especially when running downhill when they try to tip me head over heels.

[roseabi in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Men's shoes are a bit wider, and you may find they are too loose round your heels. Worth trying though!

[Hidden in reply to roseabi]

Thanks