Merrell Women's Ascend Glove Minimal Trail Running Shoe

I'll tell you right off the bat I'm not a vastly experienced runner. I'm just starting out. So as a starting runner, here are some of the things I have noticed about these shoes.PROSSuper lightweight. Like you're 'not wearing nothing' to quote an old commercial.They do fit like a glove. Good product name.Airy. Lots of air circulation to keep those dogs cool.I caught a great price one day ... under forty bux. That made the shoes an incredible deal.CONSPretty ugly: I got the "Black" ones (usually the default view). There just isn't any way to pretty these things up. Wear black socks, though. They look much worse with white socks peeking over the tops. (I think I'm just not a black athletic shoe person.)Not much protection. I understand the minimalist material design. But the well-groomed trail I run on has a few larger rocks, and last time I was out there I very nearly turned my ankle since there just isn't much shoe to absorb larger obstacles. That hasn't happened with my Brooks Adrenalines the many times I've been on the trail with them.No removable sock liner. Seems odd for a not inexpensive shoe.NEITHER PRO NOR CONThese shoes do run large. I am a very solid 6.5 size, and the 6 in this shoe is perfect with thin socks.I've used Merrill hiking boots for nearly 30 years and it is that experience that led me to try these Ascend Glove Trail-Running shoes. My recommendation is that if you are on a very rough trail, you may have some issues with these shoes ... I found a tendency for some instability with larger rocks beneath my feet. Well groomed trails are not presenting a problem. They are light, airy, and comfortable. And pretty ugly, but hey, we don't all get to be pretty in this life. If you skipped over all the other words in the review, note that the fit runs large.

Love 'em!I have really sensitive feet and have had problems with blisters and squished toes with pretty much every pair of shoes i've ever worn (except flip flops and moccasins), until I found Merrell shoes. There are not enough good things I can say about them. I bought my first pair a couple years ago - a pair of the Pace Glove barefoot shoes. I had never even heard of Merrell products or barefoot shoes at the time, I just happened to see these shoes at TJ Maxx. I tried them on and my feet were in heaven. So was the rest of my body. They fit perfectly & my whole body felt much more aligned and my posture while on my feet was instantly much better. I've loved these shoes over the past few years, and got my husband and brother in law into barefoot shoes as well. The only thing with those shoes was the lack of padding - it would cause my heels to hurt sometimes.So, I recently ventured out in search of something similar with more padding, and found these. I love them! They're just what I was looking for. These have a bit more padding, but also something more - arch support! I never realized it was so bad, but I walk on the insides of my feet which causes my legs to kind of slant in towards each other. The arch support fixed that right up, so my legs are feeling fantastic and strong. *The only thing is that my arches get a little sore because I'm not used to something being there. They'll get stronger.The 0mm drop is essential in a shoe at this point for me. Even just the slightly slanted soles of my mocassins makes me feel like I'm leaning forward. I walked home from work in moccasins the other day, after wearing these (Merrell) shoes for a few days and boy, were my legs cramping!These have a nice, wide toe box, just like the others did, so no squished toes. I am not really a runner, but I go for long walks and hike often, so the traction is great. The color is nice too! I was happy to see a blue color option. I've gotten tons of compliments on them!I listened to other reviews and got the smaller of the sizes I'm in between. I'm usually an 8 or an 8.5, so I got an 8 and these are perfect - even with thicker socks.

If you are a barefoot runner or walker, be aware that, though these do not have any rise from toe to heel, these do have a little bit of arch support. I was disappointed by this because I didn't see anything in the product description about arch support. I am not used to having any arch support because I walk and run barefoot or with Xero shoes, so I am a little bit worried that my plantar fascitis will return (which disappeared when I started going barefoot). I will give it a try, though, since I need an enclosed shoe and the shoe was reasonably priced. I thought the fit was a little long. I have more space at the toe of the shoe than I'm used to having, but it does cinch up nicely around the foot, so I don't think I will have a problem with slippage. I do like the way the shoe cups my heel. That feels kind of nice. Time will tell, and hopefully I will get back here to update my review.Update: first day of use - on the first day I had them, I wore them all day while doing errands, trying to get used to them. It is really hard to get used to having a bit of arch support, but overall I think they are pretty comfortable. I'll keep updating as I use them for walking and running. I'm hopeful they will be a good shoe.