Trail Running Shoes

Posted by socalrunnergirl on March 7, 2006

Okay so Runner’s World this month has a reviews of some trail shoes. It’s worth checking out. I usually read my trail shoes reviews in trail runner, but I’ll take what I can get.

Personally I run in Nike trail shoes. I’ll tell you why. A while back I switched from Nike to Asics for running on the road. I just couldn’t find a shoes that worked quite right for me and the Asics Nimbus was wonderful – and got me through my first marathon.

However, I did start working a NikeWomen part time and of course get a substantial discount. I now run most of my miles on trails and Nike does carry some trail shoes. Whether they are good or not are up for debate I’m sure In my case I run a lot of miles and buying Nike will save me a lot of money. If the shoe fits – right?

I have 4 pair of Nike trail running shoes. I’ll talk about each of them if you are interested to add to your trail shoe review files.

Nike Air Max Assail – I’ve logged 46 miles in these shoes. They are quite a bit different from
other trail running shoes in that they have more cushioning. In the heel there is a max air unit which provides for the maximum amount of cushioning that Nike offers. They also seem to be very durable and lightweight. The toe box is roomy and traction is good. This shoe also comes from the ACG line. Becuase of all the extra cushioning I tend to use this shoe on runs where I’ll log 1 mile or more on the road.
Nike Air Zoom Kyotee – I’ve only ran 3 miles in this shoe as I just picked it up. I’ll admit I was first turned on by the appearance of this shoes. Isn’t that the thing with Nike anyway? Howver I was quickly impressed with the snug fit and seemingly suberb cushioning. It has air-sole
units in the heel and forefoot to help with that. I was also impressed with the traction. I ran hill repeats on a trail with these shoes and I could definitely feel the traction and no slippage on a hill that was fairly steep at point with some loose dirt. This shoe also provides pretty good support. I’m looking forward to taking it on some longer runs once I break it in for one more "shorter" runs. This shoe also feels like a road shoe yet has everything you would want in a trail shoes – a feature that may be appealing to new trail runners.
Nike Air Zoom Orizaba – Also from the ACG line. This is a very solid shoe that looks like a hi-tech trail shoes. It keeps out the debris with it’s snug fit and has a wonderful double locking
lace system. This system allows you to slip in and out of this shoe rather quickly as well as to be able to adjust the heel and forefoot fit individually. I’ve run about 43 miles on this shoe. it doesn’t have the cushioning that I’m used to, but despite that I rather enjoy it. My one problem with this otherwise excellent shoe is the tounge. I wear rather low socks and the tounge is very rigid. It cut into my foot on one of my longer runs which was not too comfortable. I need to keep that in mind whenever I go for a run in these.
Nike Air Zoom Steens – I’ve ran 55 miles in these shoes. My first ever pair of trail running shoes. They are very comfortable and provide a good level of support and cushioning in a
lightweight yet sturdy package. I’ve been favoring the Kyotte and Assail lately only because of the cushioning. If you are not looking for maximum cushioning this shoe is for you. It’s an excellent trail shoe and provides good protection from water and debris. I actually bought two pair of these shoes and I plan to use them both. They also seem sturdy enough to rack up 300+ miles.