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Altra Instinct – Shoe Review

The other week when I posted my review of the K-Swiss R-Ruuz racing flat, I mentioned that I had another shoe review in the works. Today, I’m reviewing the Instinct from brand new running shoe company, Altra Running.

I found the Instinct somewhat by chance. In my search this year for a new lightweight everyday trainer for road running, I’ve read about and/or tried on a bunch of different shoes. But I’ve struggled to find a shoe that combines the following:

• relatively light (hopefully 6.5 – 8 ounces)
• low to the ground
• flexible
• has a low heel-toe drop
• and most important, is comfortable on my foot

On the “comfort” side, the main issue I’ve been running into is that my second and third toes are longer than my “big” toe. Since most shoes have a pretty drastic curve from the big toe around to the little toe side of the foot, the result is that when I find a shoe that “fits” me in the traditional sense (big toe distance from the inside of the shoe and heel fit), generally my middle toes are bumping into the front of the shoe. If I go to a bigger size to accommodate my middle toes, the heel gets too loose. This issue alone has eliminated a lot of shoes for me (including the New Balance Minimus line, the Terra Plana EVOs and recently, even some of my beloved Brooks). In late March, I read a review of the Instinct on Runblogger and was intrigued. I checked out their website and saw that they weren’t yet in stores, but would be in the next few days.

Altra’s website further explained two of their biggest selling points: that their shoes are “zero drop” – meaning that the heel is no higher than the toe – and that the shoes are actually foot shaped. You can see from this photo that the toe box is wider and much less curved than the sharply curved toebox in most running shoes.

The width of the Instinct allows the toes to spread out while running and the more rounded toe box allows room for my middle toes to stretch out. (I don’t know if my funny shaped feet are what Altra mean by “foot shaped”, but it works for me!)

The weekend after reading about the Instinct, I happened to be in Sherman Oaks and stopped into Runnergy for the first time. And there were the Instincts. They had just gotten them in a couple days earlier. Almost immediately after trying them on, I decided I was going to take them home. In the last five weeks I’ve put a little over 50 miles on them.

The Instinct is the first shoe I’d found that fit almost all of the qualifications above and so far, I’m really enjoying running in them. The right size for my heel and big toe (11.5) also gave the rest of my toes rooms to breathe. It has just enough cushion to be comfortable on a long run but I still get a decent feel for the ground. The zero drop helps promote good running form and keeps me on my forefoot and midfoot. It’s quickly become my go-to everyday road trainer and after a few weeks of 4-6 mile runs in them, I’ve started using them on my longer runs. My calves were a little sore after my 9 mile (longest so far) run in them, but that’s to be expected as I increase the mileage in the zero drop shoes. Also, frankly, I liked the sore calf feeling, it told me I was really working my calf muscles!

My only complaint about the Instinct is that they’re a little heavy. They’re listed at about 9oz for size 9, and that makes them the heaviest shoe I run in by nearly two ounces. On the other hand, they do feel lighter than the 9-10oz shoes I was running in last year. Given that, I’ll train in the Instincts, but doubt I’ll race in them for any distance. (They have another model, the Adam, coming out soon, and I’ll check it out, but it doesn’t look like a racing shoe and it’s tough to tell from looking at it how it would fit into my shoe rotation. I did read somewhere that a racing flat-type shoe is in the works. I’ll definitely give that a shot when/if it appears.)

I will readily admit that the Instinct is weird looking. The shape makes it look boxy and maybe even a little clunky. It does not necessarily inspire “speed”. I also generally like flashier, brighter running shoes. When I first looked at them, these concerns crossed my mind but they went away once I put them on and ran down the block. Comfort definitely trumps styling here.

As a side note, I’ve read a few complaints online from Vibram loyalists who don’t like the Instinct. The Instinct is not a “barefoot” shoe. It is much more “shoe” than the Vibram – less flexible and more cushioned. For long runs, I find the Instinct to be more comfortable than my Vibrams. But if you’re looking for a shoe that mimics the Vibram, this isn’t it.