Kinvara 4 Arch Support

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Toxophilite Jul 2014 9:08pm, 1 Jul 2014 First-time poster!!	0 Toxophilite Hi all, First post here, though I've been lurking for a while. I'm Dave, originally from Sunderland and I've been running for about a year, more seriously for the past six months. Only ran the one race so far (did the Oxford Town and Gown 10k back in May in 48:20 which I was quite happy with). Currently looking to work up towards a half-marathon though no particular goals in mind just yet. I have a question about arch support in the Kinvara 4. I've been running in the Saucony Mirage 2 for a while now (the only shoe I've done serious running in) and, since they were getting quite worn I decided to give the Kinvara a try, wanting something a bit more lightweight and having read good reviews. I've only been out for one run in them, but one thing I noticed was that there seemed to be an awful lot of arch support compared to what I was used to, to the point where the insole felt like it was really pushing up into the arch of my foot, especially my left foot (they felt good apart from this). This isn't something I've ever noticed with the Mirage. Is this likely to be something that is just a symptom of the shoes being new and my feet not being used to them? If it was not to go away after I've been running in them for a while is there much I could do to remedy this? I'm quite hesitant about the thought of taking a stanley knife to a nice new pair of trainers.... Cheers!
mblnFERCr Jul 2014 9:22pm, 1 Jul 2014 638 posts	0 mblnFERCr Welcome to fetch Toxophilite. Nice handle Did you try them on before buying? I find I need to run at least half a mile on the treadmill with shoes I've never used before I can be sure my feet 'like' them. I've also never known a shoe that felt wrong on the arch which got better the more I used them (mostly 'cos I wouldn't leave the shop with them), though others may have a different experience.
K5 Gus Jul 2014 3:18pm, 2 Jul 2014 836 posts	0 K5 Gus Is the extra support part of the insole, or is it under the insole ? If it's a more built up insole then replace with a flatter insole ( eg from your Mirage ), but if it's part of the shoe, then not a lot you can do. I find you can change the feel of a show quite a bit if you try various thicknesses, and profile, of insoles
Vélocipède Raptor Jul 2014 3:22pm, 2 Jul 2014 30,086 posts	0 Vélocipède Raptor Interesting! I was thinking about trying the Kinvara 4, but too much arch support would definitely be a deterrent.
sLickster Jul 2014 3:54pm, 2 Jul 2014 1,589 posts	0 sLickster I was someone who couldn't wear Saucony because of their high arch support. However, starting with the Mirage 2 I found they were fine. I had two pairs of them before moving onto the Mirage 3. I'm now on my 7th pair of them and have done up to 31 miles in them at a time without problem (got to get that in there being a short distance runner ). I think I might have tried on a Kinvara (3) in the shop but didn't get them. From a quick search it seems the Mirage 2 might be 274g and the Mirage 3 225g. If that's the case then see if you can get any bargains on the Mirage 3 (as the 4 is now out), i.e. sportsshoes.com They are plenty light enough for most people. Though when I want to run in lightweights I always wear some from of Adizero...
Toxophilite Jul 2014 11:19pm, 3 Jul 2014 2 posts	0 Toxophilite Thanks for the input everybody, much appreciated. I did try them on before buying them, but only to walk around the shop in (no treadmill) - the arch support wasn't something I particularly noticed then, but I was perhaps not paying enough attention. I think it is more of a case of the arch support being built into the shoe rather than as a result of the insole, but I will try swapping insoles around if I still find them not suited to me after a few more outings. It would be a shame if I couldn't get on with this shoe, time will tell I suppose - a return to the mirage may be on the cards if I can't get used to them!
eL aBeille! Jul 2014 11:37pm, 3 Jul 2014 19,541 posts	0 eL aBeille! If it's creating a noticeable pressure point, then the shape of the shoe doesn't suit your foot. If you can sort it with a different insole that's great - if not you'll end up hating them because they'll hurt