Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Running Shoe Dirt: Nike Zoom Elite 6

Quote of the Day: "I don't believe in stretching so I don't want my picture taken in a stretching pose" - Professional Triathlete

That same athlete also said he doesn't believe in lifting weights. Now there are too many experts out there and what works for one athlete doesn't always work for the other but that seems a bit crazy talk. The purpose of stretching and mobility work is to keep your range of motion so that you remain injury free. The purpose of lifting weights is to keep you strong over the last bits of a race when your body tends to break down. So in that sense I would listen to the two guys who won more Ironman World Championships than anyone. They both spent time stretching and lifting weights. 

Again I'm not an expert just someone who thinks a great deal. What I do know is running shoes and so I'm going to write about running shoes. I'm not going to write about Zoot footwear because that would not seem right. I may or may not write about adidas footwear because I used to work there. I plan to write about shoes I love. The purpose of this writing is not to be a shoe review or anything but just a pure love for running shoes. 

A bit of insight from my part. 
  • If the shoes fit me, they won't fit you - I have a narrow foot and if it fits me well it's not going to work for most. 
  •  I've been told my feet have memory. We are going to test it in this process. 
  • I'm interested in the big brands but I'm also interested in the smaller up and coming brands. 
  • All of this is coming out of my pocket. Sure it will be good R&D because I build shoes for a living but if I was asking my company to pay for them, it wouldn't seem right to write about them. 
  • From time to time I'll ask my son or my wife to do the running in a shoe and give you their perspective. If the shoe fits my wife and she really likes it, you will too! 
I walked into the store with only one idea. I'm going to spend $110 for my first test shoe. There were 5 or 6 to choose from but it's fitting that I start with the Zoom Elite from Nike. Before Zoot, before adidas, I ran in everything. Some shoes once and some more than once. When I needed to feel great on a run, when I needed to float I always went to the Zoot Elite. So it's fitting that I start here. I bought it last night and immediately went for a run.  I'll run in it for the next 2 weeks or so and then give a full report. 

It's a good life....


1 comment:

jameson said...

Stoked about the shoe reviews. Like you, I like to run in many different shoes. I am still in search of that "magic" shoe (if there this such a thing for me).