Replacing old shoes

[nanila]

A few weeks back I had to stop running because I sprained my right ankle (mildly). It started feeling better last week so I went to the gym a couple of times and used the elliptical trainer, rowing machine and bike, but didn't run. Today I popped on my shoes and decided to try my usual pootle around the common. Because the terrain there is quite rough, I thereby discovered that my shoes are knackered. This may have contributed to my original injury.

I've been wearing the same type of neutral Brooks for quite a while now. (I don't overpronate.) The last time I went running shoe shopping, I bought multiple pairs because I really liked the shoe. This, however, was the last pair. The label is so worn that I can't even read it to remind me what type it was. In any case, it's quite clear to me that I need new shoes. I have a few questions that I was hoping some people on this comm could help me with.

1. Trail running shoes often seem to have black soles. I use the same pair of shoes for the gym and for running outside, and while my gym doesn't explicitly ban black-soled shoes, I suspect they prefer white-soled ones. If I choose trail running shoes, are there any white-soled options?
   
   
2. UK-based runners: Do you have a favourite online shop for shoes? Or a favourite actual shop that might have a branch in London or Cambridge?
   
   
3. I've always worn Brooks shoes. Do you have a preferred brand? Is there any reason I shouldn't be wearing Brooks?

Comments

[ilanarama]

All of my shoes, trail-running and road-running, have black soles.

Brooks shoes are fine. I sometimes use them.

[nanila]

Hm, OK. I think I might take the plunge and invest in two different pairs of running shoes. (This is a big step for me. :P)

Thanks for the reassurance!

[shadowkitty]

This place has always been good to me. Also there's a Sweatshop in Cambridge. They tend to be very helpful.

I always found Brooks to be very heavy shoes. Asics come up too high at the back for me - I can feel them grinding against my achilles. I have Mizuno at the moment, but everyone else with them seems to be developing plantar fasciitis so I should probably change, though I don't know to what. Unhelpful, I know!

I disagree. That was a very helpful comment.

[nanila]

Ooh, thank you for the web recommendation. Look at all those discounted shoes! I can get a pair of trail-running shoes and one for the gym with white soles without breaking the bank!

I have the same problem with Asics. Brooks have gotten lighter over the years, I think, although I agree that they're heavier than most others. I will avoid Mizunos.

[ell]

I have a pair of Brooks that I love/hate. I have odd shaped feet and had to get their narrow width which is slightly too narrow and gives me blisters on my pinky toe of my right foot. otherwise I love them. I used to run in Nike Air Pegasus but now after the Brooks (Defyance) and a pair of K-Swiss (Blade Light Run) the Nikes feel incredibly heavy and unresponsive and I don't like them anymore. Also, my knees no longer hurt with the K-Swiss shoes. But maybe that has more to do with my base-building plan than the shoes. Really, if the shoes are comfortable for you, then keep using them...

I have heard that trail shoes wear out faster if you use them on roads, but I don't know if that's true. I've never actually paid much attention to sole colour unless I'm on a sailboat, so I don't know the answer to that one.

[nanila]

Ooh, I have narrow feet too. I'll try on the newer Brooks model and K-Swiss shoes this weekend. Thank you for the recommendation!

I think I'm going to go for the two pairs of shoes option and just use the trail shoes for my outdoor training. That way I can keep using white-soled shoes at the gym and not worry about it.