Running Shoe Review: Chucks!?!

The kid at the shoe store looked at me like I was nuts.

"Arch support, stability, and good cushioning--that's what make a good running shoe.  Chucks have none of that."  He was right, of course.  Converse All Stars, other wise known as Chuck Taylor's or just plain Chucks, are basically a piece of canvas glued onto a slab of rubber with some shoe laces.  It was everything you could possibly NOT want in a running shoe.

Or was it?

I had just finished reading the book Born to Run and was somewhat sold on the idea that when it comes to running, less may actually be more.  But I wasn't ready to up and barefoot it out there on the cold hard streets (or sizzling hot streets of Texas Summers) and at that time the Vibram 5 fingers were still pretty hard to come by.


So what would be a good shoe that I could run in but wouldn't provide all the arch support, cushioning and stability that Nike says I need?

Thus I found myself struggling to explain to a doubting salesman at the shoe store why I wanted to run in Converse All Stars.

For anyone looking to try running in Chucks, you can buy a pair of imitation Chucks at Wal-mart.  I ran in these but preferred the real All Stars because the toe base is slightly wider in the real ones which allows your toes to splay as you step instead of being crunched together.  The cheapo's run about $10 - $15.  Real Chucks are about $30 - $40.  Still, that is significantly cheaper than a pair of running shoes.

I found, as I hit the streets, that much like barefoot running my form changed instantly.  Without all the pads and cushioning in the shoe, I was forced to use my foot the way it was designed to be used.  Instead of a driving heal strike with each step, I stayed on the balls of my feet.  My running no longer sounded like the clomp-clomp-clomp of an elephant parade, in fact, you could barely hear the footfalls as I skimmed the pavement.  And a most unexpected thing happened.  For years I had been plagued with shin splints.  I had accepted it as a part of running.  But when I started wearing Chucks to run--the shin splints went away too.

I also found that my calves were getting A LOT stronger.  With other running shoes I would feel my quads and hamstrings after an intense run.  With the All Stars, my calves took the bulk of the beating and became hard as rock.

I'm not so naive as to claim that running in Chucks is the answer to avoiding all running injuries--believe me, I suffered my fair share of injuries while running in Chucks.  But I do know that when I got rid of all the padding under my feet the shin splints went away, and that must count for something.



The rubber toe of Chucks is ideal for rubbing skin off





Nothing like a bloody sock after a long run



I ran in Converse All Stars (as my primary running shoe) for about a year doing 2 - 5 miles a day, with a long run on the weekend of 10 - 15 miles.  Somewhere along the way I did a 26.2 training run in the All Stars.

I will admit that I rarely run in Converse All Stars anymore.  I finally found a pair of VFF's and wear those on a regular basis.  I also found that running shoes (even Nikes) are okay as long as you control the shoe and not let the shoe control how you run.  Overall, I would say that Chucks are a great way to transition to minimalist running--but maybe not the idea running shoe.  The downside is that the rubber toe, while very cool looking, will tear the skin off your toes and make a mess of your foot.  After a while, I developed some serious callouses and it didn't bother me but it is not ideal. You have to use your bodies natural bio mechanics to run in Chucks because they provide no padding or cushioning to assist your feet.  So your feet will start working like God intended them to--the bones and muscles (which are VERY intricate) will work together to absorb shock naturally.