I only run on days that end in a "y."

Hey DH, was it a tough transition from trainers to those Kinvaras? I'm a heel-striker and am used to the big clunky trainers and all that heel padding, but it looks (from your profile pic anyway) that you land heel-first as well. I've been thinking about trying a pair of those as I've heard good things and would love to be able to run a marathon in light shoes one day but I tend to get sore calves and achilles after using my A4's.

Hey Joe - so first off the picture of my stride was with 100m to go to the marathon finish and I was trying to run hard. I tend to revert to that stride when I am tired. Actually, though, I am more of a mid foot striker and it is something that I focus on when I am running. Running in the Kinvara's has helped a lot in that regard because the heel is so low. With traditional running shoes I would get maybe 200-300 miles out of them before the outside edge of the heel would start to wear off. I have over 400 miles on one pair of Kinvara's and the heel is starting to show some wear.

The shoes have some cushioning but it is not great. What I did when I started to wear them for long runs was put in cushioning insoles from RRS. I still wear the insoles for recovery runs. This allows me to keep the great feel and transition of the shoe but add a bit of cushioning. That is always an option as well.

I did not experience too much of a transition period. I remember being concerned about the lack of cushion at the beginning. Maybe 200-300 miles before I ran in them exclusively? If you are getting sore calves then you should build up slowly. Your legs will adapt over time. (Are you doing daily calf raises? That would help, too.)

Once you start running in them you won't want to run in anything else after a while. They are light, of course, and the energy return is awesome. I say give them a shot. You might still be able to find the I's out there and get a big discount as the II's are coming out now. I have read that there has not been any major updates.

Well, I hope this helps. I tend to meander a bit.

That is all good info, I appreciate it. I need to be doing calf raises anyway since I had that minor bout with achilles tendonitis last month so that is a good call. My trainers all seem to wear pretty evenly and actually look pretty good at 500 miles but I'm scared to use them any more after that.

I think I will give them a shot and work them in slowly. Most of what I've read says they are for mid-foot or forefoot strikers and I think the heel-strike is pretty ingrained in me by now but maybe if I used them on a regular basis instead of just for races and speed...

Anyway, thanks again for the info.

DH - You are relentless! Nice miles, I should try running more than once a day sometime, I assume that is a good way to get benefit of adding mileage without over training.

Joe - I saw those on Google for $59 from Foot Locker, and you can usually find a discount code. Maybe they weren't the same shoes though? I was tempted to get a pair, but always afraid to veer away from Adidas as they have always conformed to my feet so well. I just started doing toe raises on steps without any weight, I hold a stretch at the top & bottom for 2 seconds ... and it seems to have helped my achilles a lot.

David... nice as always, really doing well.

Joe- I love the kinvara, got almost 600 miles on mine. I will be buying more.