Torn

After looking at the viewing history of this blog, I noticed that my most popular article has been on the SCOTT T2C LTDs. While I thought you would care to read more about me and how I started running, that is not the case. In fact over 10% of the hits on my site are for this one review. So, being the provider of knowledge that I am, I thought I would add on a few thoughts from that previous article and request some help from the running public.

The shoes have grown on me in the last month or so. I don't know why, but they have. So much in fact that with my next race (River to River Relay), I am torn as to which shoes I am going to wear, my SCOTT's or my Altras. When I run in them my legs just want to move and they want to move fast. I made a note to check myself the last time I ran in them and my stride & foot-landing position wasn't any different than normal.

The only difference that I can think of is that the SCOTTs have less miles on them and might be a bit more responsive. I will be doing some more testing in the next few weeks leading up to River to River to see which I feel better in, and which I can flat out run faster in. Should be fun.

Question for you shoe nerds like me... How do you decide what to wear in a race?

You can't run naked

Well I guess you can, but I don't want to see it.

Anyway, now that I have your attention I wanted to pass along some info. Earlier this week I got approved by the nice folks over at Salomon to sell not only their shoes, but their apparel as well. (See, how I tied that in with the title?) While you probably don't know me all that well through this blog, I can assure that I am almost as much of a clothing junkie as I am a shoe junkie. So, rest assured that I will be wearing this stuff and providing reviews on them.

Anyway I am beyond excited to bring them on and expand my footprint across the shoe peddling halls I walk. If you aren't familiar with them, they have an excellent history of providing durable shoes and clothing to completely awesome people, just like you.

So, if you are in the market for some new shoes OR clothes, I am your man.

Here's some pretty pics:
Salomon XR Mission

XT Wings S LAB 4

Congrats to Altra!

I figure I would do a really quick post about Altra Zero Drop being named "Best Debut" 2012 by Runner's World Magazine in the March Issue. You can read a blog post by Altra about it here.

I have blogged previously about these shoes and they are still my go-to shoe for running. They are incredibly light and comfortable. They have brought my running up to a completely new level. You should buy some... From me...

Also I wanted to point out that If you live in the Mid-West, I am just about the only place you can find these awesome shoes.

See that dot in St. Louis? That's my house/shoe store

Anyway, congrats to Altra. You deserve it!

A Guest Review: Altra Eve

I HAVE MOVED!!! Please visit www.takeitrunning.com or call me at 314-246-9225 if you are interested about the Eve or other Altra Products.

Several months ago I was able to get my hands on a pair of Eve shoes by Altra. Altra is a running shoe
company that takes minimalist shoes, zero drop, seriously. I first became aware of the company thanks
to John. I switched to running in a minimalist shoe in April 2011 and haven’t regretted the decision at
all. So any new minimalist shoe that comes on the market interests me.

I was interested in the Eve but worried that it would be too minimalist for me. I’m not at the complete
zero drop phase in my running yet. I had the chance to try these shoes on at the Rock N Roll STL expo
in October. Once I put them on and walked around for a bit I was in heaven. They were super comfy.
I wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t want to take them off. I do believe I walked around and sat around in
them for a good 15-20 min before finally taking them off. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to purchase a pair
at that point because I had already planned to purchase another pair of running shoes that day.

Lucky for me I was able to get my hands on a pair of these. I decided not to wear them for running, still
think they are too minimalist for me. I suffered from a heal fracture in 2009 that kept me from running
for a while and I’m paranoid of hurting that foot again, still have some issues with it. So the minimalist
shoes that offer a bit more cushioning are still what I tend to go towards (in case I have a bad form day
and I heal strike). That being said, I get a lot of wear out of these shoes. I usually wear them when
walking the dog every night, doing errands on the weekends, etc. I’ve even been known to wear them
to work when foot pain kept me from wearing high heels. I was worried about wearing them for too
long as I do still have heal pain but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I have had zero discomfort with these
shoes. With my other tennis shoes that I wear with jeans I have to wear heal inserts or I’m in pain after
an hour of walking. With the Eve’s, I can go hours and feel no pain or discomfort. For me, that’s huge.

I have to say that to me they aren’t the most attractive shoe, although I do really like the coloring.
However I do think they look fine with jeans. If I want to make a fashion statement I’ll wear something
less comfortable, but if I’m going for comfort I grab these 100% of the time. Oh, and in case you are
wondering, I did wear them to work the other day when we had a small amount of snow/ice and I didn’t
slip once while walking outside. Coming from a klutz such as myself, that’s really good.

In case you are wondering where you can buy a pair of these, just ask John. He’ll be happy to go over
details and get a pair ordered for you.

Shoe Review: SCOTT T2C LTD

I HAVE A NEW WEBSITE! To purchase these shoes visit www.takeitrunning.com or Call Me at 314-246-9225. I will ship anywhere.


Disclaimer: While I do sell Scott shoes, I will not let that impact my review of these shoes. There are some things I like and don't like about them. So lets get it on...

The Scott T2C LTD is described as this on their website: 

"..the T2C LTD is one of the fastest running shoes ever. The unique midsole design of this minimalist running shoe promotes a healthier body position and a more efficient running form." 

The shoe uses their e-Ride & Ion Mask technologies.

Ergologic Ride™

"Run more naturally:

1.) With its mild Rocker Shape and lower heel height, the unique midsole design promotes a healthier body position and running form.
2.) EMG Testing at the “Human Performance Lab”, University of Calgary*, indicates that the eRide-Technology is more energy efficient than standard designs.
3.) eRide enables a midfoot strike while providing a more cushioned and stable platform. The unique shape smoothly accommodates heel, midfoot or forefoot strikers.
4.) The rocker heel shape effectively creates a lower profile heel, minimizing heel-strike.
5.) The mild rocker geometry creates a smoother transition between phases of the gait cycle and more efficient propulsion.
6.) The minimalistic sole design is lighter weight and puts the foot closer to the ground, while still providing necessary cushioning, protection and traction."

Ion-mask™

"Invisible to wearers, the protective layer of ion-mask™ is over one thousand times thinner than a human hair. The technology is molecularly bonded to the whole surface of the product making it extremely durable without affecting the look or feel of the product. Furthermore, ion-mask™ lasts as long as the material itself and is not compromised by everyday wear. Treated articles keep wearers comfortable and dry by repelling water from outside and maintaining optimum control of temperature and breathability. By resisting the absorption of water and dirt, ion-mask™ also helps guard against stains, making products look newer for longer."

Well... Here's my opinion after running about 15-20 miles in them:

After running for the last 2-3 months in Altras I was excited to try another shoe that was said to be "Minimalist." However when I put them on I didn't feel as though they were minimal at all. I don't know if this is Altra-syndrome causing this, or what. They are light-weight but that is about where the minimalism stopped in my opinion. There is some pretty substantial support in the mid-foot and heel with these shoes and for the life of me I couldn't find anything out about the Heel/Toe drop measurements. Unfortunately I don't have calipers at my disposal so I couldn't get all up in the shoe with them either. The shoe is also a little different with their e-Ride system (much like the new Sketchers GORun). Essentially the shoe bulges out in the mid-foot area like a rocking chair leg. This is said to promote more of a natural flow from a heel to toe running form and also be more efficient for mid/fore-foot runners. The build up in the mid-foot is also said to decrease the amount of energy spent when pushing off and allow runners to go farther. I am not sure I believe that but I can say the ride in these shoes is pretty comfortable. I used these first for a 4 mile recovery run and they made my legs and feet feel very happy. Since then I have taken them out on a few different 3-4 mile occasions. Also the shoes are wider than your standard would be racing shoes. I have a very wide foot and found they were only a little snug. This can/will be remedied with some lacing magic. They have performed well and are a nice break in my running from the Altras. However, I won't be abandoning my Altras anytime soon. 


I think for me as someone who is used to running in a Zero Drop shoe, these work well for recovery runs and are a nice chance of pace every once in awhile. I do wish I would have found these shoes prior to going Zero Drop because I think they would be a great transition shoe when going minimal.


Now lets get to the looks of them...

I know that as long as your body is happy one should not care about running. For example Phoebe on Friends really didn't care what she looked like. See how happy she was...

Ok, but we live in a world where looks are kind of a big deal and runners size you up from  the moment you put on your nut hugging tights. I really don't think these shoes do much in the looks department. The frumpy blackness of them doesn't really go well with the red. And when you put them together, they don't scream racing shoe. Their other shoes seem to be much more in your face with the color schemes, I just don't get why this one got hit with the ugly stick.

Shiny New Shoes

 In closing, I would buy these shoes (from me). However, if you are a minimal runner, they may not be for you. However, if you are thinking of transitioning to a more mid/fore-foot form, these shoes  (and the other Scott shoes w/ eRide) will work out swell for you.


If you have any questions, let me know.

Expansion... Well Kind of

Well I tweeted and Google +'d that I was taking on a new brand here at Run Break. So I am blogging about it to make it really official. I'm happy to announce that I now offer the full line of Scott Running Shoes.

These shoes are a bit different aesthetically & physically than the Altras that I currently carry. Well lets be honest they are a complete 180 departure visually. However, based on my research they are just using some more technology to accomplish a smoother running gait for runners that tend to do more heel or midfoot striking.

I am excited to get some of these shoes in so I can review them and let you know my thoughts. In the meantime, you can contact me via email for more details or with questions.

Below are some images of their shoes:

SCOTT ERIDE ICERUNNER IM

ERIDE GRIP

T2 COMP

I have a business... Oh Crap

I started this blog awhile back to kind of start tracking my running thoughts, ask lengthy questions about stuff I encountered, and like most people to try and make a buck here or there. So far all three are working out. You all have been great reading my ramblings and providing feedback. Its the "making a buck" part that I am kind of caught off guard by. I started selling Altra Zero Drop shoes a while back. I honestly was being selfish and just wanted to try them out without having to go 500 miles to try them on. Luckily the guys there are awesome and set me up as a distributor and I have kind of taken off with it. Now, I am not making Scrooge McDuck swimming money, but its funding my addiction to running. Which was the plan from the beginning.

Not quite...

But where do I go from here? I was hoping to kind of fly under the IRS's radar and just kind of have a good time with this. However, there's potential here and I want to maximize that potential. The problem is I am really completely lost. I keep telling myself it is a "good problem" to have, but I think that phrase is complete BS. Good Problems are still Problems. They cause undue stress and require work to figure out. I am sure I am not the first person to encounter this dilemma, but I am trying to find someone who has gone through this that isn't Bill Gates and is easily accessible. Also while I should be going to friends and family on this, I am reaching out to my online community of running folk. You all seem to be well respected, smart, and have so many opinions, that I can learn a lot from you.

So that's it. I am looking for advice. For free. Thanks.

Nu Shooz: Altra Instincts

I have been pretty pumped for the opportunity to write this post for some time. I really like running and I really like shoes. Several months ago I decided that I would give the minimal running thing a try. I had nothing to lose. I found some New Balance 101's for $65 because I needed a pair of trail shoes. The rest as you can read in that link is history. As I was researching the minimal running technique, a shoe company kept popping up as a somewhat revolutionary minimal shoe, Altra Running and their Instincts. I had never heard of them and didn't think too much of it. A few months of this company showing up on Twitter and after reading some reviews, one in particular from someone who I consider to be the best running shoe resource on the internets, Pete a.k.a. Run Blogger, I thought I might like them. Pete likes the NB 101's and the way he described the fit it sounded like we might have a similar foot shape & preference. I read this review in March of 2011.

Six months later I am finally able to write my opinion of the Altra Instincts. A couple factors got in the way of this review for 6 months: 1) If I bought another pair of shoes in March, my wife would probably kill me. She still may as it looks as I am hoarding them and may need to dedicate a room of my house to running crap. 2) You can't buy Altra's anywhere within 450 miles of St. Louis. I would hate to buy a pair of shoes I've never tried and be stuck with them. So I like to try them on before I make my decision.

Within this 6 month period, I actually became somewhat internet-friends with Jeremy over at Altra. We had chatted back and forth and I even went into a few running stores here in St. Louis to try and get their product in here. It was the least I could do. Unfortunately, like most other things clothing/fashion, it takes new things about a year or two to come to St. Louis. So, that's when Altra and I started talking a bit more about business. To my surprise they were willing to set me up basically as a shoe store here in St. Louis. So, I now have the ability to sell their shoes to the public. Kind of a weird thing if you look at it. I've never stepped foot into one of their shoes and here I am now authorized to sell them, and essentially I have started a small side business because of it. So anyway, I had to buy a pair to make sure I believed in what I was pushing. Funny how life works out.

Ok, back to the shoes. I took them out (today) on a Sunday morning for 5 easy recovery miles. This was going to be a good test of how far I had come as a minimal runner since putting on the NB's. We started running and immediately it stared raining. Well this was definitely going to be a good test for them. The route we took at a local park is a mix of asphalt, dirt, grass, & gravel. The shoes performed well on all surfaces. I was a little weary on their grip with it being wet outside but they held onto the ground quite nicely. The shoes also handled the rain remarkably. In past runs, I had noticed that my shoes (Brooks Adrenaline) would become water logged and heavier. These shoes seemed to take the water in, but more importantly, let the water out which kept the shoes from getting weighed down. They felt really light on my feet and I liked them on the pavement. Since switching completely over to the 101s, even for road running, I forget what padding feels like between my feet and the ground. 

The fit of the shoe is great also. I have large, wide feet (14EE) and my feet had room to move around. I kept the typical lacing pattern that most shoes use, but I think I will switch it up to the hybrid lacing style that Altra promotes on their website. I think I need just a tad bit more room width wise. Well either this or I will slap some Yankz on there and call it a day.

Alternate Lacing

So after only 5 miles, I am a fan of these shoes and incredibly happy with the progress I have made as a minimal runner. I am about a month out from the Rock 'n Roll St. Louis Half-Marathon and I hope I can do it in these shoes as its going to be all pavement and I want to save my feet a bit. 

Oh and I wouldn't be a good business man if I didn't say this... So if you want to buy some of these bad boys or any other Altra products, drop me an email  or DM me on Twitter (@RunShepRun).

Finally, just a disclaimer, if these shoes would have sucked, I would have written so. While I stand to profit from these if I sell them, I wouldn't BS my readers. The fact that I can regard these so highly, strengthens my decision to sell them, I just went about it a bit backwards.

The shoe that did it

This is going to be my first review on here. So I thought I would make it be about the most influential piece of equipment I've used over the last 5 years. Since this is about running, it is going to be about shoes. In the last 6 months or so, I have been very interested in the minimalist shoe movement that has been going on. My opinion on these shoes was extremely negative. I felt shoes needed structured and support the type of foot that goes in them. Well on a whim I bought some New Balance MT101s because I needed some trail shoes and well they were the cheapest option I could find. I started wearing them and almost instantly my form changed and I was running up on my forefoot and no longer heel striking. It was an interesting experience to say the least and I haven't really looked back. I am still a work in progress with the new form and my calves hate me at times, but I have notice that my legs  feel amazing when I go out to run and they are stronger than ever. So here's my review of the shoes that changed my entire running life.

Oh so pretty.

The New Balance MT101 is marketed as an "ultra-lightweight trail racer" but it is so much more. As I am transitioning from a structured support shoe to more minimal shoes, I have found the shoes to be ideal for all of my running needs. I started using them as they were intended, as trail shoes, but quickly found that I was running faster & more efficiently when I put them on. So, not being one for following the rules, I took them out on the pavement. I was pleasantly surprised with how cushioned my feet felt even with so much LESS shoe under them. They are so lightweight (7.8 oz listed at  NB website) I've even used them as a racing flat for 10k through the city streets. The shoes can do it all.

The fit of these shoes is wonderful. I have a tricky 14 EE size shoe. Even though these shoes are said to be a D width, there is plenty of room in the toe box allowing my feet to spread out unrestricted. This ample space coupled with the minimal heel-toe drop have really helped take my running biomechcanics to the next level.The one fit issue I have had with them is the EVA foam collar around the ankle. It is very abrasive and I have found it promotes blisters rather easily. This is simply remedied by wearing socks that come up over the ankle collar. The other issue I have had with them is that the traction on the soles has worn out a bit quicker than expected. This is probably due to the amount of road miles I have put on them.

Finally (and possibly most importantly) the cost of these shoes is a real bargain. While they are listed at $74.99 at www.newbalance.com, I have found these shoes much cheaper with a simple online search. My first pair I bought for $65 and recently I purchased my second pair of these shoes for $55. The great news about this is that prices will most likely continue to go down as this shoe will be replaced in early 2012 with the MT110. Check out an early review of the MT110 HERE (HT: Runblogger)

These shoes are a triple threat as a trail, training, and racing shoe for a terrific price and I highly recommend them.