Need advice on switching from Brooks Cascadia's to Altra

I’ve gone back and forth between Altras and a few other trailrunners, namely Cascadia, New Balance Leadville, and Inov8 Roclite.

I haven’t switched sizing for Altras, though I’ve only owned the Lone peak (1.5, 2.0, and most recently 4.0).

As for zero drop…take your initial mileage slowly if you’re new to it.  Also stretch the hamstrings, calves, Achilles, and plantar fascia thoroughly as you transition.

Hi Tim ,when I switched, to the Lone peak 3.0 mid’s, I did size up half a size it seemed to feel better when I carried weight and had a longer stride it wasn’t necessarily about toe length

take your initial mileage slowly if you’re new to it.

+1

After wearing Cascadias for three years with 10mm of drop, I switched to a 4mm drop shoe with lots of rocker (i.e. unsupported) under the heel – Hoka Speed Instincts. This sudden lack of support under the heel, in concert with other factors, led to Bakers Cysts in both knees. After healing up and trying those Hokas again, the symptoms returned immediately.

YMMV, but consider taking it slow and maybe use inserts to increase the drop if you have any signs of issues. I made a pair of heel inserts to increase the drop of a pair of Books Calderas and this has been working great this summer – 4mm drop to 9mm with the inserts, plus more heel padding too.

As far as the zero drop some dedicated running stores, like my local one, have 3mm foam heal pads. Overtime your walking actually flattens them out to paper thin so you naturally adapt to the zero drop. I have only found dedicated running stores to have these though, never bother to ask what they are actually called so I can see if they have them on line.

If you use aftermarket inserts, then you can easily make your own foam heel pads from stock shoe inserts that you have laying around the house. Just cut from the toe end of the stock inserts so it’s flat all the way around. Make them at least 3 inches long and grind them down to a gradual taper toward the front so you don’t notice the front edge under your feet. then stick them under your inserts of choice inside your shoe.

Lester, the point of these inserts is to help adapt to zero drop. They start by giving you a 3mm drop then, over time, get so smushed down that you are at zero drop. Your method certainly would work however if you wanted to eliminate, rather than adapt to, zero drop

Homemade heel pads do the same thing – the foam compresses over time, gradually reducing the drop.

I transitioned from the LS Wildcats to the Altra Lonepeak 3.5 after a bout with Achilles tendinitis.  Going to a zero drop was something I coordinated with my orthopedic clinic.

I transitioned by wearing the Altra one day around town on the first week, two days on week two, etc.

It took some getting used to and to get over the feeling like I was rocking back on my heels, but I was able to transition without injury.

Just a note.  I loved the older Cascadia’s.  Over time some combination of my feet and their design changed enough that they didn’t fit well anymore.  This spring I switched to the La Sportiva Akasha’s.  I’ve found these to be a surprisingly good replacement with plenty of room in the toebox (if you size them correctly — I am a 12 or 12.5 in Brooks and a 13 in these).  (Note that the toebox for many of LS’s other shoes are not nearly as roomy.)  They have a 6 mm heel/toe drop and might be a good transitional shoe to wear for 6 months before going to zero drop.  Downsides to the Akasha are a larger overall stack height and a large price tag.  Upside is that, for me, they fit better than the current model Cascadia’s or any of the Altra’s I tried.

Thank you all for your responses.

One note on the TIMP 1.5-which I just got last week. The heel counter on the TIMP offers almost no support-it’s very flexible. The trail shoes I am used to have a stiffer heel counter and offer much more support. I find the TIMPs a dream on flatish trails. It’s like walking on clouds. When I go up or down a trail or over rocks, my foot moves around and feels like I could roll an ankle from no support. Side walking a hill is horrible. I emailed Altra and asked if their Superior or Lone Peaks offer a stiffer heel section and they replied saying the TIMP is the least supportive in this area and to try a Superior which I will. But for not the TIMPs are going back-REI.

I really wish the large toe box would catch on to other shoe makers-we are ruining our feet shoving them into shoes that are too small. Take your insole out and step on it barefoot-for me all of my shoes force my foot into an unnatural shape and push the big and pinky tow towards each other. I want to give the Bedrock Cairn sandals a try for hiking for this reason.