TurquoiseEyes
Cathlete
Hi everyone! My first created thread here! 
I've been adoring reading the forums, and y'all are so friendly, well-informed, positive, and hardworking. Very inspiring and motivating. I hope I'm asking my question in the right place. Let me know if it's not...
Saucony is my favorite brand of shoes. I've been considering going back to their Ride 6, Cohesion, or LE Echelon 2 for workouts. They are one of the few brands that make shoes excellent for underpronators like me without sacrificing lateral support, ankle stability, and proper heel shaping. I wear an 11 or 10.5B, depending upon the socks I wear. Their mesh uppers let my feet breathe during even the toughest routines. But their very extensive tread and the lack of any pivoting circle on the sole make working out on my wall-to-wall carpeted floors a nightmare. Once I got more advanced, I simply could not use them anymore. I was burning out my ankles and feet trying to turn on shoes NOT designed to turn. I do like the extra cushioning the carpet provides, but boy is it a hassle when trying to find a shoe possessing a smooth enough bottom to do workouts in without tripping over my own feet. We have a wider array of shoes available than ever before, yet as Cathe says, studio shoes aren't what they used to be. I couldn't do step aerobics with running shoes to save my soul. The Saucony's tread also caught on the non-slip surface of the step and made me fall onto my hands hard more than once. (The elf shoe-pointing-upward-tip of Saucony didn't help my cause, either.) It was holding back my progress back so much, I actually feared the step! I got so irked that I started working out barefoot a few months ago. I made enormous strides in step aerobics, quad strength, squat depth, and lunge range-of-motion, totally healing my lateral knee pain. However, barefoot training was bad for my Achilles and foot tendons. So I'm at a crossroads.
I've bought Rykas, K-Swiss, Avia, Asics...none are as good as Saucony for me overall. Better tread, yes, but little else to write home about. Ryka Downbeats were the closest I've found in terms of ankle support and flexibility, but their support level and toe shaping leaves a LOT to be desired. I've looked at literally hundreds of shoes online, reading dozens of reviews. I'm spending way too much money trying to find the right combo. Does anyone have suggestions based on adapting their own running shoes for working out on carpet and/or to better align with Cathe's highly varied workouts? I do cardio (floor and step) three times a week and weight-training the other three days. Is there something in existence that makes step and pivoting and hi-lo less treacherous? Maybe those new sock-like things created by Zumba, that people can slip over the ball of the foot area of running shoes would give me the best of both worlds? I worry about those sock things a bit because I'm thinking they might be too slippery on the step, or simply can't make up for the fact that I work out on carpet. I'm having to turn into a Philadelphia lawyer with this shoe thing!
Anyone want to start a shoe company for serious exercisers with me?
I've been adoring reading the forums, and y'all are so friendly, well-informed, positive, and hardworking. Very inspiring and motivating. I hope I'm asking my question in the right place. Let me know if it's not...Saucony is my favorite brand of shoes. I've been considering going back to their Ride 6, Cohesion, or LE Echelon 2 for workouts. They are one of the few brands that make shoes excellent for underpronators like me without sacrificing lateral support, ankle stability, and proper heel shaping. I wear an 11 or 10.5B, depending upon the socks I wear. Their mesh uppers let my feet breathe during even the toughest routines. But their very extensive tread and the lack of any pivoting circle on the sole make working out on my wall-to-wall carpeted floors a nightmare. Once I got more advanced, I simply could not use them anymore. I was burning out my ankles and feet trying to turn on shoes NOT designed to turn. I do like the extra cushioning the carpet provides, but boy is it a hassle when trying to find a shoe possessing a smooth enough bottom to do workouts in without tripping over my own feet. We have a wider array of shoes available than ever before, yet as Cathe says, studio shoes aren't what they used to be. I couldn't do step aerobics with running shoes to save my soul. The Saucony's tread also caught on the non-slip surface of the step and made me fall onto my hands hard more than once. (The elf shoe-pointing-upward-tip of Saucony didn't help my cause, either.) It was holding back my progress back so much, I actually feared the step! I got so irked that I started working out barefoot a few months ago. I made enormous strides in step aerobics, quad strength, squat depth, and lunge range-of-motion, totally healing my lateral knee pain. However, barefoot training was bad for my Achilles and foot tendons. So I'm at a crossroads.
I've bought Rykas, K-Swiss, Avia, Asics...none are as good as Saucony for me overall. Better tread, yes, but little else to write home about. Ryka Downbeats were the closest I've found in terms of ankle support and flexibility, but their support level and toe shaping leaves a LOT to be desired. I've looked at literally hundreds of shoes online, reading dozens of reviews. I'm spending way too much money trying to find the right combo. Does anyone have suggestions based on adapting their own running shoes for working out on carpet and/or to better align with Cathe's highly varied workouts? I do cardio (floor and step) three times a week and weight-training the other three days. Is there something in existence that makes step and pivoting and hi-lo less treacherous? Maybe those new sock-like things created by Zumba, that people can slip over the ball of the foot area of running shoes would give me the best of both worlds? I worry about those sock things a bit because I'm thinking they might be too slippery on the step, or simply can't make up for the fact that I work out on carpet. I'm having to turn into a Philadelphia lawyer with this shoe thing!
Anyone want to start a shoe company for serious exercisers with me?
