Too Many Shoes not enough Feet.

This week I've come across two write-ups on shoes. The first was a technical description of midsole heights and the offset between the heel and forefoot of your running shoe. I'd love to tell you the shoe industry has some real knowledge on the best offset but we don't. We all have a good theory behind why we do the the things we do. Generally we can execute our theory in a lab but the real world on your feet is completely different. This topic has really become a hot topic because of the Barefoot Craze. I was in retail stores earlier this week and the Vibram 5 Fingers and Nike Free's are rolling off the shelfs. Apparently the New Balance "Bare Foot" shoe is going crazy too. Saucony has one on the way too. I'm still not 100% sure that this is a trend. The more interesting thing for me is not the stated offset it's the real offset and the real midsole heights. I'll let you read through the blog. If you are geeky about shoes like me you'll understand what I say when I say stated vs. real. Read here.

Which brings me to the next blog. A shoe experiment. I wrote about this when I wrote about Triathlon Running. To refresh, read it here.

Another guy posted this on a forum. "I have run in the Gel Kayano for 7 years. I decided to switch and bought a pair of Newtons. Biggest mistake of my life. I had lower leg pain for months. I just bought the Kayano 16 and my legs couldn't be happier" - Read the Shoe experiment. Maybe it's the same guy?

That brings me to the final point. Why would a little company like Zoot try to get into this mess that is running shoes. Especially when I'm telling you to stick with what works. Well the easy answer is I've been in the business long enough to know that your favorite running shoe will get screwed up and we think we can make enough of a difference for you to give us a try. Once you do and they work for you, why would you ever switch out?

It's a good life...

Dave