Changes

Running shoes frequently surprise me, and normally not in a good way. The Solstice is that rare exception when I have low expectations but find myself pleasantly surprised. [[Altra ]] market the Solstice for "everyday wear or shorter road races", and they seem to think of it as an "entry level" shoe. My initial impressions were suitably underwhelming, as the Solstice is not terribly light, or unusually well cushioned, and it doesn't have any remarkable features. Nothing remarkable that is, until I started putting some miles on them, and discovered just how much my feet liked them. Unlike some shoes, where I have to push myself to put the miles in with them, I found myself automatically reaching for the Solstice. And when I tested other shoes, I found myself missing the Solstice. While the solstice is not ultralight like the long gone [[New Balance RC5000‏‎]], or massively cushioned like the [[Hoka Clifton]], or amazingly fast like the [[Nike Vaporfly 4%]], it is remarkably comfortable. Like all [[Altra ]] shoes, it's near zero drop, and has an outline shape that matches a healthy human foot. Unlike most [[Altra ]] shoes, the Solstice has a reasonable amount of headroom for the toes, allowing for a more natural foot movement. I was surprised to find myself packing of the Solstice for a vacation instead of my venerable [[Nike Zoom Streak LT 3]], which have been my companion on every vacation for the last few years. I'm rating the Solstice as "Highly Recommended", and I hope you enjoy your running in them as much as I am. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}

* {{H:flexibility}}. While the Solstice is moderately flexible and quite springy, though I don't doubt if there's any performance benefit to be had.* {{H:outsole}}. There's only a small patch of harder rubber outsole on the back outer edge of the heel, with virtually all of the soft midsole foam exposed. I found the solstice lasted far longer than I might have expected (see below for details.) There are no outsole lugs, or sticky rubber to improve grip, but I found the exposed midsole was pretty good on asphalt or other hard surfaces. On slippery surfaces, such as a thin layer of wet mud, there is very little grip, so use caution.* {{H:shape}}. Altra shoes are some of the few that attempt to actually fit the human foot. The Solstice does a great job of fitting the outline of the human foot, and like unlike some other Altra shoes there's a little headroom for your toes. In fact, there's enough headroom that I didn't feel the urge to cut open the toe box.<br/> [[File:Shoes For Humans2.png|center|thumb|300px|.]]* {{H:upper}}. The upper is unpadded except for a tiny bit around the ankle opening. The upper is inflexible, rather than a last dictatedelasticated, something I prefer. I find the elasticated upper puts continual pressure on my feet that causes a little discomfort. If I compare the Solstice to the [[Altra Vanish-R]], I found the Solstice to be a lot more comfortable. * {{H:tongue}}. The Solstice has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces. There's a bit of padding towards the back half, but not much. The laces are closely spaced, so most runners shouldn't have issues with pain across the top of the foot unless you're quite sensitive.