I did post on my blog a few months back that I was trying out a pair of Newtons and a couple of friends have asked me what I think of them. First some background........
I injured my foot back in August as a result of changing to the wrong shoe. I had been running in K-swiss but changed to an ASICS Gel Kayano mid training cycle...yuh...ummmm duh. What an idiot. Anyway after my injury I threw out the ASICS but found I couldn't wear my K-Swiss any more because my foot ached when I had them on. So I went on the hunt for some new running shoes. I tried Nike FreeRun, Brooks Pure and Mizuno. No go....all to tight or uncomfortable. Finally I caved and bought a pair of Newtons . And since I first wore them back in October they are the only shoes I have been running in.
Obviously I am not an expert. So I'm not going to get into the technicalities or science behind the shoe. If you are interested in all that you can read about it on the Newton website. I have read a lot about the shoes and people's opinions of them on blogs and running forums, and it seems that people either love Newtons or hate them.
I will say though that it was not a matter of just putting them on and running.You really have to ease into it. Newton suggest you slowly transition into their shoes and because it was the off season and I was just getting back into running after my injury I think that was a real advantage for me. I didn't have to run a certain amount of mileage and so I just let my body dictate how far and how fast I would go.
The shoes have these 4 lugs underneath the shoe that correlate to your midfoot. As first it feels really funky to wear them but after a while you get used to it. The purpose of them basically is to promote a mid/forefoot strike. If you already have a midfoot/forefoot strike then the transition will be easier for you. But I was a heel striker and so it involved hours spent working with my PT to adjust my gait and footstrike. Looking at the sole of the shoe I can see the impact of changing my footstrike. No more scuffed and worn down heels. Most of the wear is on the midfoot and toe.
Initially my calves would get loaded and sore but I foam rolled and massaged and over time that has improved. One of the things I like most about the Newtons is the comfort factor. The toe box is big and comfy and now when I put on a traditional running shoe they all feel tight and constricting.
I have worn them on every run I've done over the last 4 months including all my long runs. So I would definitely say I'm a Newton convert. The only thing left is for me to test them in a race. And with the Snake River Half Marathon only 3 weeks away that seems like as good a place as any.
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I'm one of the people who preaches about how awesome Nike Frees are. I've worn them for 7 years and never had a problem. I tried on "regular" running shoes when I was training for NY and couldn't figure out how to run in them.
ReplyDeleteFinding the right shoe makes all the difference.
Snazzy! Good luck in your half marathon :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the shoes.
ReplyDeleteI carefully transitioned to minimal shoes a few years back and had great success for almost two years. Then my heels began to really bother me. I determined that while my form is good for much of my runs, during my long runs, towards the end my form goes to crap.
I have since moved back to traditional shoes, while still working to not heel strike and over this past year I seem to have gotten over most of my heel injuries.
My recommendation is to keep a close eye on your wear patterns and how your legs, feet and heels feel, especially after long runs - that is where you can hurt yourself.
Awesome - hope that injury never comes back! I tend to run in a few different shoes and rotate them all the time, that way I hopefully won't develop any problems that come from running in just one specific brand. Glad to hear you like the Newtons, I haven't tried them yet but Jason likes his.
ReplyDelete