Several months ago when adidas first started to market their new BOOST midsole material they made a big deal of touting the fact that the sole, which is composed of fused polyurethane beads, provides greater energy return than traditional EVA. The implication was that this energy return would provide a performance benefit to a runner […]
I Think I’m a Pseudo-Heel Striker!: Study Suggests That As Many as 25-33% of Heel Strikers Exhibit a More Midfoot Loading Pattern
August 13, 2013 By 25 Comments
One of the points I’ve attempted to make repeatedly is that there is a lot of variation among the biomechanical properties of heel strikes when we compare runners. As evidence of this I like to point to a photo compilation from the 2009 Manchester City Marathon that I put together that shows just how much […]
2014 Shoe Previews: New Balance Minimus Trail Zero v2, 980 Fresh Foam, and 890 v4
August 11, 2013 By 26 Comments
Runningshoes.com has shared a bunch of additional videos of new shoes that were previewed at the 2013 Outdoor Retailer show. In this installment we take a look at three new offerings/updates from New Balance. New Balance Minimus Trail Zero v2 (MT00v2) I really don’t understand why New Balance chose to call this shoe the Minimus […]
Podcast on Running Shoes: Minimalism, Maximalism, and Everything in Between
August 8, 2013 By 7 Comments
Last night I participated in a Runner’s Roundtable podcast discussion about running shoes with Chris Russell of the Run Run Live podcast and Mike Westermeier from Westy’s Running. The title of the podcast was “Hokas and Minimalist Running,” and although we did spend a lot of time on-topic, we wound up covering a lot more […]
Pearl Izumi EM Road N0 Preview
August 7, 2013 By 22 Comments
Yesterday I posted my review of the Pearl Izumi EM Road N1, which has quickly become one of my favorite shoes of the year so far. Today, Runningshoes.com posted a video preview of a new addition to the Pearl Izumi E-Motion line, the EM Road N0 (see below). The N0 is a zero drop shoe, […]
Saucony 2014 Shoe Previews: Virrata 2, Grid Type A6, Peregrine 4, and Mirage 4
August 6, 2013 By 11 Comments
My friends over at Runningshoes.com just posted a series of videos previewing shoes from the 2014 Saucony lineup that were on display at the recent summer Outdoor Retailer Show. Two of my personal favorite shoes were in the mix, including an update to my top shoe from last year, the Saucony Grid Type A5. The […]
How Can Both Barefoot Running and Hokas Reduce Knee Pain?–A Possible Explanation from a New Study
August 6, 2013 By 35 Comments
I occasionally experience pain along the outer margin of my left kneecap. It’s never severe enough to keep me from running, and it seems to come and go without much explanation. My most recent bout seemed to crop up after a run in the new Mizuno Sayonara – I can’t say for sure that the […]
Pearl Izumi EM Road N1 Running Shoe Review
August 5, 2013 By 19 Comments
Before this summer I had never worn a Pearl Izumi running shoe. I’m familiar with the brand from their high-end technical clothing, but had thought of them more as a cycling brand that had only taken tentative steps into the running market. That being said, I had heard rumblings about a new line of shoes […]
Brooks Transcend and Altra Olympus: Max Cushioning In a Lightweight Package Appears To Be The New Trend in Running Footwear
August 2, 2013 By 43 Comments
Word from the floor of the 2013 Summer Outdoor Retailer Show is that the new trend in running footwear is max cushioning in a lightweight package that incorporates some elements derived from minimalism. The following tweets from Brian Metzler of Competitor.com sum up what’s going on: Minimal/barefoot run shoe trend is almost gone, but it […]
Hoka Kailua Tarmac Review by George Harris
July 30, 2013 By 21 Comments
Intro from Pete: Guest reviewer George Harris is a 58 year-old runner from Manteca, CA. He’s been running for 36 years, most of that as a soldier in the US Army. George currently runs 70-75 miles per week, many of those miles in Hoka One One shoes. George has previously reviewed the Hoka Rapa Nui […]
Nike Wildhorse, Nike Terra Kiger, Mizuno Ferus: New Low Drop Trail Shoes
July 28, 2013 By 5 Comments
Three new lightweight trail shoes have just hit store shelves from companies that historically have not been big players in the trail market: Nike and Mizuno. First, I’ve been hearing murmurs that Nike has produced some really solid trail shoes in the Wildhorse and Terra Kiger. I have yet to see either in person, but […]
Hoka One One Conquest Preview
July 27, 2013 By 14 Comments
One of the things that I noticed while waiting to pace at the Vermont 100 last weekend was the increased number of runners (and spectators) who were wearing Hoka trail shoes compared to last year at the same event. I don’t have any numbers, but there were significantly more Hokas about, and I’d estimate that […]
Mizuno Cursoris Zero Drop Running Shoe Review: One of My Top Shoes of the Year So Far
July 26, 2013 By 47 Comments
I’m woefully behind on reviewing shoes in my ever-growing collection, so my goal over the next few weeks is to knock out as many as I can for shoes I’ve run in so far this year. I figured I’d start with a personal favorite – the Mizuno Cursoris. Earlier this year Mizuno released two zero-drop […]
Wear Running Shoes that Fit!: Don’t Be a Slave to Your “Size”
July 25, 2013 By 40 Comments
One of the lessons I’ve learned over the past few years is to buy shoes that fit my feet rather than making my feet fit into my shoes. I used to wear a size 10 in every shoe I purchased, unless they ran really short. I figured I’d been a size 10 since I graduated […]
Biker Nate Crushes the Vermont 100 Endurance Run!
July 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I met Nate Sanel several years ago in a somewhat fitting setting – he was running across the state of New Hampshire with his friend Sherpa John Lacroix. At the time I’d never run with an ultrarunner before, and the concept of running longer than a marathon seemed a bit crazy to me. John and […]
