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Altra Duo

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File:Altra Duo-sole.jpg

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~~below~~ Below are some pictures of the Duo after it's picked up some small stones. The first 2 pictures are from a run along and asphalt Greenway, that has just a few patches of loose stones. The later pictures with the darker sole are after a 43-mile run along a gravel trail (the New River State Park in Virginia.) You can see the Duo was crammed full of small stones, so you're probably wondering why I wore the Duo on a gravel trail. Let me talk you through my reasoning. I didn't want to wear a thin road shoe, like my favorite [[Altra Solstice]] as it wouldn't provide enough of protection from the stones, but I didn't want to wear a full trail shoe like the [[Altra Timp]] as I didn't need that much protection, nor did I want that much weight. The Duo is firm enough to provide the protection I needed, and the raised patches provide good grip on the patches of mud and other slick surfaces. The Duo did accumulate stones very rapidly, but not enough to significantly increase the weight of the shoe or compromise the cushioning. (The stones added about 0.4oz in case you're wondering, like I was.) While I found I can cut open the toe box of a shoe and run on gravel surfaces without getting any stones into the holes, I do prefer leaving the toe box intact if I have the option. That really limits me to an Altra, or a tiny subset of other shoes that are designed to fit a healthy human foot. And I found the Duo to be quite comfortable for a 40+ mile run.

File:Altra Duo-Stones (2).jpg

* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Duo has no noticeable heel counter.

=Update After 210 Miles=

I've come to quite enjoy running in the Duo, far more than I expected, and it's one of my preferred shoes for speed work.

File:Altra Duo 210 miles (1).jpg

File:Altra Duo 210 miles (2).jpg

File:Altra Duo 210 miles (3).jpg

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* As is usual with running shoes, the Duo has softened a little over the miles as the foam becomes more compliant. I rather like this, but it's still a reasonably firm shoe. There's a hint of non-linearity in the cushioning I've noticed; the initial contact is relatively soft, and then as you land the cushioning firms up. Part of this is due to the "egg crate effect" of the sole and part due to the rather soft insole, but it seems to have become more noticeable over time.

* As you'd expect, the outsole has worn quite a bit as the contact patch is much smaller than you'd get on a shoe with a flat sole. I'm generally quite gentle on my shoes, and I've got quite a bit of wear on the outsole after just 210 miles.

* The more rapid wear on the outsole exacerbates the compression of the midsole foam, making the forefoot uneven and twisting the foot towards the midline slightly. At this mileage, the effect is not a problem, and I'd estimate the area under the ball of the foot is only 2-3mm lower. This is partly because the insole has only compressed a tiny fraction. Most insoles are as durable as milk chocolate on a hot day, so this is a noteworthy difference.

* The gaps in the outsole continue to be a magnet for small stones, and prying them out is quite tedious, requiring a tool such as a flat head screwdriver.

* You'll notice on the pictures that there's quite a bit of wear on the outside rear of the heel, which occurs on only a subset of shoes I run in. I don't generally heel-strike, and my current guess is that the heel is scraping slightly before landing. The Duo doesn't grip my heel in the way most shoes do, so it's possible it's dropping away from my foot slightly.

* The Duo has fairly good grip on wet surfaces, especially if there's a little mud on the ground. This is much better than I've found in a flat soled shoe like the [[Altra Solstice]].

=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=

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Altra Duo

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