This Week in Runblogging: 4/7 to 4/13 2014

Last week seemed to herald the official arrival of Spring here in New Hampshire. Almost all of the snow has finally melted, the sun has been shining, and the trails have been muddy and wet rather than snowy and icy (great test for the Salomon Sense Pro’s that have been on my feet a lot lately). Feels great to not have to bundle up in multiple layers for every run, and I’m hoping the tights can stay in the closet for the next nine months!

There’s nothing quite like warming weather, sunshine, and improving fitness to make a runner content!

Below are the posts that were published on Runblogger from 4/7-4/13:

Do You Pronate?: A Shoe Fitting Tale
April 10, 2014 – A post about my experience listening to a woman get fitted for shoes at a local sporting goods store, with some thoughts on the pronation control model of fitting shoes

Blowing the Dust Off the Brooks Vantage
April 8, 2014 – Jon Gugala’s second guest post on the new Brooks Heritage line of vintage running shoes.

Pearl Izumi EM Road N0 Racing Flat Review
April 7, 2014 – Review of one of my current favorite running shoes. The PI N0 is a fast racing flat that reminds me of the Saucony Grid Type A5. And that’s a very good thing!

Wear the Brooks Vanguard and Stop Looking Like a Run Nerd
April 7, 2014 – Jon Gugala’s first guest post on the new Brooks Heritage line of vintage running shoes.

Recommended Articles From Around the Web

Lots of reviews to share this week:

1. My review of the Pearl Izumi EM Road N0 wasn’t the only one that came out last week – Steve Speirs over at Run Bulldog Run also reviewed the N0, and he had similarly positive thoughts: “The Road N0 is a great example of less is more. My size 9.5 weighed in at just 6.5oz, making it one one of the lightest shoes in my current rotation. However, just because it’s light, doesn’t mean that it’s a harsh ride – the Road N0 delivers a smooth, responsive ride with a perfect balance of cushioning and comfort.”

2. Sam Winebaum reviews the New Balance Fresh Foam 980 Trail. He concludes: “The 980 Fresh Foam Trail is a low drop (4mm), very solid, supportive mid weight trainer suitable for both smooth and rough trails. It is on the heavier side (10.25 oz) of modern trail runners which often come in under 10 oz, but given the cushion, deep and effective lugs, and rugged upper I think worth the weight for old legs, longer runs and tougher terrain.” Interestingly, he also reports that early versions of the road 980 had a manufacturing error and the midsole was firmer than spec.

3. Detroit Runner reviews the Garmin Vivofit fitness tracker. I’ve had a Vivofit for several weeks now and am really liking it (though I’m not loving the new Garmin Connect website). Jeff has had a similar experience, so I thought I’d share it here in advance of my own review (coming soon!).

4. Thomas Neuberger reviews the Altra Superior 1.5. Like the original superior, traction is not great, but they offer a roomy toebox and a flexible sole for light, non-technical trail duty.

5. Minimallyshoddy reviews the Skora Fit. The Fit is a more cushioned shoe than most others offered by Skora, and more affordably priced. For minimallyshoddy it ticks all the right boxes: “My perfect shoe is a shoe I’m not thinking about while I’m running in it. It should disappear. Even when I’m on pavement I want to be able to close my eyes and feel like I’m running barefoot. No shoe is that good, but the FIT is just a great combination of all of the qualities I look for in a shoe.”