Last last week I received a pair of Merrell’s newest offering in it’s Barefoot line of running footwear – the Merrell Barefoot Sonic Glove (disclosure: these were media samples and were provided free of charge by the manufacturer). The Sonic Glove is very similar to it’s sibling the Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove, and thus I […]
Going Minimalist and Changing Form Help Ultrarunner Nathan Sanel Fix his Shins: Another Anecdote
June 9, 2011 By 30 Comments
I met Nate Sanel on a cold night in October, 2009. Nate had joined his friend Sherpa John Lacroix in his second attempt to run 125 miles across the state of New Hampshire for charity, and I and another local running friend had decided to join them for about 10 miles at about the halfway […]
ASICS versus Zero Drop, Maximalist versus Minimalist
June 4, 2011 By 114 Comments
I’ve been following with interest a spirited debate that is taking place over on my friend Bill Katovsky’s Zero Drop blog. Like me, Bill is an advocate for greater variety in shoe choice, and his approach on his blog is to poke fun at the status quo in addition to providing the occasional shoe review. […]
Vibram Fivefingers KomodoSport Review and 5K Race Report
June 1, 2011 By 5 Comments
For the first few years after I started running, the 5k was my preferred race distance – in fact, my 5k PR (18:51) was set back in 2008. Like many runners, I was quickly bitten by the marathon bug and focused most of 2009-2010 on long distance races. I’ve run only a handful of 5k’s […]
Saucony Kinvara 2: Comparative Photos and Update Summary
May 23, 2011 By 60 Comments
Well, I broke down and purchased a pair of Saucony Kinvara 2’s. My original pair are still in pretty decent shape, despite having run two marathons and ~200 miles on them (I don’t tend to accumulate a lot of miles on individual shoes given all of the reviews I do – these have the most […]
Terra Plana VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra Review: Initial Thoughts
May 20, 2011 By 26 Comments
I have a confession to make – I like my Crocs. Mine aren’t the real thing – they’re cheap knockoffs bought for $10 at Target – but for kicking around the yard or walking the dog at night, they really are quite comfortable, and few shoes have as wide a toebox. What’s more, they seem […]
Can running in minimalist shoes strengthen your feet and legs?
May 18, 2011 By 46 Comments
Image via Wikipedia One of the most common claims made by minimalist and barefoot runners (myself included) is that running in minimalist shoes (or barefoot) can be an effective tool for strengthening the muscles of the feet and legs. The idea is that constrictive, stiff, and overly cushioned modern footwear brace the foot, alter our […]
Review of New Balance MT101 Trail Running Shoes
May 16, 2011 By 53 Comments
If I had to total the number of hours that I’ve spent wearing each of the running shoes in my collection over the past 6 months, I’m pretty sure that the New Balance MT101 would come out on top by a fairly wide margin (note: this shoe was a personal purchase). The reason is quite […]
New Balance Minimus Trail: Is the MT20 Coming Soon?
May 15, 2011 By 69 Comments
I’ve written a number of posts about my up and down experience with the New Balance Minimus Trail shoes. The original version, the MT10, is an awesome shoe, but suffers from what I feel is a serious design flaw in that the black band across the forefoot is rather constricting (for at least some people). […]
Saucony Mirage Running Shoe Review
May 1, 2011 By 32 Comments
Over the past week I’ve posted reviews of two low-drop shoes from Saucony – the 5 mm drop Fastwitch 5 and the zero drop Hattori. Next up is the Saucony Mirage (disclosure – these were free media samples provided by the manufacturer). Of these three shoes, the Mirage is probably the most similar to the […]
Saucony Hattori: First Look Review of Saucony’s First Zero Drop Shoe
April 26, 2011 By 91 Comments
UPDATE 7/30/2012: Saucony has released a much-improved, lace-up update to the Saucony Hattori – read my Saucony Hattori LC review here. One of the coolest parts of the Boston Marathon weekend experience was the Expo – it was a bit overwhelming for a gear junkie like me to be surrounded by the latest offerings from […]
Saucony Fastwitch 5 Running Shoe Review
April 24, 2011 By 19 Comments
Update 4/2013: This is a discontinued model, read my Saucony Fastwitch 6 review here. Over the past few months I’ve been putting miles on several new reduced-heel shoe offerings from Saucony. Among these are the Fastwitch 5, Mirage, Peregrine, and most recently the Hattori. The Fastwitch 5 is unique among these in that it is […]
Merrell, Wolverine World Wide, and the Minimalist Shoe Market
April 7, 2011 By 16 Comments
A couple of days ago I wrote a post in which I took a critical look at Brooks Running’s somewhat muddled message with regard to the announcement of its PureProject line of “minimalist” running shoes (not sure if they’re calling them that though…). In particular, I found Brooks CEO Jim Weber’s comment – “…when it […]
Brooks PureProject – Marketing Gone Awry
April 4, 2011 By 24 Comments
Brooks has made a splash over the past few weeks with the announcement of their PureProject line of running shoes (set to be released this Fall). While I applaud the arrival of more choice for runners from yet another shoe company, something just isn’t sitting right with me regarding Brooks’ approach to unveiling these shoes […]
Brooks PureProject Details and Shoe Images Released
April 1, 2011 By 39 Comments
Update 10/24/2011: I share my thoughts on the Brooks Pure Connect here. Brooks released details today about it’s upcoming PureProject line of minimalist running shoes (thanks to Zak as well as Ransacker for the details!). I wrote about the Brooks PureProject a few weeks back, so I’ll keep my comments here brief. I don’t know […]
