Adidas SolarGlide 4 ST – STABILITY when you need it
Not so long ago I started to use the Adidas SolarGlide 4 ST’s due to a sprained ankle.
I already had this shoe in my collection in case I would ever need a high stability shoe.
Lets dive into the details…
Basic Specifications
Stack height in the heel 32mm
Stack height in the front 22mm
Drop 10mm
Weight 385g in my size 46
It’s a neutral daily stability trainer which is best used for easy pace runs in my opinion due to the high weight.
Some people use it for longer runs, but I absolutely do not recommend this.
It can be used the road and even unpaved paths but more about that later.
As mentioned I have the ST version, which stands for stability.
For me the shoe is true to size and it gives me a snug but comfortable fit, which is something of which I was actually nicely surprised.
At no point I had the feeling it was too tight.
Midsole / Outsole
The shoe has a stability frame in the midsole to provide you a forward guidance throughout the full length of the shoe.
It also has the Adidas boost foam, to provide a bit of cushioning, but it remains a very stiff shoe.
Due to the slightly wider base at the front and at the back which is the stability frame you really notice the stability improvement in comparison with other “normal” shoes.
The downside is off course that the stability frame and the boost foam also make the shoe heavier.
But since I was only running at slower paces I didn’t mind, protection was more important for me than speed!
I did manage to run at a pace of around 10k per hour and still had a very good feeling of being stable.
The outsole is also equipped with a continental rubber to provide you with a proper grip on different terrains.
The rubber also seems to be very durable, it still looks very good to be honest.
Upper
The upper is very thick, but I expected this since you need a lot of padding around your foot, heel and ankle to remain securely in place.
They are not really suited for running in warmer climates doe to the limited ventilation and all the padding.
Due to the thickly padded tongue, you can properly lace up your shoes.
Even with a swollen ankle I had enough room around the heel and the tongue also sat nicely.
The laces are a bit stiff, there is hardly any stretch in them but they do their job, didn’t had any issues.
Running in the rain is also not a good idea, your feet get soaked especially at your forefoot and the shoes become even heavier, they also take a long time to get dry afterwards.
Durability
I have done around 70km in the shoes and they still look perfect.
There is hardly any wear and tear visible.
The fabric used for the upper also looks to be very durable, especially with the thickness I don’t see that deteriorating anytime soon.
The rubber outsole is also great and I expect it to remain that way for a long time.
My guess is that the shoes can easily reach up to 800km.
But if you run in a lot of rain, you might need to replace them a bit faster since then I expect them to have developed a terrible smell.
Summary
To wrap up, the Adidas Solar glide 4 ST has been a lifesaver for me.
Without this shoe I wouldn’t have had the possibility to keep running after my sprained ankle, I’m sure about that.
The level of stability and support that this shoe can give you is amazing.
I do have to admit that Running faster than 10k per hour didn’t felt comfortable, I quickly noticed that the weight was holding me down and my feet were getting fatigued really fast.
The same applies for long runs, my feet actually started to hurt underneath.
It’s a very stiff shoe, with not a lot of energy return but you can’t have the best of both worlds, I choose this shoe for being a stability and support shoe, not for long runs or speed workouts.
The weight is really pushing it according to me.
Once my ankle got better I switched over to a more normal shoe.
In the end I definitely recommend this shoe for people recovering from an injury.
This shoe can definitely assist you in the beginning to further recover while being able to run.
If you would like to see more actual views of the shoe, do check out the YouTube review, which is included at the top of this page!
