How to choose my trail running shoes?

 How to choose my trail running shoes?

Finding the right sneakers is for some and for some a very complicated mission, a mission that becomes even more complex when one is new to the discipline. The process of choosing a trail running shoe, of course, is not exempt from this difficulty, not a few years ago, when the discipline was semi-unknown, nor now, when the world of mountain racing is gaining in popularity, diversity and technicality.

- How to choose my trail running shoes and products

The perfect shoes may not exist, but the right shoes do exist. As in everything in this life, we do not have an ABC to reach them but, fortunately, we have experts and runners hardened in a thousand battles that can help us not to trace the wrong path in our search for the long-suffering footwear that will take us along trails , peaks, slopes and ravines. Cristóbal Colón, podiatrist and CdM collaborator, and Juanan Ruiz, Ultra Trails runner and manager of the Tottrail store, advise us on this delicate task.

1. ADVICE YES, BUT EACH ONE IS EACH ONE

Each is from a mother and a father. Listen to the advice and feelings of other runners but do not assume them as your own. The preferences and tastes of other trailrunners do not necessarily have to suit you. Today we have more information than ever on this discipline, information of great value that can be of great help, but this is not mathematics: there are no perfect results or general laws; what may be good for one may be an ordeal for another. Advice yes, but, as our head podiatrist, Cristóbal Colón, says, “each one is each one”.

2. NEITHER DROWNED NOR UNTIED

This is a classic and as such cannot be left off the list. The shoes, neither fair nor dancing. Paying attention to the last is essential for a good fit. "The consistency of your foot –whether it is narrow or wide– with the last is very important to adapt to your fatigue partners," says Juanan Ruiz.

3. A SNEAKER FOR EVERY SITUATION

There is no perfect shoe but there is the right shoe. It is not the same to run 20 km than to do 60 km, it is not the same to run on grass, on a not very aggressive terrain, than to do it on a technical and stony terrain, it is not the same to train as to compete ... Is it necessary to continue? In the world of mountain racing we can find a great diversity of situations that require a diversity of solutions.

Therefore, it is important to have several models of shoes, one for each situation. While it is true that it involves a greater outlay, it is no less true that our performance in the race and our feet will thank us for it. Juanan Ruiz makes it clear to us: “the secret is to have a good closet”.

4. FASHIONS APART

Sometimes it is healthy –physically and psychologically– to forget about fashions, brands and images and really think about what is important: how much do we weigh? What type of footprint do we have? What is our running technique? The needs of each broker are different; We all need shoes, true, but we all have different physical conditions. It is necessary to adapt our purchase to those needs, because each one will be better off with a shoe with a specific drop and with a specific last. Columbus's advice on this matter is direct, blunt: "Don't eat 100% advertising."

5. THE NEW vs THE OLD

A sneaker review does not always mean higher quality. The new version of our favorite sneaker can break our schemes, that is, it may be totally different from what we knew. Because we like the first design, we don't necessarily have to like the new version, and vice versa. Anyway, it is clear, there are second parts that are good.

6. IN THE STORE

If you are new to this, the most sensible thing is that you let yourself be advised by the sales professional of the store. Squeeze him with the questions that arise and put him to the test. In addition, it is important that you put on the two feet of the model you have chosen in situ. Tie them well and walk or jog gently through the store because this is where the first sensations begin. Invest a little more time and do not stop trying half a number more and a half number less of your size, you already know that there are differences between the same size of two different brands.