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* '''[[Hoka Shoe Review| Hoka One One]].''' The Hoka shoes started the 'Minimum Drop, Maximum Cushioning' style of shoe. The Hokas generally use extremely soft foam, with a wide base to improve stability. Their soles are thicker than most shoes so they are quite heavy, though not as heavy as they look. Most of the Hokas do well on both asphalt and rocky trails. The Hokas provide remarkable protection from rough trail surfaces, and the thick, soft soles mold themselves around stones to provide more grip on rocky trails than you'd expect. Other than the sole, the Hoka is a poor design, with a remarkably tight toe box and they are typically rather inflexible.
* '''Altra'''. The two distinctive features of the Altra shoes are their zero drop and their shape which mirrors the shape of the human foot. Originally their shoes were quite minimalist with a thinner sole that was typically made of quite firm foam. More recently they have moved towards softer cushioning and the [[Maximalist]] style.
=How Long Will They Last?=
There are a lot of variables in how long a running shoe will last, involving both the runner and the shoe. You'll need to understand your running style to understand how long a shoe is likely to last for you.
* The running surface changes the rate of abrasion if that's the limiting factor. Rough concrete or asphalt will erode the shoe more quickly than a smooth surface or dirt.
* How much wear is too much also depends on the individual runner. Some runners may tolerate very little wear, but I know runners that can continue to run injury free in shoes that most people would consider destroyed.
==My Experiences with Shoe Life==
Since I started tracking my shoe life more accurately with [[MilestonePod]]s, I've found that there is far more wear on my shoes than I realized. With my [[Foot Strike]] the cushioning degrades so that the sole under the ball of my foot is quite a bit lower than the rest of the forefoot. I calculate that about 2mm of compression under the ball of the foot is like running on the camber of a standard road (~3°), which creates additional stresses and might be a cause of injury. In as little as 100 miles (160Km) I've had shoes compress by 4mm under the ball of my foot! Since I injured my meniscus I've found I can't tolerate shoes with that much wear, as this artificial camber irritates my knee. Prior to my knee injury I could get away with quite massively worn shoes, sometimes putting on as much as 3,000 miles (5,000 Km) before retiring them.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:ShoeWear1.JPG|none|thumb|x300px300px|This picture shoes the compression of the midsole that occurs under the ball of the foot.]]|- valign="top"|[[File:ShoeWear2.JPG|none|thumb|x300px300px|Here's a cross section through the same shoe, showing how much thinner the foam has become due to wear. (This is from a left shoe, so the ball of the foot is on the right of the slice.)]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Insole Wear and Foot Strike.jpg|none|thumb|300px|An insole where I've marked the area of compression, which is under the ball of my foot.]]
|}
=How Far Can I Run In That Shoe?=
Many shoe reviews talk about "this shoe is good up to half marathon", or some other distance. Such advice is based on the idea that many people find that as the distance increases, they want a little more cushioning to protect their feet from the pounding and to offset a little of the fatigue that sets in over time. However, because different runners want radically different levels of cushioning, generalized advice is unhelpful at best. Some runners may want a [[Maximalist]] shoe when they run a 5K, while others will run a 100 -mile race barefoot. There is no maximum distance that can be run in any given shoe; it depends on what you want. I compare cushioning levels provided by the shoes I review, but remember a thicker, firmer shoe would have the same cushioning rating as a thinner, softer shoe, but would feel rather different. =Shoe GalleryComparison Table=Images of the shoes reviewed on this site can be found in the [[Shoe Gallery]].{{:Shoes-table}}
=Shoe Modifications=
''Main article: [[Shoe Modifications]]''
[[File:ModifiedShoes.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Clockwise from the top: Nike Free 3.0 (early version) cut open more than most to form a 'running sandal', Saucony Hattori, NB Trail Minimus, Nike Free 3.0 and the [[Hoka Shoe Review|Hoka]].]]
With a few exceptions such as the Mizuno Curoris, I find that most shoes benefit from [[Shoe Modifications| cutting open the toe box]]. This allows the toes to spread out as you toe off, creating more natural biomechanics and preventing toe blisters.
=Shoe Gallery=
Images of the shoes reviewed on this site can be found in the [[Shoe Gallery]].
=Shoe Dissection =
''Main article: [[Shoe Dissection]]''
