New 2021 Running Shoes, Part 1:
I looked into new running shoes the other day. The change was triggered when I bought a pair of Walgreens Sport Gel running insoles. After trimming with scissors, the insoles easily fit inside my Skechers slip-on sneakers. Unfortunately, it made the shoes extremely tight & cramped, so much so that I was no longer able to wear socks.
Even with the cramped fit, I was able to get through a 20-minute run on Monday. The air cushion of the insole made the ground feel a lot more bouncy, which was nice. The shallower feel of the Skechers certainly felt strange; throughout the run, my heel felt like it was slipping out at times. There was also the issue of sweating. By the end of the run my feet were quite damp.
When I mentioned these findings to my dad, he was nice enough to let me take over the Salomon Odyssey Pro hiking shoes he had bought from REI last year. The insole fit inside the Salomon without any modifications.
Despite the Salomons being a lot larger (size 9.5 vs 8 wide), the Walgreens Sport Gel insoles made things cramped + shallow as well. Next, I tried a pair of Merrell Barefoot running shoes (also size 9.5). Having the insole inside the Merrells did not feel cramped, but the heels still felt shallow.
