Nike Dunk Sky Hi Femmes

[weida]

Lately, two shoes in particular have hit the streets and have garnered rave reviews from shoe junkies. These are the Saucony Kinvara and the Nike Free Run+, and I originally did not intend to buy either of them. However, both have apparently been huge sellers, and numerous friends have provided glowing reviews of each (I have now posted my own Nike Free Run+ review.). In particular, more of my on-line friends than I can count have jumped on the Saucony Kinvara bandwagon, and it has become the shoe of choice for many looking to move towards less shoe. Quite frankly, I suspect that the Kinvara may have become one of those very gateway shoes discussed above that causes runners slide down the slippery slope toward minimalism. Given the hype, I had to try the Kinvara for myself (this was a personal purchase, not a sample shoe), and having put in nearly 60 miles in them, including an 18 miler and some speed workouts, I feel ready to share my opinion.

The Kinvara breaks the mold of most shoes in the Saucony lineup by having a much reduced heel-toe drop and a very minimal upper, but retains the cushiony feel enjoyed by many runners. I personally have a wide range of preference in shoe choice, and value variability in choice on a given day and for a given purpose. The Kinvara definitely has a place in my lineup, and it will Nike Air Max 1 Pas Cher Soldes continue to be used regularly. It¡¯s a super-light, fast shoe that will knock the socks off of many runners used to something heavier with a bigger heel lift (literally in some cases ¨C this is a shoe that can be run in sockless, and I have done so myself).

Altra has stirred up a bit of controversy in recent months with a move toward more cushioning in their footwear. They beefed up and softened the Instinct in version 2.0 (have not run in them, but saw a pair last week and they are very soft), they introduced the maximally cushioned Altra Olympus trail shoe, and are soon to release the maximal Altra Paradigm road shoe. Shoes like the ultraminimal Samson and Adam are no longer in production. In perhaps the biggest change, the Altra The One has been totally redesigned from a low-profile, racing flat-style shoe to a Saucony Virrata/Kinvara-style lightweight trainer.

Like gateway drugs, I have found that many people who make the transition to minimalist running begin the process with a gateway shoe. A gateway shoe is one that has many of the characteristics of a truly minimalist shoe, but still possesses some of the creature comforts of the familiar, high-tech, big heeled shoes that most runners have run in for the past 20-30 years. A gateway shoe gives a runner a taste of the freedom offered by a truly minimalist shoe (or, god forbid, running barefoot), and once a runner tries one of these out, it¡¯s often a quick slide to the point where they, somewhat paradoxically, succumb to the throes of a raging minimalist shoe addiction. Sadly, it¡¯s an addiction that I know all too well.

One additional word of caution I¡¯ll add ¨C should you decide to give these shoes a try, I¡¯m guessing that given the lack of heel cushion, they¡¯ll require a slow break-in period to avoid injury for those not used to running in this type of shoe ¨C same caution applies to shoes like the Vibram Fivefingers (check out my podcast episode on barefoot/minimalist running caution).

A few months ago I was reading through a thread on the Runner¡¯s World Barefoot Running Forum about a pair of water shoes called the Nike Sneakerboat. I¡¯ve seen water shoes/aqua socks suggested many times as Nike Air Max 90 Fleurs Femme Pas Cher a cheap form of minimalist running shoe (and a minimalist shoe should by definition be inexpensive if there¡¯s less to it ¨C unfortunately the opposite seems to more often be the case!!!), but it can be hard to find a pair that are aesthetically pleasing (if you care about that kind of thing), or that have laces that can be cinched up. The Nike Sneakerboat looked to meet both of these criteria, but unfortunately posters on that thread indicated that the shoe appeared to have been discontinued.Side view of the Nik Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse Pas Cher e Sneakerboat 2 ¨C seems to have a pretty flat sole.