I just recently purchased myself the ASICS RoadHawk FF which is a very light shoe compared to my Nike Shocks. I’m was curious how differently they would feel to the heavier shoes that I have gotten accustomed to.
When I was younger I use to work at a running store for 1 year where I learnt about the 3 types of runners.
Type 1: Pronation – The first type of foot strike is called Pronation. If you have ever been caught “flat-footed,” then you have been caught pronating. Pronation occurs when your arch flattens on your strike, causing your foot and ankle to roll inward. This causes stress on the ankles and can create shin splints and cause other lower leg issues. A quick way to tell if you over pronate is by checking how the soles of your shoes wear out. If they are worn out on the inside of the sole, then it is likely that you are a pronator.
Type 2: Neutral – A Neutral foot strike occurs when you neither over pronate nor supinate. It is when the foot strikes in an effective, efficient manner and typically leads to the least amount of injuries while running or walking.
Type 3: Supination – The third type of strike is called Supination. If you guessed it is the opposite of pronation, than you’re absolutely right. Supination is when, instead of being flat-footed, you have high arches. When your foot strikes the ground, much of the cushion of the foot is lost. The foot doesn’t flatten at all on impact, and there is little shock absorption. The affect is an outward roll and can cause plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, and other foot and leg injuries.
I always thought of myself as a Pronator and always gravitated to the heavier supportive shoe. The idea of purchasing a light shoe was very nerve racking to me. Not only am I spending the money on this shoe I was afraid that I would not be able to wear it or even injure myself running.
To my surprise this shoe actually gave me the support I needed to run but it also gave me that spring that the heavier shoes didn’t have. As I did my first 15k run with them they almost felt like they weren’t hitting the ground. They allowed my feet to roll though the run without forcing them to slap the ground with my forefoot. They were very comfortable and didn’t need any break-in time. I would totally recommend this shoe as a mid range running shoe. The price didn’t hurt my wallet too much, but the value I feel out weights it’s cost.
