Sport Seasons

It’s Staff Pick Tuesday again! Today’s post is written by Jason from our Rivergate store. Jason is reviewing his new Nike Free 3+.

The forefoot of the shoe has a better feel to my foot compared to the Free 2+. The toe box feels like it has more room than before which is great. Nike generally has a reputation for running narrow, but not in this case. The weight of the 3+ seems to be lighter than before as well without compromising the comfort. The look of the shoe is completely different than the 2+. The appearance of the shoe is 100% better and the colorways look great as well. Nike did a great job with the cosmetics of the Free 3+ shoe compared to the Free 2+.

Interesting video on what goes into the design of Nike Frees from designer Mark Miner:

It’s Staff Pick Tuesday! Today we hear from Peter T, our Lions Head store manager, about his Asics Gel-Kayano 18′s.

Recently I traveled to Knoxville to work the Knoxville Marathon Expo that we have done for the last four years. If you’re unfamiliar with an Expo and how they are set up, many vendors come in and set up booths and sell their products to the folks participating in the event. An Expo is usually held the day before the race. For the vendors, it’s a great opportunity to reach some new customers. For someone like me, I used it as an opportunity to break in a brand new pair of shoes that I have never had before. I purchased the Asics Gel-Kayano 18 back in January and because I have many pairs of running shoes I waited to break them out for a special occasion.

I must have taken this picture of our booth since I'm not in it!

The day of the Expo was on Saturday March 31st. I laced up my sparkling new Asics Gel-Kayano 18′s for the very first time and we left our hotel at about 7 a.m. to head down to the Convention Center to start the day. I worked all day long until we wrapped everything up around 9 p.m. Aside from a short lunch break, I was standing on my feet all day in the booth assisting customers. At the end of the day, my feet didn’t hurt at all. I was very impressed with the shoe and look forward to running in it as well to see how it compares to the Asics Gel-Nimbus which is one of the shoes that I run in. The day was a tremendous success because of the hard work put in by all of the fine folks that worked the Expo, but also because my body and my feet were in great shape afterwards.

An interesting side note to the story is that I normally buy neutral cushioning shoes because the midsoles are softer. I stand at 6’0” and 225lbs, so I need the extra cushioning. The Asics Gel-Kayano 18 is a stability shoe but the reason I purchased it is because it feels softer than some of their previous models. This is my first pair but will not be my last. So, whether you’re going to be running, walking, or standing on your feet all day, the Asics Gel-Kayano 18 is a great buy because not only does it offer great support through the DuoMax support system but it also has plenty of Gel for those customers looking for the best of both worlds – support and cushioning.

~ Peter T.

It’s Staff Pick Tuesday! Today our resident runner, Barry – aka “Crazy Legs” talks about his Merrell Trail Glove.

~Barry

Maybe you’ve seen these running past you on a run and wondered what is that about? Runners and Triathletes alike have fallen hard for the Noosa from Asics. The Asics Gel Noosa Tri series is a tribute to the Noosa Triathlon that not only is a triathlon but a multi-sport festival held in Noosa, Australia. When you know a little more about how lovely of an event the Noosa Festival is, you can see why ASICS would have a shoe tailored to the needs of these triathlon runners

.

With the update to their Noosa 6, released for the first time last year here stateside, the 7 brings a little more to the table. Asics added more glow in the dark material on the back and front of the shoe- sometimes there just isn’t enough day light for training. Also, the stability of the shoe has been bumped up a bit. The medial stability has been brought back a bit farther on the 7 and there is a full length guidance line has been added to the sole. The ventilation across the top of the foot reaches on the interior side as far back as the ball of the foot for A+ ventilation. Triathlete features: Like the 6 the Noosa 7 is made to be worn without socks. Additional speed laces provided for faster transition between bike and run. Grip pads on tongue and back of shoe too for faster on and off.

Noosa Tri 7 from ASICS. Helping keep your run a little more fun.

“Drop” = the elevation change between the heel and forefoot.

In today’s day and age, gone are the high heels of the Air Max 90′s, and in are the minimalist shoes. Thin is in. It’s more than just having a light shoe, but level is the new desired design of today’s running shoe. Level shoes allow you to run in different elevations, and use your entire leg.

So what’s new for 2012?

New Balance has shifted towards the minimalist field with new Vibram outsoles, which have performed well with a new “sticky” feeling rubber. With both a road and trail versi0n, and very eye catching looks. Adding to that, NB also has different styles depending on your desired level of drop. The “Minimus” line gives you a range from 0mm to 4mm drop. New styles are en route! http://www.sport-seasons.com/minimus/Search

The most eye-catching of the group are the Vibram Five Fingers. Some of the Vibram’s have a negative drop, where the heel is actually lower than the forefoot. One of their more anticipated arrivals are the new SeeYa’s, a very aggressive running version of the popular FiveFingers. Even lighter and with some serious arch support, the SeeYa is designed purely for the runner.