Last year for Christmas my wife surprised me with an amazing gift; a pair of Altra Solstice XT shoes. She went with the stellar color combo of black and white, and things only got better from there as I learned just how exceptionally comfortable and capable these trainers are.
I’ve been a runner for years, and until 2022 I had stuck with a mix of brands for running shoes: Nike, Brooks, Asics, Under Armor, and Adidas. However, my favorites pairs usually came from Nike and Brooks. After graduating high school I started to run longer distances of 5-6+ miles every other day and found that by mile 5 my feet would start to hurt. I tried to train different muscle groups and would occasionally have runs without any pain, but it always came back.
Until I tried running in Altra’s.
Strangely Comfortable
My boss first introduced me to Altra’s, and highly recommended them because of the wider toe box and “ZeroDrop” design; leveling your foot more than traditional running shoes. He runs even more than I do, and was so excited for me to try a pair out that he generously sent me a pair of Lone Peak 7 trail running shoes. I was skeptical that these would help with the pain, and honestly thought there would be additional discomfort because of the thinner mid and outer soles. My goodness was I wrong!
Now when I go on a 5+ mile run, I don’t have the same foot pain that I had grown to expect from other running shoes. I can definitely feel more under my feet when running outside and stepping on rocks and other debris. But with how little foam the sole has compared to my other running shoes, I still can’t believe my feet don’t ache like they used to.
Indoor Over Outdoor
For the Solstice XTs, I’ve ran both inside and outside, but I would recommend keeping these on indoor tracks, treadmills, and outdoor tracks instead of streets and trails. I only say this because within the first 6 months the thin, transparent material on the upper part of the shoe started to tear. Thankfully, when you purchase these directly from Altra’s site, then their phenomenal support team will more than take care of you.
If you use these around rocks, dirt, and sand then the upper material will continue to wither away with consistent use, or repeated brushing between your feet while running. I’m excited to see what they do different in the next iteration of this shoe to hopefully remedy this. (Or, you can go for their Escalante Racers, another great pair of shoes specific to running.)
Weight Training
Before my wife got me the Solstice XTs, I would run and lift in different shoes. Running was reserved to Brooks or Nike’s while lifting was done in Nike Metcons. But, these can be used for both running and lifting.
The Solstice XTs aren’t as rigid as the Metcons, but with their ZeroDrop heel they’re more than stable enough for the lifting I do; machines, some olympic lifts, and free weights. Nor are they as specialized as other running shoes that Altra and other brands offer.
The Recap
I love running and training in the Altra Solstice XTs so much that I got a pair of Altra’s for my wife this past Christmas. I know everyone is different and you might not like how the Solstice XTs feel for you, so I highly recommend trying them out at shoe store near you. Or you can order a pair and if they don’t work for you then ship them back within the first 30 days of using them.
If you go all in and get some Altra’s, then I would recommend starting small and train in them a couple days a week. Allowing your body time to adjust and strengthen as you transition to a ZeroDrop and/or wide toe box pair of shoes.