Looking at the cover of Runner's World March 2012, I was amazed to see in a small yellow square:
New and Improved Shoe Guide.
I immediately went to see this new guide. Their shoe tests seem a little better to me. In particular, they better indicate the width and the fit of the shoe with 3d maps of the shoes. They also added more comments on the models that they particularly liked, probably to counter the “reviews” that can be found for free on several blogs. The icing on the sundae, the Shoe Finder:
First, we notice that if someone was not sure to choose a more minimal shoe, he will not change his mind with this table: he is given 3 "chances" to save his life and to choose a traditional shoe. .
The resistance to change of this journal is incredible. We do not yet know beyond any doubt that more minimal shoes cause less injury, on the other hand I am convinced that to classify the shoes in “pronator” “neutral” and “motion-control” is absolutely useless (for more for explanations, see the following article: myth 4: controlling pronation).
Then they choose the shoes based on BMI. I know it's also ingrained that heavier runners should take more cushioned shoes, but I don't see why. More durable yes, more cushioned, I don't think.
As for the question “are you injury prone? I think the best advice you can give to someone who gets hurt often is: change something and take it easy. If a person is still injured in heavy shoes, let's try something more minimal. If someone is still injured in minimalist shoes, give them a little more cushioning. Give a cushion because someone gets hurt a lot, "it doesn't matter, men".
In summary, they added 3 minimalist shoes to their guide and then went out of their way not to send you in. Nice way to pretend to be open.
Hi Daniel,
You just knocked me off my chair… I hadn't seen this flowchart yet.
I am totally stunned because La Clinique Du Coureur has just made a flowchart to choose your running shoe that looks a bit like the visual of this one. As ours is based on currently known data, the conclusions are quite different!
Our organization chart will be published shortly and clinics and stores will be able to obtain it (poster type).
Thanks Dan for keeping us informed!
I have never relied on the advice of Runner's World when choosing my shoes. For over 10 years, I have been applying the basic advice found in your article "Myth 4: Controlling over pronation" to stay with the winning formula. I am fine with my Asics cumulus clouds in which I insert my orthotics, I buy this systematically, especially since it is a model that Asics keeps from year to year
Eh yes! Reading Runner's World Shoe Reviews is a growing culture shock for me. And this is one of the reasons why I did not renew my subscription to this magazine. By taking an interest in the various blogs on training, minimalism, biomechanics, (there are excellent references on the web, including your site!), I completely lost interest in this review. The March review is the last for me. Their ready-made recipes for finding a shoe, it's bogus!
And don't forget, above all, the excellent runner's clinic site!