The shoe was put into an acid test today, after I ran with it occasionally for the past 3 weeks. Plus there was a NEWTON Shoe Trial session for runners participating in the McD Olympic Run 2009.
Why I said acid test was that today's race will be a 7k fast and furious event. The shoe itself will be push to the limit by me and by those runners wearing it for the trial session. I guessed this is one of the best way to wear test a shoe and check on its performance (besides doing a long run like a 20k with it). Wearing it and do a slow jog over a very short distance do not do any justice at all. You may feel comfortable with it but will not find the true potential or flaws of the shoe itself.
After the race, I personally found that the shoe is pretty responsive and will basically guide a runner to transition from mid foot to a forefoot striker. Especially when your strike is fast and hard, the front part of the shoe will keep pushing and lifting you forward. That basically provide better efficiency in my strike and therefore less energy is used from strike to strike. And I kind of find the technic of running forefoot which is the most natural way to run, it is also the fastest and most efficient way to run.
I am not the only one who have such experience today, but out of 10 runners who had a trial session with the shoe, I must gladly said 80% gave me similar feedback that the shoe is very efficient. They are able to transition to midfoot/forefoot running, a technique and position that helps keep you running more efficiently, injury-free and faster, no matter the distance.
Will do another wear test on the shoe, and the next time will be a 20k run and see how it will perform over a longer distance and at a slower pace. One other thing that I may want to highlight is that the shoe may have a disadvantage when it comes to the width of the toebox. A runner which have a broad feet may not fit into the shoe very well hence could experience discomfort and may even to the extent of getting blisters. But will definitely get a runner with wide feet to test it out later.
To learn more about the optimal running form, click here foor more information.
Newton Running shoes - The Science In Motion were developed to make your feet think they're barefoot and increase your performance.
I will be conducting another shoe trial session this coming Sunday in conjunction with Siemens Run 2009. If you are interested you can come to Bukit Aman carpark, Lake Gardens to get the shoe before heading to the race site.
4 comments:
i am interested to join the test for the shoes...kindly reply on how to get the shoes. my feet is rather small (UK size 4 or 4.5)
NEWTON da BEST!
newton forces you to change your style of running....something i am not ready to do, esp when all i do is walk on long run. :P
Being a natural forefoot runner, I wanted to buy a pair of Newton but a pair would set me back SGD234!! Many runners like me have the mindset that "real" runners don't need expensive shoes to help them run. So I bought a pair of Adidas for SGD91 instead.
Post a Comment