Brooks - Glycerin 22

Honestly it is impossible to answer this question for you. Everyone's feet are so wildly different. Main thing to do is to go to a proper running store that has all the good shoes of all the good brands and just try them on. You will immediately be able to rule out a lot of shoes just by the initial feel. Some stores will have a thing you can stand on to analyze the pressure on your feet and recommend shoes for you. Once you narrow it down to the ones that feel right, one of your decisions is mostly going to be how much cushion you want. And again, that's a pretty personal preference thing that won't matter that much to a beginner. In general, shoes with more cushion end up being bulkier and heavier (duh), so they're better for lower intensity long runs with lots of steps, where the cushion makes a difference. Shoes designed to run as fast as possible will often have less cushion to be lighter and not have you sink so much into each step. But even then, what is best for you depends a lot on your body's running mechanics. Anyway, as a beginner, you won't really be running super far OR super fast, so it really will mostly just be what is most comfortable to you in terms of cushion. By the time you've worn those shoes out in a year or so of running/walking 4-5 days a week, you will know enough about yourself to know what you want in a shoe. Personally, I started off with New Balance 880s because the new balance store had the foot analyzer thinger and I tried them, and they felt the best. They're also a middle of the road, everyday trainer type shoe with a medium amount of cushion, so very versatile. But after running in those for a year and getting a lot faster and running a lot farther, I started to realize what I didn't love about them. They'd rub me in a few places, they'd feel a bi too loose or too tight around the top lace sometimes, etc., and I struggled to get them to feel right when lacing up. And I wanted slightly more cushion. After about a year of running about 20Km per week, they were starting to feel flat, too. So I went to a running store with all the brands and settled on Brooks Glycerin 22s. They didn't have the issue with the uneven tightness of the upper to me. I didn't have to do a runners lock knot. They were a bit cushier. Ran in those for almost a year, then had my first half marathon coming up and figured the Brooks would be too worn out by the time that happened, so I went back to the running store to get a new pair so I'd have a fresher pair for the race. But I still tried on different shoes again. And as much as I liked the Brooks, and almost bought another pair, I tried on the Mizuno Wave Cloud 8s, which happened to be on sale, and which further showed me that there was still room for improvement. They felt just as cushy as the Brooks, but with just a BIT more firmness in the heel that felt more "right" to me than the brooks, lol. So trust me, you'll figure it out. And your feet might even change shape over years of running, so never feel bad trying different shoes.

I’m trying to figure out what shoes work for me. I’m (M, 29, 5’11, ~180) doing some general training. I’m mainly working toward a marathon in Feb but I will occasionally impulse sign up for shorter races/trail races.. My current main shoe is the Glycerin 22’s but I have knee pain after 8-10 miles every time. I retired the stealthfits after ~500 miles and don’t remember having issues. I recently bought the endorphin speed 5’s bc I thought I wanted some go-fasters..only going to wear them for speed work (<5k) bc I’m old now and need more cushion I guess. And I wear the zegamas on the trails. I mostly strike on the outside of my heel. Maybe I just have bad form? I want to start ramping up mileage, currently at 25-30 per week, but this knee pain will become an issue. Is there a shoe yall would recommend? Maybe with a smaller drop? Or a way I can find a good 20+ mile shoe without spending a thousand bucks? THANKS

Good call. I was doing more strength stuff back then. The weird thing for me was the stealthfit and the 22’s are basically the same shoe so I was confused!

I have the 22’s. Walking the heel feels loose, but running it is fine for me. Also, it fits me true to size. It’s not my favorite shoe. I like the 1080’s better, the asics glide ride max 2 better as well. The 22 is stable and well cushioned, but feels a bit stodgy. Like even bigger and heavier than it already is.

Brooks Glycerin 22 or 24, or Brooks Glycerin Max are great options Max more cusion and standard glycerin great balance of comfort and stability.

Brooks Glycerin 22 or 24, or Brooks Glycerin Max are great options Max more cusion and standard glycerin great balance of comfort and stability.

This is the truth. As someone who runs 'through' multiple pairs a year, you have to work at finding the best shoe that works for your running patterns. For a few years I would swear by the Brooks Glycerin shoes, but the 2024/2025 model seems to feel worse than they used to in the toe box. Some folks are big fans of Hoka, New Balance, Nike, Asics, but the truth is whatever fits best and doesn't kill your feet after a decent run. Don't be afraid to try new things, OP! Go get that fitting from the running store!

I know that Brooks do running shoes for wide feet and they’re very comfortable! I have an average foot and run in Brooks Glycerin 22. I like the extra cushion!

As a Gordita I can recommend the NB 1080v14 and Brooms Glycerin 22 - both have been really comfortable and helped me get back into, and improve my running. Don’t get joint or muscle fatigue/pain in either 👍

Yes! I had the same experience! I have the Brooks glycerine 20 and they have a thick cushion, but nothing like the new 22s. I felt like I was falling off the heels. I bought a pair of 21s to see how I feel about them, but I'm hoping the Hokization trend ends. I didn't buy Hokas last time because I don't like them. Don't turn my Brooks and Asics into Hokas!

Yes! I had the same experience! I have the Brooks glycerine 20 and they have a thick cushion, but nothing like the new 22s. I felt like I was falling off the heels. I bought a pair of 21s to see how I feel about them, but I'm hoping the Hokization trend ends. I didn't buy Hokas last time because I don't like them. Don't turn my Brooks and Asics into Hokas!

my glycerin 22 in 4E is more generous in fit than my nimbus 27 in 4E

Nimbus is a good one. brooks glycerin also comes in 4E and is possibly worth a look, I find the fit slightly better/generally wider than the nimbus If you really need to splay your toes/have a wide forefoot, the topos or the altras are going to be your best bet. be aware that topos have a relatively prominent arch support/bump - they absolutely batter my arches.

It could be just fine if you have higher arches, it's just something to be aware of, I'm pretty sensitive to arch pressure and mine are fairly middle of the road in height. I ran a bunch in the nimbus 27 and glycerin 22 this year, both are relegated to walking duty now. Lately I've been running mostly in the vomero plus in extra wide (fwiw my foot is 3E so I usually lean towards 4E shoes, the megablast and alphafly are basically the only exception in the shoes that I have, they fit well enough to handle for at least an hour and a half or so) - they're a pretty great shoe but less stable than a lot of the ones you listed.

I cannot wear the shoes with the built in rails and support - very uncomfortable. My go to shoes with flat feet that over-pronate are the Brooks glycerine 22’s, the novablast 5’s (help prevent shin splints for me), and the NB v14 1080’s. I also love the saucony triumph. For walking I like the OC Cloudtilt. NO INSERTS for me ever.

I think part of the design of something of the higher stack shoes like the Brooks glycerin and the NB 1080’s are that they sink the footbed deeper into the shoe and for me and my flat feet - it is a cushy stabilizer. I have noticed that the higher stack shoes where the soles have a lot of curve mid foot or any of the super shoes with carbon plates are very destabilizing and promote even more extreme over-pronation.