These running shoes are so good they turned me into a runner

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I've never liked running. Even when I was younger and a competitive swimmer, my to the lowest degree favorite physical activity was running. I had to run multiple miles some days and it was agony, both physically and mentally. Running had a listen-numbing effect on me. As a person who has struggled with attention issues his entire life and only recently received medication to address that, performing a "boring" action was not something I wanted to do.

But now equally I approach 30, I've begun to want more than accomplishments under my chugalug. 1 of those is running a 5K. And then one chilly spring morning time, I put on my best shoes, loaded up a couch to 5K program and set out. I barely fabricated it dwelling house.

Enough fourth dimension had passed since my youth that I'd forgotten all well-nigh shin splints, but boy did my body remind me. I used to be into bodybuilding, but a knee joint injury and depression put me out of the gym for a few years, so I wasn't in the best shape when I started this 5K journey. I'm not a small person even at my all-time physique — and my knee joint never recovered from its injury because I couldn't ever afford surgery or time off from work.

altra torrin 4.5 leaning against concrete stair — (Paradigm credit: Tom'south Guide)

Even so, I'm a stubborn guy, ane who goes from 0-100 in a heartbeat. My wife likes to joke that I don't do things halfway, often to my own detriment. I'm the kind of person who sprints instead of going for the altitude. Such a mentality has served me well in my swimming and weightlifting careers, since both advantage speed and power, but you don't train for a 5K like that.

Running all the same isn't my favorite activeness, but I can discover joy in it now.

So what does all of this have to do with a pair of shoes? In addition to dealing with shin splints — which, if you haven't experienced, are extremely painful and basically cease you from doing anything but hobble — I have apartment feet. Bang-up for pond, non for whatsoever kind of walking or running. Shin splints, flat feet, a knee joint injury, excessive body weight, all of that had conspired confronting me becoming any kind of distance runner.

Out of agony and a genuine will to not give upwardly, I went to a local running store and asked for help. I tried on different shoes, each more unlike than the final. I tried lots of cushion, simply I ultimately decided on a brand I'd never heard of: Altra.

Why I chose the Altra Torin four.5

Specifically, I chose the Altra Torin 4.v ( $89 to $250 on Amazon ), which felt similar a whole new walking experience when I tried them on. Altra's claim to fame is the wide "foot shape" design. I don't know annihilation about running shoes, but it supposedly gives your feet more room than a traditional running shoe.

The Torin 4.5 also has what it calls "zero driblet," which, according to the company, "places the heel and forefoot at the same distance from the basis. This natural balance aligns the feet, dorsum, and torso posture for less impact."

I paid nearly $150 for my pair of Torin 4.5. The prices range vary depending on the color and size.

Something about the Torin changed how I walked. For starters, I noticed how much more stress information technology put on my calves. I know weightlifting physiology, and even though I don't fully understand the Altra result, I nonetheless capeesh that any time I put on those Altras, my calves get a killer workout. And you know, I'one thousand all for that.

I digress. The Torin certainly felt like a ameliorate running experience, but it took a long time for my shins to heal enough to try running again. But a few months agone, I started doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and I've reached a bespeak during these workouts that I can run consistently. I even ran a mile in 12 minutes, something I don't think I've ever accomplished.

altra torrin 4.5 laying in grass — (Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Shock: At present I await frontward to running

And estimate what? I look forward to running. I enjoy putting on my Altras and going for a jog with bouts of sprints to go my heart charge per unit up. Some days, my shins still protest, but nowhere nearly as bad every bit before. Out of everything, just my knee seems the well-nigh upset, but the pain has dulled over the years.

By no ways am I saying the Altra Torin 4.five is the best shoe you can purchase, because nosotros're all fundamentally dissimilar. Your needs differ from mine. The bespeak of all of this is that finding the all-time running shoe for you is important if y'all desire to become serious well-nigh running. Seek out running stores where the people know what they're talking about. And, in the end, remember that you go what you pay for.

Is running my favorite activity at present? Non past a long shot. But it's something I can find joy in doing, fifty-fifty if I yet prefer lifting heavy. Fitness is a continual journeying of progress and improvement, and I'm happy that my Altras have helped me reach things I'd never thought possible for myself. Adjacent is that 5K.

If you would similar some help, check out our guide to how to buy running shoes before you go online or caput to the shop.

Jordan is the Phones Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all things phone-related. He's written about phones for over five years and plans to proceed for a long while to come. He loves nil more than relaxing in his home with a book, game, or his latest personal writing projection. Jordan likes finding new things to swoop into, from books and games to new mechanical keyboard switches and fun keycap sets. Hashemite kingdom of jordan tends to lurk on social media, merely you can all-time accomplish him on Twitter.