One foot in front of the other.
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Nytro Complete Triathlon Package
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For a second year in a row, Newton Running shoes were rewarded for their outstanding products in the prestigious 220 Triathlon awards held on 13th February at Sandown Park.
Following their 2009 win for ‘Innovative Product of the Year’ the popular ‘Newton Gravity’ training shoe was awarded the 2010 ‘Run Shoe of the Year’ award, beating Asics Noosa and Saucony Fastwitch 3 to the title.
Mike Trees, managing director of Triathlon Consultants (Newton Running’s UK distributor) accepted the award and said “It is a great honour to receive this award on behalf of Newton Running, who have put so much research and development into producing what is now recognised at possibly the greatest running shoe in the world for forefoot and mid foot runners. We at TCL have the relatively easy job of selling the Newton Running shoes the eagerly awaiting public.”
The attached image shows Mike Trees standing with his long time hero in sport Dave Scott, 6 times winner of the Hawaii Ironman and arguably the greatest triathlete to date presenting Newton’s award for Run Shoe of the Year.
Date: 2/26/09
Consecutive Days Run: 57
Runner: Brandon Wood
Shoes: La Sportiva Wildcat GTX
Location: New York, NY
Type of Run: Quickie
Time of Day: 7:10 PM EST
Distance Run: 1.73 miles
Time Run: 00:14:15
Average Pace: 8:15 per mile
Weather Conditions: Snow and Ice, Cold (32 degrees Fahrenheit)
Disposition: Good
Link to Run Detail: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25601025
About the Run: Today’s sn-urricane left us with a bunch of snow on the highways and byways of New York City. Since I didn’t have an assigned run (swim day) this gave me the perfect opportunity to get out and play in the snow on a short run. I wore my La Sportiva Wildcat GTX’s because I knew that I’d be contending with quite a bit of ice on the road and the actuator lugs on my Newton AW’s tend to act like little skis on ice!
So, off I went into the elements for my run. A lot of the primary sidewalk was clear, but when I got in Inwood Hill Park, the paths had been plowed but a layer of ice lay covering the ground. As I was cam to a certain point where the path takes a VERY slight down grade, my feet went out and I found myself rolling, military style across the ground, though probably not as gracefully as I picture it in my head! I didn’t hurt anything and more importantly, I didn’t further destroy my clothes supply! I continued on, even getting to run a good stretch of my run on an awesome packed snow path.
All in all a great run. That hill that I want to conquer remains unconquered due to the fact that it was quite treacherous with snow and ice. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s run brings!
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La Sportiva N.A., makers of technical climbing, mountaineering, Mountain Running® and hiking footwear, announces its Mountain Running® team roster and associate sponsors for 2010.
“Supporting the La Sportiva Mountain Running® team is one of many ways in which we aim to improve the vitality of the sport,” says Laura Fryer, La Sportiva’s Marketing Manager. “Ever since our Mountain Running® team’s inception in 2003, our goal has been to provide a network of support to regional race directors, volunteers, talented athletes and quality races throughout North America. We are very grateful for the assistance that our associate sponsors will be providing in 2010, as this mission would be impossible without their help.” La Sportiva’s running team roster includes over 25 athletes from around North America and includes such ultrarunning notables as Karl Meltzer, Luke Nelson, Leor Pantilat as well as the 2009 La Sportiva Mountain Cup Champions Matthew Byrne and Megan Kimmel. New additions to the La Sportiva team for 2010 include Andy Jones-Wilkins of Ketchum, Idaho, Nathan Yanko of San Francisco, CA, Ellen Parker of Seattle, WA, and Natalie Simms of Chattanooga, TN.
Associate sponsors for the 2010 La Sportiva Mountain Running® team are Greenlayer Sports and First Endurance with support from Ultimate Direction and Petzl. Additional sponsors include Julbo, Headsweats and DeFeet.
Melissa O’Kelley, Greenlayer Sports Marketing Director, states “Sponsoring the La Sportiva Mountain Running® team is a perfect fit for us, not only because of the high caliber of athletes on their team, but also because of pro-environmental philosophies that exist between our brands and the loyal following of active enthusiasts we both share. We hope that our inaugural partnership with La Sportiva will raise awareness about the environment and help shape a better world where we all live and run, locally and globally.” Greenlayer will serve as the official apparel sponsor of the La Sportiva team.
“At Ultimate Direction, we sponsor only the most passionate running teams and dedicated athletes. La Sportiva’s team roster for 2010 includes some of the best endurance athletes in the world,” states Sue Edmiston, Ultimate Direction’s Marketing Manager. “Water is an essential element for peak training, racing and performance. With our innovative array of hydration products we plan to keep Team Sportiva running fast in 2010.”
Go to http://mountainrunning.com for a complete list of the 2010 La Sportiva Mountain Running® team roster, associate sponsors and calendar of racing events.
SOLE, the manufacturer of premium footbeds, socks and sandals, announces its partnership with ReCORK America™, a US-based wine cork recycling program sponsored by Amorim of Portugal, the world’s largest producer of natural cork. SOLE will use a blend of recycled cork wine bottle closures in its line of 2010 footwear products.
“We have been working with ReCORK for over eight months,” states Mike Baker, president of SOLE. “They provided us with thousands of used corks and we did the R&D necessary to successfully develop a cork blend that enhances the material properties of our products. This is the kind of sustainable effort that benefits everyone.”
ReCORK and SOLE have an agreement to find sustainably optimized ways to reuse and recycle as many corks as can be collected. Roger Archey, a spokesman for Amorim’s ReCORK, says the timing is perfect. “We have collected nearly four million corks since the program started in 2007 – that’s without promotion or fanfare. The SOLE partnership will give us the opportunity to dramatically expand our collection efforts and better serve our current and future collection partners.”
ReCORK’s recycling partners include many familiar names in the wine, hospitality and retail markets, including: American Airlines/Sodexo, The Wine Tasting Network, Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Rodney Strong Wine Estates, Cakebread Cellars, Whole Foods Markets in Northern California, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, Rutherford Wine Co. and PlumpJack.
About ReCORK and Amorim
ReCORK America is a natural cork recycling program sponsored by Amorim of Portugal and its US affiliates, Portocork America and Amorim Cork America. For additional information, visit www.recorkamerica.com or www.savemiguel.com.
Tracing its root to the 19th century, Amorim has become the largest cork and cork-derived company in the world, generating over Euro 450 million in sales throughout more than 100 countries. Amorim and its subsidiaries are an integral part of a conservation effort to guarantee the survival of hundreds of thousands of cork oak trees throughout the Mediterranean Basin. Amorim is proud of its contributions to the correct utilization of these important forests that represent a key role in CO2 retention, preserving biodiversity and preventing desertification. Information about Amorim of Portugal can be found at www.amorim.com/en and www.corkfacts.com.
Barefoot running was clearly one of the most talked about trends in the running industry last year. From the bestselling book Born To Run, to the explosive growth of the Vibram Five Fingers, runners everywhere seem to be talking about barefoot running.
Well, the buzz about barefoot running is about to hit a fever pitch. As we’ve talked about in previous posts, Harvard anthropologist Dan Lieberman has been studying the evolution of human running for several years. Dr. Lieberman has just published the results of his study in the journal Nature and the mainstream media is running (cough) with the story. For those of you who listen to NPR on the drive home, you might have heard this story on “All Things Considered” today. The story is also available on NPR.org and features a pretty interesting video:
Not surprisingly, Vibram Five Fingers are also getting a lot of attention from the media (Vibram sponsored Lieberman’s study). The Five Fingers clearly help people to try barefoot running, while providing some protection from rocks, glass, etc. As we talked about in the previous post, Newton’s are built for Natural Running but some of you may be wondering how Newtons compare to Vibrams. Amanda Brooks asked just that on her blog, Run to the Finish, and Newton Running’s Director of Education and Research, Ian Adamson, had this response:
Running Newton Shoes and Vibram Five Fingers have many similarities, at least from a form perspective. The primary difference is the cushioning and energy return provided by Newtons, which is largely absent in Vibrams.
Both Newton Performance Racers and Vibrams have a 2 mm heel lift, or toe drop depending on how you look at it. This translates into a 1.3% down grade in the shoe, also referred to as ramp angle or drop. Newton Performance Trainers have a 2% gradient, which although very small, can be felt by aware runners. Regular running shoes have a much steeper angle, up to 15% depending on the shoe.
Barefoot running forces you to run efficiently and preventatively with respect to injury. Vibram’s allow people to experience barefoot running with an added layer of protection from harsh surfaces, while Newton’s go one step further, adding forefoot cushioning and a significant energy return component.
Newton shoes are much kinder to the body’s structure and musculature when transitioning from a traditional running shoe to barefoot, and allow you to perfect a natural (barefoot) form while providing protection and cushioning. Newton’s active membrane technology has been carefully designed to facilitate afferent feedback, which means the nerves in your forefoot feel the ground very quickly through the shoe. This is achieved through the outer lugs and internal semi-rigid chamber that is connected to the bio-mechanical top plate adjacent to your foot inside the shoe.
Traditional shoe cushioning mechanisms dampens afferent feedback, hampering proprioception and thus hindering your ability to self-regulate the impact of your foot strike. Studies show that runners strike much harder in shoes that dampen afferent feedback, one of the causes of injury. Barefoot runners and runners in shoes that allow you to sense the ground encourage you to run protectively, as if barefoot.
Bottom line is that both Vibrams and Newtons encourage a barefoot or natural running style, but Newtons make it much easier for runners to transition from typical running shoes.
Racers Against Childhood Cancer
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Date: 1/17/09
Consecutive Days Run: 17
Runner: Brandon Wood
Shoes: La Sportiva Wildcat GTX
Location: New York, NY
Type of Run: Steady, Zone 2 run with 3 min increases
Time of Day: 7:32 PM EST
Distance Run: 8.0 miles
Time Run: 01:05:56
Average Pace: 8:14 per mile
Weather Conditions: Cold (37 degrees Fahrenheit), light rain
Disposition: Good
Link to Run Detail: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/22626895
About the Run: Right off the bat, I’d like to talk about my shoes. It was raining today, all day, and there was more than a little water pooled all over the ground. I know from past experience that, while my Newton AW’s are water resistant, they are far from water PROOF which is what today’s weather called for. So, I ran in a pair of shoes from the folks at La Sportiva. The model I was running in was the Wildcat GTX, which is technically a mountain running shoe. It has a Gore-tex upper that kept dry all the way through my hour long run, even when I ran through several puddles by accident (and I do mean THROUGH these puddles). They sole is far stiffer than the sole of my Newtons, especially behind the meta-tarsals and have a much larger heel to toe drop (12 mm). I noticed that my footfall was extremely flat in these shoes, which would account fr the difference in drop from my Newtons. Overall, weighing in 3.5 ounces heavier than my Newton AW’s, they felt very fast and agile. I look forward to trying these out a few times on some gnarly trail runs.
My assigned run was: Nice steady zone 2 pace with some hard surges for 3 minutes every 20 minutes. I headed out with a distinct wind at my back. his is great on the way out, but the thought of it being in my face on the way back is always present. Another thing about the wind being at my back is, I was wearing my headlamp and my breath, rather than being blow away from me, moved right along with me, illuminated by the intense LED. Still, better than the alternative of running into things!
The way back was just as harrowing as I thought it would be. The precipitation had changed from a ‘heavy mist’ into a ‘light sprinkle” and the wind blowing this stinging stuff into my face was not helping any. Regardless, I felt quick and focused on my technique and a quick turnover. Overall, a great run that felt like it could have kept going on and on!
Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Racers Against Childhood Cancer (RACC)
Carved by God, Cursed by the Devil by Ted Archer
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Thanks so much for visiting my site! My name is Brandon Wood and I am an opera singer living and trying to make it in New York City. This site and podcast follow my adventures on the way to competing in and training for all kinds of endurance events, especially triathlon and running. Click the "About Me" tab for more info!
