Brooks - Glycerin 18

i have 3! brooks glycerin 18, 21, and then a pair of new balance 1080s :) i only road run but i kind of wish i had trail runners… i just need to make it out to nearby trails more.

If you’re just starting out and mostly running for fun I would recommend something like a brooks glycerin, ghost, or adrenaline. They’re similar to each other but one is neutral, the others supportive. You can confirm which is which online. But either of those should feel like a great upgrade from what you’re currently using and should be a great all around running shoe to get started with, especially if you’re not able to get to a store like fit2run or fleet feet to do a analysis for you. They’re pretty great middle ground shoes in terms of tech bc they have a good amount of cushion, they’re not too stiff, not super heavy, no plate, etc. I’d try something like that or similar until you have been running for a bit longer so you can figure out what you prefer and then upgrade accordingly later on.

People can recommend shoes, but it might just be more waste of money. Shoes are not cheap. Best bet is go to a running shoe store and spend 20 minutes trying on shoes they recommend. I would do that and buy the pair there and then go online and find the previous year's model and buy that at a bigger discount. Stability with cushion would be something like Brooks Adrenaline or Glycerin or New Balance 860 or ASICS Gel-Kayano or Saucony Guide. If you are having foot pain custom insoles from a foot doctor would be the best bet. I had to do that after fracturing my foot twice.

Currently using a 2E waverider 28 from mizuno. They’re decent. I switched from my favorite pair that wore out, brooks glycerin after they changed the support as I need a more neutral step.

I have one pair of trail I use a couple times a year. I usually only wear one pair of road until I have an egregious number of miles on them (I’ve pushed two pairs to 700 miles). But I’ve been running more marathons and I like a fresh pair of shoes for each race, so I have one pair of hoka Clifton 8 that I don’t like that has 500 miles, a pair of Clifton 9 that has 370 miles from my spring marathon, and my current pair of Clifton 9 for my marathon next week that has about 100 miles. I also usually switch between Clifton and brooks glycerin, but Clifton’s have been serving me well for my PRs lately and I guess I’ve been hesitant to change (based on my last three pairs lol).

I love Brooks glycerin. Have seen me through a half marathon and loads of 10k races. I size up.

Use brooks restart and buy some glycerins, they should last you a while

Most important thing for the shoes isn’t the grip. You’re running on concrete. Make sure they’re cushioned. I ran in brooks glycerin

I’m currently running in either new balance fuel cell rebel v4 (6mm drop) or new balance 880 v14(8mm drop). Both are pretty wide at the toe box, though maybe not as much as say altra or the like, but plenty enough to remain comfortable through the run. I ran in brooks glycerins before the 880s and while comfy, so narrow at the toes and honestly too much cushion. I’ll say though, the 880s newest version, it’s less drop, but way more cushion, which I do not like or want. I’m not into maximalist cushion shoes at all. The fuel cells are perfect for my faster runs, whereas the 880s are the ones I like to use for high mileage runs.

I overpronate and tried the Kayano which didnt work for me (my PT just hurt). I switched to the Brooks Glycerin (neutral shoe) + insole. NEVER do stability+insole.