Hello everyone, today I want to discuss trail running shoes with you.
A bit a background story
This topic has always been complex for me because choosing shoes for trail running is much more complicated than for road running.
Why so?
First, to understand which shoes are right for you, you must try them outside on trails. With trail running shoes, you can’t just walk into the store, pick your favorites, run on the track inside the store, and then go trail running in them. Perhaps you are lucky, and you succeeded, but I never did. Choosing shoes for trail running has been the biggest challenge since my early days of mountain running.
Second, it is essential to understand that not all trails are the same, that for technical routes with a lot of rocks and steep descents, you need one type of shoes; for fire roads, you need another; for wet weather, you need a good sole so that you do not slip on rocks and roots. For long ultras, many people need something softer and wider; for short runs, it is better to choose a more snug-fitting shoe, even more likely a half size smaller than your road shoe size. Well-fitting pair of shoes will help you feel better when you touch the ground, reducing the chance of twisting your foot or hitting your foot on something. In thinner and tighter running shoes, contact with the ground is faster, the signal reaches the brain faster, and we know how to place our feet on the next step more quickly. Why doesn’t this work for long runs? It all depends on the runner; if the runner runs long and slow, then most likely, their feet may swell, and it is better to have some extra space or even another pair to change later during the race. I know some runners who usually bring two the same pair of shoes, but different sizes.
The surface and technicality of the route are key because if the trail is on a dusty fire road running, you may consider just using your road running pair, especially since they are often heavier than those for road running. And if there is mud during the rain, you need a sole that will not collect a kilogram of wet and heavy dirt, and if it rains and stones or roots, then you need a sole that does not slip.
There are a lot of nuances; if you are interested, I can make a detailed guide on choosing running shoes for trail running.
In the meantime, I want to talk about my recent experience with a new pair of shoes for trail running.
Most often, I prefer to run trails in road running shoes, not to say that there are no technical trails in Southern California, but rather more dusty, sandy ones, and in general, everything that I run perfectly runs in road shoes with a little grip. Sometimes I run technical trails, where there are a lot of rocks and steep descents; in this case, I have a couple of cool trail shoes in my collection, but we’ll talk about cool ones later, today I’ll tell you about the most unfortunate trail running shoes (after speedcross from Salomon khe khe )
I love trail shoes and tested many models and brands in my running life. Usually, if I don’t like something about shoes, it’s more subjective, but not this time.
Review Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3
I was in San Francisco not long ago and decided to go to the Arc’teryx store, where I saw Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3 sneakers. Very beautiful, and most importantly, with Vibram soles, the price was $165 without tax, which is generally acceptable, and I decided to give them a try. Looking ahead, do not trust companies that do not provide a trial period for shoes because it’s just a waste of money. Nike, Hoka, The Nord Face, and REI (for members) give a trial period, and you can return the shoes if they don’t fit you after a run or a couple of runs.
Let’s get back to our heroes Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3. Usually, my size is 7.5 US, and almost all my shoes come in this size. In Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3, size 7.5 U was too way big for me, and I had to take 6.5 US, which is very strange in general, as one of the girls in the store noted that they are very wide.
As I noticed, the anatomy of these shoes is absolutely terrible.
Their test run was in the High Sierra, 25 kilometers, with a wide range of different types of surfaces, including technical descents with rocks and soft descents where you can run fast. I had concerns that I might not wear new shoes for a long run, but to be honest, the last time I rubbed my feet was about ten years ago; there were a couple of lost nails in the races, but these were long or fast races. I never lost a nail before this moment on a training run. From the very beginning, I felt strange in them. Usually, I never twisted my foot on the trails, but during this run, I twisted my foot more than ten times, and each time was so painful. I couldn’t place my foot correctly; I didn’t feel the surface in them. The shoes were not just bulky; most importantly, my feet were not wrapped in the heel area; there is no proper collar in the heel area at all, so they are bulky inside but also do not hold the heel properly outside. The fact that the feet dangled inside led to cause the fact that I rubbed my toes and lost a nail on one of them. This model is constructed entirely wrong; they are also unbalanced, which leads to no control over how you put your foot during landing, which is very dangerous.
I always thought that my feet could be called wide; compared to other runners, I usually use wider models of shoes; I know that there are people with a very narrow heels, and it is even more difficult for them to find proper trail running shoes. So, despite my feet not being narrow, in this model, it seemed to me that they were the narrowest in the world. I can’t imagine what would happen if someone with narrow feet decided to run in these shoes. As a result, I suffered for the whole 25 kilometers; I ran very slowly, as my feet landing on the surface took longer than usual.
I like how these shoes look. I even wanted to buy myself a second pair until I tried them. The most disappointing thing is that they cannot be returned, customer support ignores my emails, but anyway, the company’s policy prohibits the return of used goods. Therefore, I can say that my experience has shown that this is probably the worst trail shoe I have ever tried. Don’t waste your money; better buy something you can try, and you have the option to return it if you don’t like it.
Live an Active Lifestyle 