Brooks PureCadence Review
I decided about a month ago to switch up my shoes. For me, this is a very risky move. Last year I did this and ended up with foot damage (stress fracture? Morton’s Neuroma? Either way, no running for 6 weeks), so I was understandably a little bit nervous about trying out a different shoe. At the same time, I really wanted to see if a new shoe would make me run faster or feel better. I love my Nike LunarGlides for long runs, but was starting to think (imagine?) that they were clunky and heavy for faster workouts.
My feet are a little weird. I have a mild pronation, but a lot of shoes make my arch ache, especially higher support shoes, weirdly enough. My foot problems last year were from using Kinvaras which are minimalist. I knew I didn’t want to go back to full minimalism, but was still interested in a slightly lower heel drop. I finally decided on the Brooks PureCadence.
Brand new box fresh shininess
From the website:
Lean construction fuses with a responsive fit in the PureCadence. For Guidance to Support runners, this shoe delivers more support through smart, streamlined features such as a wider Nav Band that’s locked in to the medial strike pod. A reinforced heel counter secures the foot and the internal PDRB helps prevent overpronation. The PureCadence gives runners who need more stability the chance to experience the feel of a natural foot strike with a lightweight, breathable shoe.
pasty leg view
I will only be using these shoes for tempos and speed works, and never for workouts longer than 7-8 miles. I’ve been running in them for a few weeks now, and here are my thoughts:
Pros:
- They feel amazing on – like walking on a spongy, springy surface, which also translates into a lighter feel when running. I wasn’t expecting this from a minimal shoe
- They feel fast. I cannot quantify this for sure, but I do feel as if my legs are turning over quickly in them
- They look really cool
- I really like the split toe technology. It’s on the sole, not the shoe upper.
Cons:
- They are hard to get on. It takes me some wriggling and the heel area to get the shoe fitting properly and not bunching down at the heel
- They feel quite hot on. Granted, it’s summer, but I noticed that my feet were hot on a couple of runs
- I have felt arch pain, particularly while wearing them with my Feetures socks. Those socks aggravate me a little as well, so the combination doesn’t work for me. This led to achy feet the next day which was a bummer.
- The tongue slides down towards the side of the shoe.
I like these shoes well enough, but the ache in the arches concerns me a little. I bought them from Road Runner Sports precisely for the reason that they allow 90 day returns on used shoes. I’m going to keep running in them for another month before I absolutely make up my mind, but right now they are 85% good shoes as long as I don’t wear them with my Feetures socks. But I couldn’t say that I’m ohmigod in love with them.
Has anyone else had any experiences with the Brooks Pure series?
