Women's Brooks PureFlow

Comments about Womens Brooks pureflow Running Shoe:

I love the Pure Flows! I was skeptical at first as I had always worn the Adidas Supernova Glide but then they changed them and weren't fitting the way I like. I had a number of people recommend the Pure Flows and after reading the description that they are great for people with high arches which I have I thought I would give them a whirl. I was in love after the first mile. I love how light weight they are but still have great cushioning. These will be my go to shoes from now on.

Comments about Womens Brooks pureflow Running Shoe:

I am a natural forefoot runner. Then college coaches told me to heal strike. Then it took me 10 years to figure out why my IT bands wouldn't let me run more than 1mi at a time. I finally figured out that I needed to go back to forefoot running, but found it difficult to maintain propper form in 'normal' high heel running shoes. These are excellent for finding the right form. They have good cushioning in the forefoot (rather than all in the heel), so they allow for 'barefoot form' while giving enough cushioning to feel comfortable on pavement. I'm still not a mega distance runner but these have allowed me to comfortably get my mileage up to ~12mi/wk with mostly happy IT bands. I'm considering buying a second pair for wearing to work (I stand a lot of the day). They are Amazingly cushy for how light they are. I have read other reviews reporting that the shoe causes blisters near the toe - but I wear socks and size my running shoes a bit large so I have not had that issue. They do not have knobby high-traction soles - a little bit of rain/snow/slush on concrete and they lose grippiness.

Comments about Womens Brooks pureflow Running Shoe:

I am 5'2", 120 lbs, high arches with slight underpronation. I train about 15-20 miles per week on a combo of treadmill and sidewalk. My usual running shoe is the Ravenna, which I love, but can't get anymore because of the updates (Ravenna 2). I read about this shoe in Runner's World and then based on a chat with a Brooks employee, decided to give these a try.

They are extremely lightweight and I found the shoe itself to be pretty comfortable. Somehow they simulataneously felt like they were barely there yet also were providing cushion and support. Initially the elastic band around the arch felt strange to me, but I got used to it.

After a few short (less than 5 mile) runs, I took them out for a 10 miler and ran into problems. It became obvious when I got tired near the end of the run that the shoe wasn't stabilizing my left foot at all (I have a weak ankle). I was running on a cobblestone sidewalk and my ankle was just caving in all over the place. I was also getting real pain in my ankle and arch. The final straw was that the toes of my right foot were rubbed raw against the toebox.

I really wanted to love these because at first they felt so lightweight yet cushioned. But I just can't keep them because of the lack of stability. Guess I'll try my luck with Ravenna 2.