Shoe Review Times TWO: Newton Running's Distance & Fate!

Yes, I've been busy testing shoes again.  And no, I'm neither getting paid to do so, nor am I getting free shoes.  HOW do I go about getting one of those gigs?!  Because I think I've proven my expertise in such matters.  ;)

Anyway... I've been slogging through yet another hot, humid, Florida summer and about the only ray of light (you know, beyond the many cancer- and heat stroke-causing rays emitted by the freaking sun) in my training has been the glory of Newton Running shoes.  I already detailed my experience with the Gravity '13 model, and I'm happy to report that I'm still running in it and still loving the ride!  BUT... the more I run in them, the less comfortable every other shoe feels.  And I really do need to alternate.  So I grabbed a pair of an earlier model Distance on clearance, and a month or so later, a pair of the new Fate. I've been running quite a bit in both. Results?  Read on!

Newton Running Distance

The Distance is Newton's second main neutral shoe, very similar to the Gravity in shape and form, but with less weight.  I find the "Distance" name a bit misleading, as this feels like a speed shoe to me.  Just picking them up out of the box, I could feel they were lighter than the Gravity, and immediately noticed the different heel...

Distance sole

 

Gravity sole

See how the Gravity has that extra, black layer of outsole?  That's a pretty rugged rubber that doesn't wear quickly.  See how the Distance has no such extra layer?  Its heel is the soft, foamy material found in the midsole.  What this means for a heel striker is some major wear and tear on the heels.  What it means for this forefoot striker who's pretty light on her heels even while walking is limited wear and tear on the heel, but lots of extra pep thanks to losing the excess weight!  These shoes are FAST, I tell ya.

That said, the lack of extra stuff on the heel also means less stabilizing back there.

Additionally, there's not much in the upper to control heel movement, nor to support the Achilles; the mesh of the Distance is a bit more stretchy than the Gravity, and allows my feet to move around more.  In some ways, this is good: nothing in this shoe pushes or pulls in any uncomfortable way.  But the lack of ankle stability is dicey with my bum Achilles; I've only taken these up to six miles at a time so far, as that's about the point at which I feel like I need extra support.

I may never wear the Distance for longer runs, but they're still a great addition to my shoe line-up!  They have all of the awesome energy return of the Gravity, thanks to those super lugs, fit my feet and mechanics beautifully, and deliver a super-peppy ride.  I've been enjoying them for both speed work and, rather surprisingly, as a walk-around-theme-parks shoe.


Moving on to my newest shoe...

Newton running Fate

The Fate is one of Newton's new line of 5-lug shoes, and falls into its middle, P.O.P. 2 category.  What the heck does that mean?!  Well, here's a guide: Choose Your Ride.  In my view, the P.O.P. refers to how much "pop" one gets from the lugs, with P.O.P. 1 giving the most energy return (Gravity falls into this category), P.O.P. 2 giving a little less "pop" and a little more cushion, and P.O.P. 3 offering more cushion and a ride similar to traditional running shoes.

Full disclosure?  I couldn't have cared less about which P.O.P. level I was selecting: they had me at lime green. 

Okay, yes, the color is awesome, but how's the ride?  Let me tell ya...

Starting at the top, the upper is really, really nice and, in most ways, a big improvement over previous Newton models.  All of that green is a fine mesh that's super stretchy: there are absolutely NO potential hot spots likely to cause rubbing, that I can tell.  It's almost a sock-like fit, but not quite - though, I do feel like I could size down a half-size in cooler months and it would fit more sock-like in the smaller size.  My only real gripes are that the tongue could be a bit more plush (I can feel the laces clearly through it on my instep - not problematic so far, but could be on a very long distance), and the heel is a little loosy-goosey, thanks to the soft, stretchy material.

Fate and Distance, side by side

Underfoot, the Fate is a pretty neat ride.  The lugs are less pronounced than on the Gravity or Distance, and I'm less aware of them under my feet while running, though they still give a nice energy return on liftoff.  Beyond that, the Fate's sole offers far more cushioning than the Gravity or Distance, but in such a way that it doesn't feel spongy.  It's more a reactive cushion, if that makes sense, reducing some amount of impact without making me feel as though I'm sinking into mud.  This is HUGE for me, as other highly cushioned shoes have left me feeling like it took a lot more effort to pick my feet back up after landing.  Not at all so with the Fate!

Fate's sole

I'm noticing that the Fate does a superior job, too, of helping me land closer to mid-foot, which reduces a lot of wear and tear on my metatarsals.  I usually end with some pain in that area after a long run in my Gravity's, but that hasn't happened yet in the Fates.  

The Fate's heel is a bit beveled, which helps guide my walking stride; a big plus when I'm fatigued and form starts to get sloppy.

See the beveling?

So far I'm really liking the Fate for easy runs and long, slow runs; it does a nice job of easing aches and pains without feeling like I have a couple of foam pillows strapped to my feet.  It's not as speedy as the Distance, but it just might out-workhorse the Gravity!  

A couple of minor quibbles: 1. these are pretty awful in the rain.  I ran about a mile in pouring rain the other day in them and they just fill up like tubs.  I don't mind being wet, but sloshy and heavy isn't great.  2. that soft, stretchy upper is very unforgiving of mechanical breakdowns.  My feet tend to start rolling outward on the run, and inward on the walk, when fatigued, and the Fate's upper does nothing to prevent this.  I hesitate to move to the Kismet stability model, as any amount of stability seems to invite ITBS into my life.  I've found, though, that a light support insole on tired days fixes things up nicely.  So nothing terrible here, just a couple points to note for those considering the Fate.


So far, as you can see, I'm thrilled with my new-found love affair with Newton Running.  They truly are the only shoe I've tried so far that doesn't irritate my left peroneal tendon, and (knock on wood) I've successfully worked back up to 9+ miles in them with no sign of ITBS.  I don't think the shoes house any sort of magic, mind you - only that I've maybe found some shoes that work properly with, and enhance rather than fight against, my mechanics.  Are Newtons the right shoes for you?  Only one way to find out - give 'em a try!

Yet another SHOE REVIEW! Newton Gravity 13.

I’m starting to feel like The Girl Who Cried “SHOES!”  In the couple years I’ve been actively training for long distance races, I’ve tried a lot of running shoes. 

A LOT. Of running shoes.

Going from memory…

There were the Mizunos: Enigma, Creation, Inspire, Precision, Sayonara, and Evo Cursoris.

The Asics: Nimbus 11 and Phoenix

The Newtons: Lady Isaac S.

The Altra: Intuition.

The Brooks: PureCadence, Pure Flow, Ghost, Ravenna.
The Nike: Lunarglide and Free Run.

The Hoka One One: Bondi B and Kailua Tarmac.

That. Is. A. LOT. Of. Shoes.

And of the ones listed above, how many did I actually keep and run in regularly?  A few.  Thank goodness for excellent return/exchange policies!  The Mizuno Inspires worked pretty well for a while before I ditched them in favor of a lower drop shoe that seemed to aggravate my IT Band less.  The Altra Intuition was taken over by my mother, who loves them for work as a home nurse.  I still have the Free Runs and, though I don’t like them for running, I use them for running errands.  I adore the Mizuno Evo Cursoris (no point in a review, though - they discontinued it), but it’s not a distance shoe; I reserve it for short, speedy runs.

I ran in the PureFlows for the better part of a year and they were perfect! (Ironic that I never reviewed them!)  But the new version, the PureFlow 2, has been nothing but trouble for my left foot for some reason.  I’ve put 100 miles in my pair of 2’s and every time I run in them, I get stabbing pain in my outer left foot.  I finally gave up and moved on.  That’s right, to more new shoes.  It’s review time again…

After much research and deliberation (and realizing there aren’t all that many options left that I haven’t tried…), I ordered a pair of Newton Gravity 13’s.  Not the new Gravity, but last year's model.  Because - duh! - they were $75 less than the new model.  

First thoughts:

• I LOOOOOOVE the colors!  Truly love.  And that's saying something, as I'm sick to death of pink shoes.  But this is such a pretty pink, with so much depth and energy.  (No offense Pepto-pink Evo Cursoris)  And the contrast of the blue, green, yellow and orange is practically a study in Pop art.  I've named my new shoes Andy.  After, you know, Andy Warhol.  #artgeek
• Slipping them on, I noticed right away that these fit much differently than the Lady Isaac S I tried a while back.  The Gravity 13 has a much snugger fit through the heel, which is a huge must for me, but a far roomier toe box, another must.  I also noticed the total lack of any medial or lateral posting; not a darned thing was pushing my inner or outer arch in any direction.  I took the left shoe off and tried on my painful PureFlow 2... yep, squeezing and pushing on the outer edge of my foot, even without any weight on it.  Interesting.
• I bought these right before my last big race of the season and experience tells me that running in any new shoes right before a race is dicey; one overly stressed muscle can wreck me.  So I had a few weeks to kill before I could really test the Gravity.  In the meantime, I wore them around - to the movies, for a couple days at Disney World, grocery shopping, etc.
  
  HOLY COW!!!  These are the perfect stroll around shoes!  Who'dve thought?  I didn't.  I mean, the deal with Newton is the lugs - 4 (5 on the new models) protruding chunks o' rubber in the forefoot sole that are supposed to support a mid- or forefoot-strike and provide excellent energy return on the run.  I had serious doubts about how comfortable that would be while walking.  And yeah, I was kind of aware of them the first day, but they weren't at all uncomfortable and actually came quite in handy... driving in them was like having a block on the gas and brake pedals, an awfully nice feature for this very petite lady!

They look nice with jeans, no?!

On the run

• With my long distance race season complete, I finally got to running in the Gravity 13 a few weeks ago.  Newton stresses the importance of making a slow transition to their shoes and they're not foolin' around, so I began with a mile in them.  Then 2 a few days later.  3 miles.  4.  5.  I've been running in low-drop shoes for well over a year, and I naturally land on my forefoot, so there were no transitional issues with that.  However, the mechanics of Newtons (more detail below) are, indeed, different than other shoes and I definitely felt it in my feet, ankles, quads and calves after 5 miles.  Not in any bad way; quite the opposite, really - I could feel entire sets of small muscles working that had pretty much never had to work before.  But I'm glad I took it slow and didn't stress anything too much.
• Okay, the mechanics... Newton has a mantra of sorts, and it goes like this: "Land, Lever, Lift."  And that's exactly what the lugs encourage your body to do - land on them, lever your heel down lightly, then lift your foot off the ground, using your quads, not your toes.  As a lifelong dancer, that last part is hard for me; I naturally push off the tips of my toes, as evidenced by the early wear on my shoes.
  
  But the land and lever parts worked beautifully for me from the first running step!  It's amazing how much energy return is loaded into those silly orange lugs.  And, surprisingly, I found them equally propulsive on my walk intervals - the heel was cushioned enough to absorb the small impact it takes on the walking stride, but quickly seems to convert that force into forward momentum.  This is VERY different from the feel of walking in the PureFlows, in which I feel like my heel sinks into cushion and it takes a whole lot of effort to lift it back up.

See the yellow treads at the top?  Yeah, that's where I naturally land and push off. A little far forward... I'm working on it.

• The fit while in motion was every bit as good as while meandering about town.  On the run, the snug heel cup kept any weird movement there to a minimum, while a nice height on the upper stabilized my temperamental Achilles.  Meanwhile, my mid-foot was supported underneath nicely.  The Newton sole is a bit rigid through there, at least compared to the exceedingly flexible PureFlow and Evo Cusoris, and I've found that that's a good thing for my overly flexible feet.  Again, there are absolutely no support features pressing my feet laterally or medially, which meant... NO outer foot pain!  Halle-freaking-jujah.  As for the toe box, it has, perhaps, a tad more room widthwise than I need - but I don't feel like my feet are swimming in them, and I'll likely appreciate the extra space when the long, hot runs of summer come along.
• Feeling really good about my new shoes, I opted to give them a race test.  Typically, it's in race conditions that I discover my "perfect" shoe has flaws.  I have no idea why, but almost every shoe I thought was terrific turned out to be a dud when I raced in it.  So a true test came in the form of a local 5K that included roads, dirt, sand and gravel paths, and a little technical trail.  How'd they do?  Beautifully!  Darned if those lugs didn't dig in and grip like crazy in difficult terrain.  By the end of the race, nothing hurt, my shoes still felt yummy, and I was feeling pretty darned good about my future with the Gravity 13.

• Know what's my favorite part of Newton Running shoes?  Instant feedback.  Check out those lugs!  If you look closely, you'll see that the lugs are (were) covered in a fine mesh pattern.  See how that's worn away on the forward, outside parts of the lugs?  That tells me where the bulk of my landing impact is, and confirms what I've long suspected: not only do I not overpronate on the left, I supinate quite a bit.  That would account for the ongoing issues I have with my outer ankle, outer knee, outer hip...  And I'm landing pretty far forward, too.  The beauty of this information is that I can now do something about it!  I've been making a concerted effort to keep that foot straight, to land a bit more centered and on the balls of my feet, not the toes.  And guess what?  I have less pain when I do! 

I'm almost afraid to say it, given my track history, but I honestly think these are long-term keepers.  If there's any negative to the Newton Gravity 13, it's that my feet do get tired after several days running in them.  So I've been changing them up with my Evo Cursoris every other run and everything seems happy with that arrangement.  At some point, though, (and sooner rather than later, judging by how quickly they're wearing) the Evo Cursoris will wear out and need to be replaced.  And, as I said earlier, they've been discontinued.  What's a gal to do???

Try another new shoe.  Look for a review of the Altra Intuition 1.5 soon. :)

Meanwhile, yes, I heartily recommend the Newton brand and I look forward to even more miles in my Gravity shoes!  I'll be sure to update this review when I hit longer distances, too.

Trying to go the distance...

Wow – it’s been an interesting few weeks.  With only four weeks until the runDisney Tower of Terror 10-Miler, I’m looking at two more long runs of 10 and 11 miles… and hoping I can manage even half of that.

That’s because I’ve been beset by the dreaded IT Band Syndrome.  Apparently, months of running ever-increasing long runs on Florida’s steeply angled roadways/sidewalks/paths are partly to blame.  Add to that my wonky gait thanks to scoliosis and it seems my body never gets a chance to run in any way that’s level and balanced.  Whatever.  All I know is that for the past month and a half, it feels like someone’s taken an ax to the outside of my left knee at mile 7.  I limped through my last long run to reach that magic double-digit 10, but the last few miles were pretty bad.  And that’s not even counting the monsoon in which I ran the final mile!  That actually felt good, comparatively.

So now I’m only running until the pain starts, and then stopping, regardless of how far that is.  Last weekend, I only made it 3 miles.  I stuck with the treadmill earlier this week and did 2.5 miles pain-free, and went outdoors for a slow-paced run with Leo the other day – 2.5 again with no pain.  I’m hopeful, but not optimistic, about my chances for pulling a full 10 miles this weekend.

Meanwhile, there are some bright spots in my running life…

For one thing, Leos’ running with me again!  He took the summer off because, well… because it’s HOT and HUMID down here and who actually wants to run in that?!  I’ve had to, since I signed up for a race at the end of stupid September, but Leo didn’t.  But we’re signed up to run a 5K in November, so he’s doing a short run or two with me each week again.  I missed him!  It’s nice to have him along for the ride again. :)

I’m also trying out a pair of Newton running shoes. 

I’m naturally a mid-foot striker and Newtons are specifically designed to work with a mid-foot strike.  They aren’t cheap, but I was able to get a pair of Lady Isaac S on sale, so I thought I’d give them a try.   So far, I really like them!  They feel a little funny when walking, thanks to the nubs set into the sole of the forefoot, so I’m not sure how useful they’ll be to me on long runs, given my run-walk-run approach.  But when I’m running?  Ooooooo, they’re so good!  Lightweight and springy, I swear Newtons make me lope like a gazelle rather than plod like an elephant.  My only gripes are that the heels aren’t as snug as I like, given my freakishly narrow ankles and previous Achilles injury, and that the reduced cushioning of Newton’s design seems to leave my feet achy for a few days.  But I can address the heels by wearing thick socks and, from what I’ve read, my feet should gain strength and become less achy as time goes on.  I’m following Newton's advice to transition slowly, especially as I have a race coming up; I’m only doing a short run each week in the Newtons for now.  But I’m looking forward to giving them more bonding time, come October, and will report back with a full review.