Please talk to me about trail shoes!

[FetchezLaVache]

Hi all, I'm getting back into running after a few years' laziness break and I'd like to start racing again, but I've moved from an urban area to a much more rural one and the majority of the races in my new area are trails rather than road.

My questions:

1. Do I need trail shoes for all trail races, or only if the ground underfoot is particularly wet?

2. Can one run on roads in trail shoes, or only for a certain distance? I.e. what do you do if the race is partly on the road? And how do I break the shoes in if my normal training runs are mostly on the road?

3. Does one require gait analysis for trail shoes as one does for ordinary trainers?

Thanks in advance!

I love my trail shoes but mostly walk the dog in them all through the wet winter. I do run on trails and beach and they are fab but yes less cushioning on hard concrete. Not all trail shoes are the same I had some that I sent back as the plugs were just too flat with limited grip. I like my gortex ones as the toe box is water proof but the upper breathes good for damp grass but if your wading streams your have wet socks. I’ve got Solomon ones.

Yes you can run in road shoes but road shoes don't have a rock plate in the the fore/mid foot, so you could hurt your foot if you run on a stone etc..

Easily, most have great cushioning unless you go for specialist shoes, prolonged running on road would wear out the grippy sole quickly...

Trail shoes are almost all neutral, ie little support as the idea is they follow the contours of the trail, which support would limit, however, i ve found the Asics trail shoes have some support but still great off road...

I’d say trail shoes are worth it for most trail races, not just if wet and muddy

There are lots of types - some are better for rocky terrain, some for thick mud, etc. I’d go for something that will do all round but won’t be quite as good in more extreme conditions. Shoes meant for thick mud won’t be as good on the road but shoes for more mixed terrain will be fine. You can use them on the road too, but it will likely wear down the grips faster so worth avoiding most of the time except in races with bits of road etc

gait will often be quite different on a hilly trail. I’ve never bothered with gait analysis for trail shoes but have looked at foot shape… so eg I have narrow ankles but a wide toe box so like Altra and Topo. I like lots of things about it Salomon but on long races it’s just clear that they aren’t really the right shape for my feet

There are many types of trail shoe, from road to trail versions ( what I would use for a run from my house to the local woods), to full on fell running shoes with big studs and no cushioning or rocker plate ( for racing or mountain running. Then each different shoe brand suits particular foot types. Traditional gait analysis is pretty useless for off road running as each foot strike is different. My favourite brand are inov8 and Scott but you really need to go an independent running shop. I think starting off I would look at something labelled road to trail. The very studded off road shoes aren't at all comfy in hard surfaces and would a waste of money as they would wear down very quickly.

I could talk for a long time about running shoes 🤣 but here are my thoughts as briefly as possible.

Most summer trail runs are fine in road shoes

Trail shoes are uncomfortable on road, I would only consider using trails if the trail part will be very muddy or the road section is very short.

There's no need to buy expensive trail shoes - you don't need the cushioning and technical features that are of benefit on the road

There is a big difference between suitable trail shoes for summer running and winter running.

As a beginner, in summer, I'd go to your first few events in road shoes and see how you get on.

PS, I'm assuming you mean trail running not fell running

I also replace my laces with elastic triathlon style laces as I like the stretch they give but others may not.

Wow, thanks for the replies! That's really helpful, thanks so much all of you. I think I will turn up in road shoes for the first one - it's only 5k - and figure it out from there. It's definitely trail as opposed to fell. As gait analysis isn't needed I think I might take a chance and buy second-hand. Does one go up half a size as with road shoes?

I was going to comment but realised @Coasterspec said almost exactly what I was going to say!

I run 90% on trails yet do probably 90% of my runs in road shoes. My trail shoes only come out for proper fells, or bog, or mud. And yes, go up half a size like you would in road shoes. Unless you want very close fitting shoes for technical fells, but I don't think that's what you're after.

I go up more than half a size, but yes you want the same sort of fit as works for you in road shoes.

For this sort of thing (short trail runs in nice weather with a bit of road) I like an all-terrain shoe like the new balance 590. It's not particularly rugged, so not uncomfortable to run in on the roads, but stops you falling on your arse if the ground is a bit muddy. As a bonus, also quite good for running on roads if the weather is a bit icy.

I have some cheap trail shoes which are great if it’s all off road and fairly muddy (I run a lot of trails with my dog so get their use). They’re kind of hard on the road though so wouldn’t wear them for runs with sections of road unless very short.

im doing a mixed terrain 10k tomorrow and will wear my road shoes as it’s about 3/4 road to 1/4 trail and the weathers dry so they’ll be fine. I’d say road shoes will be fine for a 5k trail in good weather.

My "trail" running is mainly gritted paths and public footpaths through farmland with some connecting sections by road. Through the summer when the mud is firm I can mainly use road runners with a decent lug.
I tend to avoid those routes Nov-March when mud-season is a calf-killer.

So the trail shoes come out mainly after recent rains when the ground is softened, or on gritty trail in particularly grim weather.

My road runners typically last about 9m (I do 3 HMs per year so moderate milage)
I can get a few years out of trail shoes- generally when some part of the upper wears out.