As a result of the transition I went through in 2013, I didn’t get to put decent mileage on as many shoes as I would have liked, but there are a few that have stuck out. Below are 5 road shoes that made an impression on me in 2013.

1. New Balance 1400 v2

I was wary of trying the NB 1400v2 since it has a higher drop than I usually prefer (9mm HTF), but rave reviews from friends forced me to break down and buy a pair. I was not disappointed! Soft heel, firm forefoot, and super light. And, the price is reasonable – they can typically be found for under $90. I’d rank them as my top shoe of the year due to the combo of performance and affordability. Read my full review of the NB 1400v2 here.

2. adidas Adios Boost

The Adios Boost is another shoe that I was skeptical of due to a higher than preferred drop, but like the NB 1400v2 it worked just fine for me. It also features a soft sole, firm, responsive forefoot, and glove-like fit. The Boost midsole material is bouncy under the heel, and retains its cushioning properties in sub-freezing temps, which is a huge plus for the shoe. The only negative on this one is price – at $140 it’s a much more expensive shoe than the similarly performing 1400v2, and I’m not sure if durability is that much better to warrant the higher price tag. Read my full review of the adidas Adios Boost here.

3. Newton Energy

I put a bunch of miles on the Newton Energy this past summer and enjoyed all of them. Like the two shoes above, the Energy has a soft heel and a firm forefoot (notice a pattern here?). The Energy also features the new 5-lug pattern under the forefoot, which makes this shoe more stable mediolaterally than 4-lug Newton shoes. One caveat on the Energy – the heel fit out of the box is sloppy due to the sockliner/insole being too thick. Either remove or swap out the sockliner for a thinner one and the shoe becomes a beauty! Read my full review of the Newton Energy here.

4. Saucony Virrata

The Virrata was my Spring marathon shoe and it performed well. Great cushioning for a zero drop shoe, particularly under the forefoot. This is one of the few zero drop shoes on the market that I would choose for a marathon length race, and the Virrata price tag is also reasonable at $89.99 MSRP. One Virrata caveat – the shoe fits a bit narrow in the forefoot, but going a half size up solved this for me. Read my full Saucony Virrata review here.

5. Pearl Izumi EM Road N1

This was a tough choice. I’m going with the Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 at #5 because it’s a very different shoe than the others on this list, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Unlike the other 4 shoes here, the PI N1 is a very firm shoe, but it rides very smooth. It’s a shoe that I wasn’t crazy about the first time I took it out, but it grew on me with each subsequent run. The upper is awesome – stretchy and accommodating, and the unusual sole architecture is reminiscent of the Skechers GoRun (the GoRun 2 was one of my top 5 last year). Very impressed with this one! Read my full Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 review here.

Honorable mentions among road shoes: Nike Free 3.0 v5, Mizuno Universe 5, Mizuno Cursoris, Asics Gel Lyte33 v2 (note since I’m sure I’ll be asked: I didn’t include the Skechers GoRun 3 since it came out late in the year and I have not reviewed it yet, it’ll be a candidate for 2014)

One last thing: I now have almost 500 submissions for my top shoes of 2013 reader poll, submit yours here if you have not already. I hope to have the votes tallied by the end of the week!

Every time I write something critical about a shoe there are people who get a bit offended – that’s OK, but remember this is my personal list and not an attempt to tell you that your favorite shoe is lousy! One of the things I love about runners is that they are passionate about what they put on their feet, so I apologize in advance if I hit a nerve :)

Here we go, my top 3 most disappointing running shoes of 2012, in descending order:

3. New Balance MT110

This one won’t come as a surprise to anyone who reads this blog regularly. I was a huge fan of the NB MT101. It was a great shoe – simple, perfect fit, just the right amount of softness and protection, and worked well both on roads and trails. I was very much looking forward the the release of the MT101’s sequel, the MT110. A lower-profile MT101-like shoe on an even roomier last sounded like heaven! However, I ran into trouble almost immediately with the MT110s. Upon putting them on I could feel a very pronounced buildup under the later midfoot and forefoot, and the shoes forced my feet to roll inward just standing in them. After several trail runs in the MT110’s, including a 10 miler on a rail trail near my workplace, I developed a case of posterior tibial tendinitis. From a biomechanical standpoint, post tib tendinitis could very well be linked to excessive eversion such as that caused by the slanted sole of this shoe since the tibialis posterior muscle is responsible for resisting eversion of the foot. I’d never had this problem in any other shoe, and haven’t had it again since shelving them.

On a positive note, New Balance is releasing a minor update to the MT110 that apparently shaves the lateral lugs down a bit to help correct this sole slant (seems I’m not the only one who had a problem with the sole geometry). With that fix, this could easily have been in my top 3 trail shoes of 2012 – here’s hoping they get it right!

2. Saucony Kinvara TR

I’ve never hidden my love for the Saucony Kinvara here on Runblogger. It’s one of my all time favorite shoes, and it has carried me through several of my most memorable races. Given this, I was really excited when I heard they would be making a trail version of the shoe. Unfortunately, my excitement turned to disappointment the moment I put them on my feet. Quite simply, this was not the Kinvara fit that I had come to love. Too loose in the midfoot, too tight in the forefoot, I made it through one run and put them on Ebay (I had purchased them myself – I never sell media samples, those go to friends or Soles for Souls). The Kinvara TR has a lot of potential – I liked the sole construction, they look great, and they tick most of my preferred spec check boxes (light, low drop, etc.), but unless the fit is dialed in I find it hard to call this shoe a Kinvara.

1. Nike Free 3.0 v4

I loved the original Nike Free 3.0. It was my first minimalist spectrum shoe, and led me down the path to less and less shoe. It had a wonderfully simple upper (though a tad narrow in fit), flexible sole, super light, etc. Unfortunately Nike seems to have degraded the Free 3.0 with each subsequent iteration. Several outsole pods on the v2 fell off my shoe after only a few runs, and I passed on v3. The v4 was the first substantial update to the Free 3.0, and I ordered a pair the moment they came out.

Unfortunately, the v4 is one of the worst shoes I’ve run in this year (read my more detailed thoughts on the Nike Free 3.0 v4 here). Fit is way off, and the upper feels like it’s made of vinyl – the Free 3.0 v4 one of the least breathable shoes I have ever run in. Nike seems more interested in catering to fashion rather than function with the Free shoes these days, and it’s a shame since this was such a ground-breaking line of footwear. Like the Kinvara TR, these went on Ebay after only a few runs (and sold for almost the purchase price, probably not to a runner).

There you have it, my 3 most disappointing running shoes of 2012!

Do you have any dud shoes you’d like to share? Feel free to do so in the comments!

1. Top Transitional Road Running Shoes of 2012
2. Top Barefoot-Style Road Running Shoes of 2012
2. Top Cushioned, Zero Drop Road Running Shoes of 2012
3. Top Hybrid Trail Running Shoes of 2012

As indicated by the title of this post, I’m going to tackle the transitional road shoes first. I use transitional as a catch-all category to describe shoes that range from about 1-8mm heel-forefoot drop. These are the shoes that I run in most, and this list is going to be the longest of the four (5 shoes vs. 3 for the others) since I’ve run in so darn many good shoes that fit here. Here goes:

5. New Balance RC1600

The RC1600 is a really solid racing/speed shoe even though it nears the upper end of my preference for heel-forefoot drop (8mm). It’s light, firm, and fits snugly without being constricting. I wish the sole had just a bit more pop, but I’ve enjoyed running in it and would consider it a top choice among higher drop racing flats.

Read my full New Balance RC1600 review here.

4. Saucony Kinvara 3

The Kinvara winds up on my list almost by default – it’s a shoe that has worked well for me for a long time, and the most recent update seemed to provide just a tad more volume in the forefoot, which was a nice addition. I don’t run in the Kinvara as much as I used to (in part because I haven’t trained for or run a marathon since Boston 2011), but this is still probably my most frequently suggested shoe when I’m asked for recommendations. 

Read my Saucony Kinvara 3 review here.

3. Skechers GoRun 2

Full disclosure here – I was involved in the wear testing process for the GoRun 2 and provided feedback that led to some direct changes to the design. Most everything that I didn’t like about initial iterations was changed, and thus this shoe is one that I’ve spent a lot of time with and it was tweaked to the point where I couldn’t think of any other negative thing to say (additional disclosure – aside from the shoes I receive, I do not get paid by Skechers or any other shoe company to provide feedback on footwear – it’s something I do because it’s incredibly fun to take part in the development process).

The original Skechers GoRun was a funny shoe in that it felt awful to stand in it due to the midsole being thickest under the arch, but once you got moving it felt pretty darned good. The GoRun 2 is updated with a less pronounced midfoot bump (it’s still there, but I can walk around in them all day now without discomfort), an even better upper (and I loved the original GoRun upper), and an optional insole. The fit and softness of the sole are very reminiscent of the Kinvara, and this is a shoe that I would very seriously consider for my next marathon (I like a softer sole for long distances). All around great shoe!

I haven’t published my Skechers GoRun 2 review yet as the shoe just came out, but you can read more about it on the Skechers website.

2. adidas Gazelle

The Gazelle is the “intermediate” shoe in the adidas adipure natural running line. At 6mm drop (it feels less) and 6oz the Gazelle is near my sweet spot in its key specs, and the shoe is insanely comfortable. I love the roomy forefoot as well as the stretchy, non-constrictive upper material (the forefoot of the Skechers GoRun 2 is made of a similar material). The sole has a slight softness on the run that is a good match for me. My only complaint is that the stitching attaching the adidas stripes to the upper rubs a bit, but other than that the Gazelle is near perfection in a running shoe.

Read my full adidas adipure Gazelle review here.

1. Saucony Grid Type A5

This one will come as no surprise to people who have followed this blog in 2012. The Grid Type A5 is a phenomenal shoe, and it carried me through hard training this summer and a half marathon PR in October. What I love about the A5 is its simplicity – lightweight, low drop (4mm), simple upper – nothing excessive in this shoe. It disappears on my feet and does everything I need a shoe to do. Simply fantastic. What’s more, in a market where racing flats seem to be more often priced in excess of $100, the A5 is a true bargain. The A6 is coming soon, hope they don’t change it too much!

Read my full Saucony Grid Type A5 review here.

Next up: Top 3 Barefoot-Style Running Shoes of 2012