Running Commentary

Admit it. Sometimes you buy a shoe not because it fits you best or works best for you, but because you like its look and colours. I know I do. The problem is sometimes the shoe doesn’t quite fit your foot very well. Sometimes, the fit is too far off and there is no way to make it work, but oftentimes, with some tweaks, it can be made to work well enough. Here, I will highlight some common fit complaints and suggest some remedies that may alleviate the problems. Tight Toebox There is a tendency for some shoes to have narrower toeboxes. This is mostly because aesthetically a shoe with a more pointed front looks nicer. Tight toeboxes can predispose us to a myriad of medical problems, e.g. hallux valgus, ingrown toenails, bunions; this is especially so if the shoes are worn for a prolonged period of time. (Incidentally, this is a huge gripe I have with women’s dress shoes.) One option is to fix the length of the laces at the first pair of eyelets loosely so as to completely ...

The Skechers GoRun 4 generated a lot of interest over the last few months, so I was quite excited to try it. This model took a while to hit the local stores so I ordered mine from the USA instead. I’ve had the shoe for about 3 months now so it’s finally time to crystallize my impressions. Size US9.5 Weight 220g/226g Stack Height: 23mm (Heel), 19mm (Forefoot) Upper The upper uses a sort of sublimated mesh material and lightweight overlays. When you examine the material up close, you actually find that the mesh uses is quite close-knit and you don’t actually see the ventilation pockets in the mesh that you often see with the uppers from other brands. There are very minimal overlays, and almost none covering the toebox. The result of this is an upper that is not super breathable, though I did not find the shoe to feel warmer than my other shoes, yet has a somewhat stretchy feel, that makes the toebox very comfortable by providing a snug fit without being restricti...