I have taken recently to running in rougher terrain. So far, I have been using my regular road work shoes. Anyone have an opinion on specialized trail running shoes? Are they worth spending the extra money?

I just noticed the request for shoe reviewers. Are the results pending?

Hey Evan, that shoe test was over 6+ months ago. What gives?

The subject was hotly debated last year (and probably through into this year). It's still here, on this forum, entilted Shoes (that's creative).

And as Mike points out, that shoe reviewer request was a long time ago (I was still running for real back then).

hahahaha now youre struggling to walk!!!
hows the recovery, by the way?

As always for shoes, the best ones are the ones that work for you.

Yes for me trail shoes are worth owning, but so far I would rather walk or run anywhere in my trail shoes because I like them that much over all the other shoes I have tried. What do I wear? Montrail Vitesse. I am on my second pair. These shoes fit me absolutely perfectly, and have the right amount of cushion over the greatest range of surfaces. Despite their looks the Vitese is the “coolest “shoes I have worn, IE my feet do not get hot in them. Gripes? They don’t have the best traction of the shoes I have worn. I have a pair of New Balance 805s have much better traction. I have worn different shoes over the years. Before I discovered Montrail I had a pair of Nikes they I loved. When they were worn out I replaced them with a new model which I have had little success despite the fact that I thought all the changes were great in the store.

I am always looking for better shoes to wear on the road for the several times a year I do a benefit run. Right now my road shoes are Asics. Running on the road always causes me some pain. As a matter of fact running on any regular flat surface cause me problems. I ran a ¼mi last night on a rubber track at the beginning of my regular run. I felt a lot better when I reached the hard packed dirt road leading to the woods.

For me it’s not extra money. My trail shoes are the shoes I like and generally wear. My road shoes are the extras. I would and have purchase Montrails online if beneficial to me. I am that confident in what they produce, I can wear even if/when they make changes.

hahahaha now youre struggling to walk!!!
hows the recovery, by the way?

Hahahaha - good enough that I can lift my foot high enough to lodge my boot up your butt, buddy! Thanks for the concern.

I'm running again - sortakinda - it actually helps to push WeeVee around in his stroller as I can lean on it when I get tired.

Thanks MH. I find Aisics worh the best for me for road running. It's all in the width for me. They seem to be wider and I have never blown a pair out like I frequently did with Nikes. I'll wait and have a look at what the reviewers say before I rush into anything. Wider is certainly better for me.

Thanks. I missed it on the search I did the other day. The thread seemed to morph into a shod v. unshod debate and like all other topics here, there was no shortage of opinions.

The thread seemed to morph into a shod v. unshod debate and like all other topics here, there was no shortage of opinions.

What? An opinionated barefoot runner? On Gunks.com? No way...

I've run trails in road shoes and trail shoes, from very early leather clunkers through cross-country flats (they lasted me all of three races before they disintegrated, I think) to fancy gore-tex stuff. It's very subjective what works and what doesn't, and it also depends a lot on what kinds of trails you'll be running.

FWIW I probably wouldn't go with gore-tex again (if you step in anything deep enough to go over the top of the shoes you'll get wet feet anyway). They are, however, warmer than regular shoes, which makes them nice for winter running (and they do keep your feet a lot drier in snow).

The more aggressive tread patterns found on a lot of trail shoes are fine in mud but I've found that some can be more hazardous on wet rocky trails. One thing I've found helps is some kind of stiffening plate in the soles - trails with sharp rocks or pebbles tend to chew my feet up, and it's nice to have that extra layer of protection.

I'm sure there's more and if I can think of anything else I'll add it.