![]() While not giving me a true barefoot feel, they are as close as I can imagine in a running shoe (I haven’t tried the Evo) and they seem to relieve some of the achilles stress. The tongue has a couple of elastic strips to hold it in place. I got a blister on my heel the first time I ran in them, but switching from cotton socks to moisture wicking socks fixed that. There are a couple of little padded “hydrators” on each side of the heel pod that give a firm but cushioned fit. ![]() I found the surface under the insole very hard and recommend keeping them in. It can easily be removed and I tried running without it once. The A4s don’t have much of an arch support(which I like a lot), just a thin insole that is not glued to the shoe and. Inside the shoe there is a very thin backing to the mesh upper. There is also an ultra thin lining, elastic tongue holders and “hydrators” pad the heel. The insoles are not glued in and are easily removed. (Endless carries men’s and women’s here.) ![]() I found that the Sauconys have a smaller heel-to-toe drop, less cushion, and cost less. ![]() Initially, I was leaning toward the Mizuno Wave Universe 3, but after talking with Greg at DailyMile, who likes alternating runs with his Bikilas and the Saucony Grid Type A4s, I decided to give them a closer look. Also, I was hoping some very slight cushioning of the heel would help with my achilles problem.Īfter reading about Edward Edmond’s use of racing flats in his training, I looked at the specs of various racing flats and narrowed it down to a few possibilities. I looked for something lightweight, with a small heel-to-toe drop and low profile that would allow me to maintain my forefoot strike. So, what follows is my search for a shoe that I could alternate with my Bikilas to relieve some of the stress on my achilles tendon… Saucony Grid Type A4 However, due to either pushing myself too hard lately or perhaps the inherent frailty of my middle aged body, I have developed a mild case of achilles tendonitis. All went well for the first couple of months and my perfectly fitting Bikilas are just great. Starting out, I focused on taking it slow and developing a proper forefoot strike. These days, when I run “barefoot” in Five Fingers Bikilas I don’t have these problems and running is fun again. I had tried running on and off through the years, but was an old school heel striker and always gave up due to back and knee pain. I learned about barefoot running here on Birthday Shoes and I decided to give it a try. We were a bit surprised at the price tag of the Type A, which will suffer in durability due to its lack of Sauconys traditional Grid cushioning system or any of its higher-quality midsole foams.Back in April, I started running consistently after about, uh, a 30 year layoff. The result is a heel-to-toe transition that wont feel too unfamiliar to most runners. Unlike many racing designs, however, the Type As midsole has not been significantly thinned to further reduce weight and improve flexibility, and the shoe includes a slightly protective midfoot shank. Underfoot drainage holes permit water to escape. Most support overlays are light plastic welds, which keep the interior mostly seam-free and tolerant of sockless racing. The shoe has a minimal outersole in the forefoot to save weight and promote flexibility. Most of the Type As features are decidedly racing oriented. Confusing, yes, but apt when put in context. Saucony describes the Type A as a performance trainer designed for race day. ![]()
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