I started with a shoemaker called Brooks who had a trader within the walled city of Chester. For three years I fraternised with Brooks' arsonal of models. I thought I found the right one but it wasn't perfect. I enjoyed it's support and cushioning but it was too heavy. Then I switched alliances to Mizuno because a family member worked on the inside. I started with Mizuno's racing flats called Mushas which were the perfect 5-10K shoe for over pronators. Mizuno decided to keep upgrading the Mushas with version 4 getting a narrower toe box which didn't suit me. Then eventually they got replaced with Mizuno Hitogamis. I went through, probably 20 pairs of the Wave Hitogami trainers trying to decide whether or not I liked them. I did like them but I knew that they were too narrow. Every now and again I would buy another pair of shoes on my quest for a shoe to support me on the flat roads I travelled on but to also be light and with a wide toe box and be near to a natural running form.
One of those purchases was the Altra Escalante. I've have two pairs of these. They are great for my fussy requirements but my history of running with the Mizuno's means I am finding it hard to adjust to the zero drop (how much taller the heel is than the forefoot). Another great feature of the Escalantes is that they have a super wide toe box. The first Altra shoemakers must have had me in mind when designing their trainers. Perfect for me but I need time to adjust and I may never get there (a zero drop runner). A couple of months ago I decided to purchase another pair of Mizuno Hitogamis as mine had worn out and I needed time to adjust to the Altra Escalantes. However I quickly realised Mizuno had stopped making them. And everyone but me must have realised and therefore bought up the old stock.
So I got got technical in finding my next trainer. I wanted it to be in between the Escalantes and the Hitogamis in terms of weight, heal drop, support and toe box width. I searched all over the lands and wrote comparison tables and... (actually I'm romanticising, I spent two hours staring at a screen www.runrepeat.com).
I came up with On Cloudflow. I've now ran about 100 miles in them and I love them. I may have completed my quest but I'm not 100% sure yet. I'll be sure after going through a couple of pairs, I don't like to jump to conclusions. My impressions of them so far are that they are responsive. They return a bit a energy, a small spring or stiffness which my beloved Hitogamis had in the Wave plate. The toe box is wide, and I hope On don't narrow it in later versions. In a perfect world I'd like the toe box to be even wider. The drop in the CloudFlows is 6mm, the Hitogamis were 9mm.
This article relates to my road running which is mostly done at around 6:40 per mile pace. Some faster some slower. I am on another quest to find trainers for different type of running: track, trail, cross country. I’m beginning to think that this quest will go on and on as ultimately my foot isn’t designed to have a trainer on it. Some would argue that the best way to run is barefoot and I would agree but I’ve tried it and it's too messy and cold and feels silly.
