Normally, when someone runs, the outside heel of the foot makes the first contact with the ground. The heel then smoothly rolls in by about 15 degrees and the rest of the foot comes flat into contact with the ground. Then, the foot pushes off from the ground with all opposing pro lobbying act other gig the toes at the same time. As you run, your body makes contact with the ground and creates an impact of around 3 times your body weight. Because running is a very repetitive sport, running with uneven weight distribution will result in overuse injuries much faster.
If there was a poster child for stable neutral shoe, the Nimbus Lite 2 would certainly be a candidate thanks to its geometry. With a tremendously wide base throughout, it creates a boat-like landing zone that makes it very hard to cave one way or another, helping guide the runner forward through it’s rolling motion. It’s width is tremendous and may take a couple of runs to get used to, but once dialed in is a very solid trainer that can do most of your running in a week with ease. It runs relatively light and has a very dialed-in midfoot to help keep you connected. Plus, it’s their most sustainable shoe model in the Asics line which I suspect we’ll only see more of moving forward. This is a shoe that’s really unique in the stability world in that it can accommodate a wide range of runners who typically do not get on with posting or guidance.
That said, overpronation is often observed along with excessive pelvic tilt, knee ab/duction, and weak foot arch control. So fixing pronation without understanding the overall gait can do more harm than help the runner. For low arches, the ultimate stability shoes provide the maximum support needed. In this case, they are also called motion control shoes, and they have the most cushions to support the low arch. Stability shoes are typically worn for athletes, because they are lighter and more stable, and also more comfortable.
In some cases, the wearing on the heel occurs on the outer part while the wearing on the forefoot is in the inner part. That is still considered overpronation because heel strike commonly happens on the outer part of the heel. The wearing on the inside part of the shoe and less of the outer part indicates that the foot rolls excessively inside resulting in uneven wearing. Finlay has worked for Run4It since 2010 and has a degree in Applied Sport Science from Edinburgh University. When Finlay isn’t talking about running shoes, he enjoys training and racing. Having raced 12 Ironmans, including 2 Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii, he knows a thing or two about how to train and why the right kit matters.
Pronation is a consideration, but it is not the be all/end all in what we should be wearing as once was thought. Stiff materials that extend up above the level of the midsole along the medial side of the shoe at the arch and heel along the upper of the shoe can lend additional resistance to over-pronation. Basically, the way running shoes are sold doesn’t exactly correlate to injury prevention or comfort. A lot of time when we talk about stability we talk about posting or pronation, but there’s also guidance. With the On shoe there’s a deep midline groove that rides from the rear to the forefoot.
The truth is, there’s no proven method for telling you which shoes you should buy. The Flippr makes traditional sweeping obsolete, with its two-in-one brush and roll functions. It’s a shoe we recommend for patients often due to the rocker which helps with some guidance forward, to unload the Achilles, or help with first toe stiffness.
Yeah, and I think it’s a good principle, actually, every time we do something really big, race a marathon, do an ultra, run a 21 k really, really hard. Try on running shoes toward the end of the day when your foot is the most full. Runners who are flat-footed usually over-pronate (well, anyone…not just runners).
An efficient stability running shoe should be able to correct your pronation and alleviate any discomfort brought by the foot rolling inward. The listed qualities below help stability shoes achieve these goals. If you are a beginner, or if you don’t have any pain in walking or running, a stability running shoe is not absolutely necessary. You may find that neutral shoes are comfortable enough and can get you across Point A to Point B without problems. A stability shoe made for training runs, the Guide 14 from Saucony just gets the job done for us.
