but at least the one hit was a solid one

Labi1994

The sole of the Flow Adidas Superstar Hombre is rather unique. On my first run in them I immediately noticed that it had a very springy feel to it. It’s not firm, and it’s not overly mushy – rather, it almost has a bouncy feel. Others have Nike Air Max 2017 Femme commented on this to me as well, but have indicated that the bounciness tends to subside with increased mileage on the shoe. The sole is composed o a mix of Brooks’ DNA and Biomogo compounds, and the combination seems to work very well – I do feel like this sole gives a bit of return with each step. The heel-forefoot offset in the Flow is 4mm, which is right in my sweet spot for a long run shoe. One area that the Flow does Adidas Superstar Mens have an advantage over a shoe like the Kinvara is in expected durability – it has a much more prominent rubber outsole, and should not wear down as fast as the exposed EVA foam on the Kinvara.Brooks has incorporated 4 Nike Air Max 90 Essential Femme “technologies” into each of the shoes in the Pure Project lineup as part of their “do more with less” philosophy. My feeling is that most of these are gimmicky and basically non-functional. The nav-band that wraps over the midfoot seems redundant in a shoe with laces, and I can’t honestly say that I feel any benefit from it. My sense is that the split toe (see photo at left and above) is completely non-functional – the sole above it is rather rigid, and the split doe not extend nearly far enough back to allow any independence of the big toe (a more functional, though weird-looking, split toe can be found on the Vivobarefoot Nike Air Max 270 Femme Achilles sandal). I can’t even independently flex the big toe piece with my hands, so not sure what the purpose is. The anatomical shape is not nearly as anatomical as shoes like the Altra, Merrell Barefoot, Vivobarefoot, or New Balance Minimus, but is wide enough Adidas NMD Mujer for my feet. Finally, the one “technology” that I do like is the “ideal heel” (see rounded heel in photo below). I find that an undercut heel like that on the Brooks Flow, New Balance Minimus, and Skechers Go Run does allow for a more forward landing on the sole. So Brooks is batting only .250 on its so-called “technology” on my scorecard, but at least the one hit was a solid one.In terms of performance, the Brooks Flow has served me well out on the road so far. I ran a sub-1:35 half-marathon in them (it was a training run, not a race), and my feet and legs felt great afterward. The springiness of the sole is quite pleasant, and I have yet to develop any hot spots from running in the shoe. I suspect that they would work well as a sockless running shoe, but I have yet to attempt this myself.In summary, whereas Brooks failed in my opinion with the Connect, they have created a solid shoe Nike Air Max 2017 Womens in the Flow. This shoe is an excellent alternative for those running in the Saucony Mirage or Kinvara, though it is a bit more shoe than the latter which would probably lead me to still choose the Kinvara for a marathon length race. For me, the Flows are a training shoe for mid-distance to long runs, and they fill that niche quite nicely.Back in September I traveled to New York City to attend a roundtable discussion hosted by Merrell Footwear. The group in attendance was diverse, and included bloggers, journalists, doctors, physical therapists, and a former Boston Marathon winner. Despite our differing backgrounds, one thing we had in common is that most of us had a Y chromosome – the group was dominated by men. Emily Snayd, the rep for Merrell who had organized the event (and a darned good runner!), indicated that despite her best efforts, she’d had a very hard time finding women to participate.The gender bias within the minimalist Nike Air Max 97 Femme movement became one of several focal points of discussion during the roundtable, and many theories were put forth as to why men seem to be more likely to ditch their traditional shoes than women. This bias was borne out the following day at the NYC Barefoot Run – though many barefoot women were present, there was clearly a decided bias toward the male side among the barefoot runners presentIn an effort to learn more about this gender bias, Emily at Merrell is going to be hosting a discussion on their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/merrell) this afternoon (December 1) from 1:00-2:00, and tonight from 7:00-8:00 PM. It’ll be interesting to see what comes out of this – if you can’t take part, feel free to share any thoughts on this topic in the comments below as well – I’ll pass them along and make sure they are heard.