Heard good things about these shoes, but don’t know if it is worth the $160 price tag. They are a very light shoe at less than 13 ounces. All the foam support in this shoe is replaced by air unlike earlier air max that had part foam.
Nike describes the Air Max 360 as a milestone for runners, providing a full air cushioning system in place of foam — giving runners “360 degrees of Nike Air cushioning.” Because testing showed that foam compresses up to 40 percent after 300 miles, the 360’s Air Sole allows the shoe to perform as well on the 301st mile as it does on the first.
In addition, the 360 is also designed to be more flexible in the forefoot, to allow for a more natural range of motion and better correspond with pressure points in the foot — flex grooves on the sole allow for this. The shoe is tuned specifically for gender and shoe size for enhanced impact protection. A seamless sock liner helps eliminate abrasion and midfoot webbing loops provide a better fit.
I’ve been thinking about a second pair of running shoes, so I went to the Brooks Running Shoe Advisor to see what was reccommended for my type of feet. I answered all of the questions and it came out with the Epiphany 2 running shoe. The suggested price for this shoe is $130.
The one thing neutral runners never stay neutral on is cushioning. That’s why the Epiphany™ 2 is such a revelation. Featuring our exclusive e-Fusion™ technology–a tag team of three compounds that deliver superior slip-resistance, enhanced heel contact dampening and advanced forefoot resilience–this shoe offers a truly eye-opening ride.
I saw a lot of people at the half marathon wearing the Garman Forerunner 101 or similar model. I thought I’d take a look at it and see what makes it appealing since at first sight it seems pretty large.
The Forerunner 101 offers athletes and recreational walkers and runners an entry-level personal training device with GPS. It measures speed, distance, pace and calories burned, and runs on 2 AAA batteries.
The Forerunner 101 stores lap histories for up to two years to provide an archive of workout performance over time. Retrieve lap data for previous workouts by date, week, month, or over a specific time interval. For business travelers who want to train on the road, the Forerunner 101 also doubles as a navigator. Users can mark their hotel as a specific location, see their current position on the plotter display, and follow an electronic breadcrumb trail back to their starting point.
Working out with the Forerunner 101 means you’re never alone in your personal training, because the unit provides a “Virtual Partner™”. This unique feature allows you to set your training goal by configuring your Virtual Partner’s pace and workout distance. You’ll get a graphic perspective of your performance by viewing your pace in relation to your Virtual Partner’s pace, so you can always see at a glance if you’re keeping up or falling behind.
The price for one of these is a little over a $100. Not too bad.
OK, the Polar S625X is going on my wishlist. At fist glance it looks just like the Polar S120 I currently have, but the S625 can do so much more. One very cool feature is that it also measures your running pace, and distance. It does this by adding another sensor that attaches to your shoe. You also have the chest strap that measures your heart rate and the wrist watch that collects and analyzes all the data to give you real time information on your run. Here is Polar’s Overview of the product:
The Polar S625X is the world’s first Running Computer that provides accurate heart rate, running pace and distance information right on your wrist. It delivers continuous running speed without relying on where satellites are positioned. With enhanced training tools and features like altitude and ascent for route profile, and the Polar OwnOptimizer™ recovery test– the S625X let’s you put the power of information to work for you.
The equipment that has really helped with my training is the heart rate monitor. I never go on a run without it. Monitoring my heartrate will be my best bet to finishing the upcoming half marathon with an acceptible time.
In the few races I’ve been in, there seems to be a pattern to the start. You arrive a little early to pickup you number and timing chip. After that it’s all waiting around until the start of the race. Usually that is the toughest part of the whole deal because all you can think about it the upcoming run.
So, when the race actually starts all you want to do is take off and run and run hard. The problem is that I will wear out that much quicker. That is where the hear rate monitor works the best for me. I can get a good pace going early that is not so over the top that I end up walking part of the race.
The first race I ever ran in was the Raleigh Old Reliable and it’s also the only race I ran in without my heart rate monitor. I started out too fast and ended up walking for a bit near the 2 mile mark. After walking for about a minute, I ended up pacing myself with someone my size and experience who had a monitor on and ended up doing OK in the run.
The Polar S120 Heart Rate Monitor is what I ended up buying. It consists of a strap that goes over my heart and a watch that gives me the reading.
I remember going to REI to purchase a monitor and saw the S120 and a similar Polar model for about the same price. It was when I asked the sales guy what the difference was when I dicovered there wasn’t much difference at all except that the S120 was shiny. So I went with the ’shiny’ one. It does great for me and I’m probably not even using all of the features.
Ideal for the recreational runner, this wireless monitor has advanced features to guide your training and assess the effectiveness of your workouts.
- Exercise Set™ feature allows you to program your favorite workout, and start it with the push of a button
- Features three heart rate target zone settings with out-of-zone alarms
- Records time in, above and below target zone; calculates recovery and average heart rate
- Watch functions include dual time zone, time of day, date and alarm, and stopwatch with count up and count down timer
- Chest transmitter is designed for comfort and performance
I went out for a training run yesterday in my Ascis running shoes. I could really notice how comfortable they were after wearing flip-flops all day at work. So far I’m really happy with my shoes and I was looking to see what professional runners say about these shoes.
According to a review at The Competitive Runner,
“ Fans of the Asics 2100 should rejoice: Asics hasn’t messed anything up with this ‘upgrade’. In fact, the Asics GT 2110 is a compelling shoe. The first thing you will notice is that the shoe envelopes you heel a bit better than past versions. This nice snug fit, when combined with changes made to midsole, makes this shoe more stable than it’s predecessor. For those who need only a mild amount of support, that may not be a good thing. Although the heel is more snug, the designers of the GT 2110 left plenty of room for your piggies. The Asics 2000 series has long been a favorite of people with wide feet. With the GT 2110, this tradition will continue.”
According to Smarter.com,
“Its perfect for an average runner with a medium build and no known running “issues.” With an incredibly smooth, stable ride, this shoe may be the first, and last shoe you will ever try.Best for runners with a medium build and low to medium arches”
Following up on yesterday’s post, how do you determine when your running shoe is worn out? I keep a log of my running at coolrunning.com and one of the components in that log is shoe mileage. It’s not easy to visually determine when you shoe is worn out. Mileage is probably the best way to keep up on shoe wear since it’s very difficult to determine wear based on visual inspection. I only wear my running shoes for training and the races, not daily use. I’ll wear an older pair of shoes for daily use. That way I can keep close to accurate milage on my shoes.
There is a good website for calculating milage and wear of your shoes at the Run Gear Run website.
You’ll also be able to find some great tips on running shoe wear just below the calculator.
As a new runner, I wanted to purchase the best running shoe I could get. I went to a local bike/running store all ready to purchase a pair of Brooks shoes that I read about on the internet. When I got to the store, I was asked if I need help. I mentioned that I need some running shoes and I was thinking of buying a pair of Brooks. Well, I was bombarded with questions that I had no idea how to answer such as:
“Are you looking for stability or motion control?”
“What type of arch do you have?”
“How much do you run?”
The only question I could answer was the last one and I was feeling like quite the beginner. So, the sales guy told me to take off my shoes and roll up my pant legs and walk around the store. He helped me determine what shoes I need by looking at the way I walk and fitted me in a pair of Asics running shoes.
I was told that they should last about 300 miles and how I should look for wear. With his help I have a good pair of shoes that fit well on my feet.
I would like to think that I’m not alone in the confusion involved with picking the right shoe and I found a great shoe guide for dummies that can help with the confusion.
Good luck!