I’m slowly thinking of getting back to running, and in short my plan once up and running will be to do a sort of C25k again but with
- zero drop shoes
- but mixing it up between a few different shoes I own, to get a bit of change as well as slowly get acclimatised to lower drops and minimalists. This includes drawing from including my New Balance Hierro Foam (I think it’s a drop of 8mm); a very-low-cost-Aldi-but-great-feeling-shoe which I believe is also low drop but medium cushioned; and a low entry minimalist wide-toebox shoe which currently I’m using for rowing (Saguaro).
But I want to get a 0-drop show with medium or high cushioning to safeguard my metatarsal tension fractures which put me on the IC in the first place.
So I’ve been doing my research and have come to the conclusion that my chosen model should be:
Altra Lone Peak
The Altra Lone Peak 3 was more rigid, Altra Lone Peak 4 onwards seemed to balance cushioning and traction and flexibility just right, whilst still having a wide toe box and a zero drop. I do want to get an old version to safe money. (My New Balance Hierro Foam we’re new, and in the end I have wondered why it was those who were recommended to me, and my confidence in running shops has dropped a bit as a consequence. I love them, but after a lot of research I also know that the 8mm drop is not what you would usually recommend to Japanese ultra slow runners)
But I’ve never tried the Altra Lone Peak, and none of my closest shops have them.
The next shop that has them is more than a 2 hour car ride away, so I think I’ll need to order and be prepared to send back and Oder different size until it fits.
So question to all the HU buddies:
- any experience with the Altra Lone Peaks?
- if you are unable to get to a shop, how do you make sure you order the right sizes?
Any thoughts welcome!
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Hi have Altra lone peak 5 which are classed as trail . I use mine for walking or trail, never really tried to run in them, can’t help you on that part, Very comfortable and wide toe box which I need for bunions and nerve problems in feet. Never needed much breaking in, used them in house for a week or so to get used to them. They are very light, never had really bad weather to try if good on snow but reviews said good grip. I bought them online from Sportsshoes, I usually order 2 sizes to save postage and to see what fits, after doing research about wide fitting and reviews. I wear as well brooks ghost 13 wide, and my old ones new balance 1080v8 fresh foam with a heel raise underneath insole. Hope someone has else might have experience of running in them or other altras. 😊
The Ghost 12s are what I have but they are a 11 or 12mm drop. Interested to hear that higher drop shoes are not recommended for Japanese slow running. Can you say more? I wasn't aware of that.
So Japanese slow running, as it is forefoot running, should fall in this category.
There is actually the classic video of Tamaka where he introduces Japanese Slow Jogging and actually changes her shoe. He doesn’t talk about that in the video, but they do look like low drop shoes.
When I got my New Balance Hierro I wasn’t aware which drop they had, trusting the shop who I told about my Japanese slow running. I do love them (bouncy) but i did realise after some runs that I do have to consciously remember to forefoot or midfoot strike more than my other shoes.
I don’t know wether that’s good or bad. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that mixing it up is probably the best for me.
Hi, so I dont run with them but 2 running friends have tried (various) zero drop shoes. It seems from my perspective that the drop does take getting used too and it's important to build very slowly. More importantly the difference is cushioning. My friends are both quite tall and found the lack of cushioning to be not great. You can I believe find zero drop with more padding. It's a bit of a trial and error with that. I also dont know if it is good to do a lot of rotation with shoes and great difference in drop. Both my friends found them good to walk in. Good luck with your reseach!
Thank you. Yes, these have medium cushioning. There are also high cushioned 0-drop shoes but they are also less flexible. So I think it’s a trade off.
Trial and error definitely. I’m just hoping my research gives me a head start.
Rotating shoes seems to be a good thing, many runners suggest. Especially if you are in the process of getting used to lower drops or minimals, as you can start with shorter runs but still have a full weekly training schedule.
Thanks, good to know others have found them great to walk in. Hope I find some people who run in them as well! 😉
That's great and sounds like you've done your research. Sounds like the Altra are a good option then. Rotating shoes in general is good, just didnt know about 0s but I'm pleased you've looked into it. Looking forward to the report back!
I love my Lone Peak 5, they’re the first Altras I’ve ever owned and they are gorgeous. This is the pair that I bought after running round the shop in them wearing a cocktail dress after going to my son’s graduation ceremony, last summer 🤣The stack height is 25mm which is great for me as I can still feel the trail beneath my feet, so may not be enough for your achilles. I also didn’t need to wear them in much - though I did - as I wear Hokas as road shoes and they only have a 5mm drop.
I’m a 6.5 in regular shoes, and my Altras are a U.K. 7
Ahh interesting about shoe size difference. I wish online shoe shops would give a sure way of measuring your feet and matching to brands. But maybe that’s more complicated than I thought.
And yes, I don’t think I need a lot of support for my achilles nowadays, so these might be the perfect shoes for me, I hope.
🤣🤣🤣 we’d planned to go to the running shop the next day, but found ourselves literally driving past it after the ceremony, so after we’d parked the car we wandered down. 🤣🤣🤣
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Trying out new shoes ! 
