Just A Momentum

Running Shoe Review: Newton Momentum All-Terrain Trainers

A few weeks ago, I was at a local running store looking for a pair of shoes while battling plantar fasciitis. A young salesman suggested I try on a pair of Newton running shoes, to which I less than graciously responded, “I’ve never heard of Newton running shoes!” Fortunately, the Newtonians from Boulder, Colorado provided me with a pair of Newton Momentum All-Terrain Trainers to try out under real-world conditions.

The Momentum shoes come in a distinct orange, yellow and grey color scheme that seems to present a message of optimism at first glance. And they come with a nice, medium-width fit that’s snug but not too snug. The laces, however, seem a bit short and the all-too-supportive insole wound up pushing my toes uncomfortably upward; this was easily resolved by swapping for a cheaper, thinner insole. The toe box itself is flexible.

The Momentum is first and foremost a trail runner and one feels the obvious energy return from the four cushioned lugs in the forefoot of the shoe. But walking on a dirt trail felt odd, as if I were wearing snowshoes with crampons attached. Interestingly, this is not a problem when walking on concrete – the smooth surface allows for a comfortable “rocker” motion that makes walking quite pleasurable.

I tried this all-terrain shoe on multiple surfaces, and found that I enjoyed the run most on hard concrete. This is a surprise, but perhaps not so surprising knowing that the Momentum is loaded with cushioning spread from front to rear. It’s not as comfortable when running on uneven asphalt, but this is likely true with any running shoe.

Like all Newtons, the Momentum is structured to encourage a mid-foot or front-foot strike and it’s easy to get used to it. One does, though, feel the new muscles that are being used (especially if you’re a natural heel striker, like I am) – I quickly felt the twinges from my inner thigh muscles. Newtons should be broken in slowly and gradually, although all the padding underfoot leads one to feel quite confident about avoiding injury.

As advertised, the Momentum is a neutral running shoe with just a touch of stability for minimal pronators. While perhaps changing your normal foot strike pattern, they do not push your feet inward or outward. These runners move you forward with little wasted motion and without a needless bounce. (A number of today’s most cushioned running shoes are overly bouncy, which adds sideways motion – or drifting, and this actually requires extra effort to compensate for the distraction.)

I found that running in a pair of Newtons is like experiencing running from a new perspective. The Momentum is a lightweight, well but not overly-cushioned shoe that supports an organic running motion. While this is not a minimal shoe, it does sit more level to the ground than traditional running shoes. Although this is the first pair of Newtons that I’ve jogged in, the shoe’s construction seems to support the theory that less is more. There’s something almost instinctively retro about the appearance and build of the Momentum.

The Terra Momentum all-terrain runners are a natural choice to throw in one’s travel bag, knowing that no matter what type of running surface waits in another town, these shoes will provide the protection needed to get you through a set quota of training miles. The fact that other runners may ask you what type of shoes you’re wearing is just a plus.

Well recommended.

Joseph Arellano

This article first appeared on the Blogcritics Sports site:

http://blogcritics.org/sports/article/running-shoe-review-newton-momentum-all/

Ride Captain Ride

A review of the Saucony ProGrid Ride 5 running shoe.

In 2000, Saucony released the Grid Azura cushioned running shoe. For a supposed neutral shoe it was a pretty stable runner due to its low profile stance, almost straight last, and durable rubber in the forefoot. It was a lightweight and airy shoe for its time, and I was warned that it might hold up for only a couple of hundred miles. Now, more than twelve years later, it’s a running shoe that I still use a few times each month, and there’s little indication that it’s nearing the end of its useful days.

I had expectations that Saucony’s fifth iteration of the ProGrid Ride would be a current day version of the Grid Azura. They seem to have a few things in common. The Ride is a low profile shoe with a lowered heel height and a close to straight last that’s unique for a neutral, cushioned runner. Appearance wise, it almost looks like a direct descendent of the Azura, even down to the triangular lugs in the front of the shoe. However, the Ride 5 has ultra-soft blown rubber in its forefoot. Surprisingly, the Ride 5 seems to be not just as stable as the old Azura, but even more so which can present issues for some runners.

First, let me point out a few accolades for this shoe. The new Ride looks to be beautifully constructed, has a nice, comfortable feel (size up a half-size), and brings with it some very functional flat shoelaces that stay tied. Unfortunately, this is about it for the positives. I expected that with the lower profile – somewhere in between that of a standard running shoe and a minimalist running shoe – the Ride would feel like a racing flat. No such luck.

I quickly found the Ride’s ride to be overly, surprisingly stable perhaps due to the hard plastic support bar found underneath the arch (the Azura had no such mid-foot support device). I felt as if my feet were being pushed outward on every step, something that would surely result in some fast wearing down of the heels. And the ride seemed indistinct, as if I could feel neither my heel planting nor the soft rubber up front. This was so surprising that I found myself constantly looking down – had I mistakenly put on an old pair of New Balance cross-trainers?

If I were to attempt to describe the feel of the Ride in one word, I would have to use the dreaded technical term “mushy” – generally not a word used in the laudatory sense.

Saucony has made much of the fact that the Ride 5 is an ounce lighter than the Ride 4, because of less cushioning in the midsole and less rubber on its sole. I’m not sure this is such a good thing, as both my feet and my ankles were sore even before the end of my first test run in this version.

Perhaps there are ultra-efficient, blessed runners who’ll run on their toes in the Ride 5 and find it to be an exceptional lightweight trainer. For this runner, it was an experiment that didn’t work. On to the Saucony Virrata or the Grid Fastwitch 6?

Joseph Arellano

The Saucony ProGrid Ride 5 sells for $109.95.

This review was originally posted on the Blogcritics Sports site:

http://blogcritics.org/sports/article/running-shoe-review-the-saucony-progrid