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Best zero-drop or low drop shoes for pronators?

KeaneRichards
Joined: 22 Oct 2021
Posts: 1
Alaska, United States
Posted: Fri 22 Oct 2021 09:26 pm GMT   topTop
Hey folks, I am a marathon-distance trail runner in Nome, AK. I have had issues ever since I started running with shin-splint like pain (medial tibia, right below the main bulk of calf muscle down to the ankle, just inside where the bone seems to meet the calf). I have also mitigated this pain by running uphill to start. When I start running uphill & continue for a distance (miles), I almost never have pain. On flat ground, the pain starts quickly until my muscles are loose (maybe 5-8 miles). I use superfeet green insoles, which have helped. I prefer to use zero-drop shoes (they change the form of my running in a positive way), but I have used La Sportiva trail running shoes for extra stability on the tundra, and they seem to do better in preventing the shin splint pain, though I dislike how they place the bulk of the impact on flat front towards the back of the foot instead of midfoot. My thought is that my pain is likely due to overpronation and that I need a shoe with more rigidity, but that is also zero or low drop. Is there such a thing? Am I on the right track in thinking this is likely the cause of the pain? The only other things that seem to limit the pain is exercising my upper legs extensively before running, but it does not prevent it completely. This is years in and I'm frustrated with feeling like the rest of my body can go for over a marathon distance, while my calves / shins cannot. Thus far, I've ran three tough trail marathons in Fairbanks, two in under four hours and I'm looking to train for 3:30 in the next. Having running be painless is going to be essential for wanting to get out and run this winter when it's blowing snow and 0 degrees! Thanks for any advice.