quote:<HR>Originally posted by dscotina:
merigayle
I was running in Cascadias for about a 18 months and recently switched to Inov-8 flyroc 310s. The Inov-8 is far superior to the cascadias in my opinion. The cascadias always slip and slid when climbing and decending over loose stone trails but the Invo-8s are much more sure-footed. They also grip better in mud and over rock and drain quicker when running through water. They are built closer to the ground so you have a better feel for the trail and less chance of rolling an ankle than you would in the cascadias. They do feel a bit different than most trail shoes on the market and you have to wear them a few time to get used to the feel. After a few runs they feel great. I would not recommed running any real distances on the roads with the Flyrocs. They do not have enough cushioning for the road but they are ok for short stretches of pavement. You could try the Inov-8 Terrocs. They have more cushioning and are made for some road use. I ordered my flyrocs from zombierunners.com and received them the next day!!
I forgot to mention the Inov-8s feel light and fast like a racing flat, not a bulky trail shoe.
Good Luck, Dan
<HR>
I agree totally with you dscortina. I have been trying out both the inov-8 flyroc 310's and the cascadia version 2 (blue and grey) in preparation for Western States. The cascadias have a nice low cut but they feel very stiff and clunky compared to the flyrocs. I love the slipper, racing flat feel of the flyrocs and they allow natural foot placement in technical terrain as well as allowing my natural forefoot strike for downhills. The downhill grip on loose dirt is the best of any shoe I have ever owned. They have great toe protection. They also drain and dry out much faster than cascadias but may take in more dust in non-gaiter protected areas. As you pointed out though, there is almost no cushioning and I am concerned whether to go with them for Western States based on the long downhill stretches. I guess it depends on how "hard" the surface is, but I have certainly found that 40 miles or so on hard packed dirt trail is hard on your legs in flyrocs- they were designed for British "fell" running and softer trail. What I have done to help this is to replace the inov-8 inner sole with a sorbotghane polurethane insert.
When I run downhill in the cascadias my gait and foot placement don't seem as natural and while my foot appears to be more cushioned I seem to get more "rebound" from them and sometimes awkward foot placements.
So, do I do the flyrocs or the cascadias for western states?
Re: merigayles' original question- I would second dscortina's recommendation for the Inov-8 shoes- but they would not suit everyone, particularly if you are a heel striker and/or doing lots of hard packed trail surfaces for long distances.
HOWEVER, they are too short. For long runs and races i wear injinjis with a thin wool sock over them, there was definitely no room in the shoe when i did that. I have their largest women's size (11) and my podiatrist said my feet are way too narrow to even consider a mens shoe (i coincidentally saw him this weekend). 
