Yesterday I went shoe shopping for my next pair of running shoes. I was looking for a shoe that would deliver performance on the road and off. Currently I'm running on the treadmill, since I live in an inhospitable land where being outside can often be fatal. When the weather improves however, I'll be running a 33/33/33 treadmill/road/trail mix. In all reality a regular running shoe would probably be my best choice, since I'm not on the trail all that much. My concern is that most regular running shoes are white, and it would take only a minute on the trail and they'd be ruined as far as appearance is concerned.
However I took into consideration the cushioning that my treadmill offers, and figured that it's surface is more like a trail than a road, and I decided I wanted a trail shoe.
So last night I came home with the Adidas Kanadia TR, which is a gorgeous trail runner. I really wanted to love this shoe. It had a really unique look to it, black with some well placed red flashes, and a super aggressive tread that looked tailor made for ice and snow. It was also really lightweight, which is always a plus. When I got it home however, I found that it was a little too rigid, with almost no cushioning. For a runner that would be exclusively used on trails this is ideal. You want a rigid sole to protect you from sharp rocks and tree roots and the like on the trail. The tread on this shoe was also great for flinging off mud and water in wet conditions, another must have on an exclusive trail runner. For my purposes it's a little too specialized though. The lack of cushioning would have me nursing injuries in my first week, and the tread was so aggressive that I was concerned for my treadmill belt. Today I took the shoes back, and it was heartbreaking because they were beautiful.
I'm buying these things to run in though, and to run in a lot, and I need a shoe that's going to do it all.
It turns out that finding a good hybrid trail and road runner is tricky. Then I found the Mizuno Ascend 2.
This shoe won the Editor's Choice award from Runner's World magazine, as well as enjoying favorable reviews in Outside and Running Times, among others. As soon as I slid my foot into the shoe, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. The cushioning is as good as any runner, and the heel gives great stability, which both can be tricky to find in a trail runner. Add to that the water resistant features, breathability and light weight and the shoe is a winner in every category but one...looks. I've got to admit, this is one of the ugliest shoes I've ever seen. But I'm happy with them. They're going to serve me well for a long time to come.
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5 comments:
You have awesome taste.!! Those running shoes are superb.
Don't suppose they were selling the Kanadia for women wherever you found yours (I'm assuming Sport Chek, since it seems to be the only store in Canada that actually carries this shoe... for men only, though). Although I already run in Mizuno Ascends & have done for 3 years, so maybe I don't need to bother trying this one on after all :)
Wouldn't you think running stores in Canada would WANT to carry a shoe called the "Kanadia"??
Let me know in a comment if possible.
Hi!
I honestly don't know if they sold the women's version or not unfortunately. You were bang on however, it was at Sport Chek.
I agree with you that it is a difficult shoe to find in Canada as well. I really wanted to love that shoe just for the patriotism of it!
Good luck in your search. And thanks for stopping by.
Beautiful pics on your blog by the way. You really captured the haunting feel of the forest on the highway from Calgary to Nelson.
If you're running exclusively on trails, I'd definitely recommend the Kanadia, incidentally. But for a mix of road and trail, stick to your Mizunos.
Thanks for the advice! I'll see if I can find any... might have to order a few sizes online and send back whatever doesn't fit! Glad you liked our (very very old) blog :)
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