New Balance Minimus 1010 Trail Shoe Review

After the drama of my Newtons I started talking to trail runner friends and reading trail shoe reviews online.

 

I went to two different running stores with my list of needs:

1. 4mm drop or less, flexible and light

2. trail shoe

3. wide, double wide, no seriously wider than that

4. rock plate (my plantar plates have issues so they need extra love)

I didn't care if they were men's or women's, and any color would do.

I ended up with these little beauties:

The New Balance 1010 Minimus Trail Shoe

 

I tried on more pairs of shoes than I can remember. Men's, women's. Wide, normal. You name it and my feet were in them.

 

I love my 1010's. They meet my 4 Needs and are quite comfy. Some folks mentioned in comments that they felt like they needed to size down, and I was torn between the 9 and 9.5- my usual running shoe size. Being such a sweaty Betty with magical swelling extremities, I opted to stick with the 9.5, and I'm glad I did.

 

Early on my runs they feel a little big, but once my feet start growing there is still plenty of room for my toes to spread.

 

I am trying to run more softly - I am definitely NOT a lithe little wood nymph that flits along the rocks - and the 1010's provide a great balance of protection for my sad plantar plates and feedback from the trail. 

 

I have not taken them into Gambrill or any other techinical trail, but they have performed beautifully on dirt and gravel roads as well as the tow path which is a mixture of packed dirt and packed gravel in some places.

 

The ONLY thing I don't like about them...at the heel there's a notch instead of a V and it bumps my Achilles. If I remember to Body Glide it and wear taller socks, it's not a big deal. If I forget either of those, I get a blister on my Achilles...which reminds me for the next run.