Nike Free 5.0 Women's Lightweight

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The DS Racer Nike Free 5.0 Bird Nest Women's weighs in at 6.3 oz in men¡¯s size 9, so it¡¯s a very light shoe ¨C less than an ounce heavier than the Hyper Speed. It has stack heights of 23mm in the heel, and 15 mm in the forefoot, but it feels less than an 8mm drop shoe to me.

inov-8 F-lite 232 on the left (now called 192 ; 0mm drop and 6mm midsole height) and F-lite 262 on the right (now called 240 Standard fit; 6mm drop and 7mm FF/13mm H midsole heights). Simple shoes built on a road racing flat geometry and sold as Crossfit shoes¡­makes them perfect trail shoes, of course :). Very comfortable and versatile, albeit more minimal trail options; a version with a rock plate would be awesome! 270 g and 285 g for F-Lite 232 and 262 respectively in M13.

When it comes to choosing a running shoe, I¡¯m a firm believer in the adage that we are each individuals with our own needs, or as more eloquently stated by Burfoot in the above post (quoting George Sheehan), ¡°We¡¯re all an experiment of one.¡± Given this, I¡¯m a strong proponent of greater variation in footwear choice for people who vary widely in their footwear preferences/needs. My basic philosophy is that, to again quote Burfoot, this time from the Summer 2010 Outside Buyer¡¯s Guide, ¡°All runners should run in as little shoe as possible.¡± I¡¯m an advocate for minimalism, but I don¡¯t see my role being to tell anyone what they should wear (some people admittedly seem to do just fine in shoes like those pictured above). I view transitioning to minimalist shoes Nike Air Max Thea Print as one option that a runner has should they desire to try it ¨C if you are running fine in more traditional shoes it¡¯s probably best to just stick with what is working! There are certain risks involved, and transitioning to a reduced or minimalist shoe can take some time and needs to be done carefully and slowly to overcome years of acclimation to heel lifts and extensive cushioning. I can¡¯t emphasize this latter point enough.

So, the first run was a mix of good and bad ¨C the shoe performed a lot better than I expected, but the blistering was a problem. Yesterday I went for a second run in the shoes, this time with socks and a bit of Skin Strong lubricant applied generously to the blistered regions of my foot. I can¡¯t necessarily say it was the shoes (the Fall-like weather certainly didn¡¯t hurt!), but my run yesterday was the best I¡¯ve had in months. I did a fairly hilly 10.27 miles at an average pace of 7:10/mile. Here are my mile splits: 8:11-7:54-7:25-7:07-6:56-7:01-7:06-7:04-6:42-6:24-6:12 (final quarter mile). My right foot was a bit sore in the first mile ¨C I had strained something on a wild, lost in the woods, 9+ mile trail run earlier in the week ¨C and I was concerned that the thickened midfoot sole would aggravate it. Fortunately, things improved as I warmed up, and continued to get better as each mile passed, and the socks and lubricant seem to have resolved the blister issue. For me to run the final few miles at the pace that I did was a bit of a shock ¨C 10 miles is about as along a run as I have done since the Boston Marathon back in April.

I never thought or expected that I would say this, but I think I might really like these shoes (gasp!). The upper is stretchy, without any structural elements, and very soft internally ¨C it¡¯s very much like a cross between the uppers on the Nike Free Run and the Saucony Hattori. The sockliner is a thin, comfortable layer of open-cell polyurethane foam, again very reminiscent of the Hattori. The midsole is extremely flexible and fairly soft, and it has oustole pods under the midfoot and extending up the edges toward the forefoot on each side (this should help with durability). I generally like either a softish midsole (like the Saucony Kinvara, Brooks Green Silence, or Frees) or little to no midsole at all (think Vibram Fivefingers, Vivobarefoot, Merrell Barefoot), so this works for me, but will not appeal to those who prefer a firmer ride. The shoe is also nice and light, weighing in at 7. Nike Free 5.0 Camouflage Women's 3 oz in size 10 on my scale (probably with a bit of residual sweat soaked in¡­). And, though I can¡¯t quantify this in any way, I feel like the shoes give me a bit of additional spring ¨C I¡¯m wondering if the bit of additional upward pressure under the midfoot interacts with the plantar fascia in some way to help propel the foot off of the ground.

Slick Salomon design and construction are highlights in this pretty dedicated fell running shoe. Warm upper is nice in the winter and narro Nike Free 5.0 Women's Lightweight w design works great in mud and snow. 330 g M13.