Recommend Trainers for Running on Grass?

SeamyH

Hi Guys,

I have recently taken up running every morning and I have to say I am really enjoying it, didn't think I would. There is a football pitch down the road from my house that I do laps of as the nearby track is locked in the mornings. The problem is lately since I upped the distance to 7km a morning I have been getting pains in my heels / ankles / achilles tendon during the day and have put it down to the fact that I don't have a proper pair of running shoes (just a very old pair of Penny's trainers that cost €7).

I have been looking aroung but there are so many different types. The terrain I run on is grass and the pitch is pretty flat all round. The new Nike Lunar Glide Plus look great but would they suit running on grass and are they water proof? I was also looking at the Pegasus +26 and the Air Zoomer Vomero for support / cushioning etc.

Any recommendations ?? - I have no real budget, I'm taking this running very seriously and want the best possible pair.

Rusty Cogs 08

Well if your taking it 'very seriously' then it's unlikely you'll allways be running on grass so I wouldn't be hung up on finding 'grass' specific shoes (not that I've ever heard of such a thing).

No one on here can recommend you a pair as we don't know your gait which is something you should get analysed in a specialist shop. They'll put you on a treadmill and record your stride for half a minute to determine what kind of footstrike you have. Decent shops will do this for free and then advise you on what particular shoes suit your needs.

Runways if you're in Dublin, if beyond the Pale I'm sure another poster could help.

cfitz

The problems you are having may or may not be due to the shoes you are wearing. Personally, I find grass a great surface for training on, so I wouldn't worry about the track being locked. However, if the surface around the pitches is bumpy this could be putting some extra strain on your ankles and heels - if new trainers don't provide relief, you could try doing some of your running on a smoother surface.

I like trainers that have a fairly low profile when running on grass. Asics DS Trainers are great, but maybe you should get something slightly bulkier to play it safe. Regardless, I'd recommend easing back a little bit until your ankles/heels feel fresh again rather than just expecting the new shoes to fix the problem.

SeamyH

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Rusty Cogs 08:
Well I am taking it very seriously but I plan on using the football pitch the whole time so it will be a grass terrain in the long term. I didn't realise shoes were assigned based on this gait analysis, I have contacted Ranways on Parnell St and arranged to have one done tomorrow.

cfitz:
The ankle / heel problem is not very bad and it tends to ease off in the late evening. Up until 3 weeks ago I hadn't done any serious running in about 4 or 5 years so I think it's a case of my legs / muscles getting a shock. I really need a new pair of runners though because the Penny's trainers I have are more like slippers than anything else.