Newton Running Follow Up
I have put about 15 miles on my new Newton Running shoes and there are a couple of things I can add to my first impressions and my first post on the topic.
First off, the shoes are still damn ugly, but in a beautiful damn ugly way. My wife has vowed to never be seen in public with me when I have them on. I’m still trying to decide if that is good or bad. 
Just kidding, I love her dearly, but “it ain’t no fashion show.” Unless of course, you are slow, then it is better to look good.
Second, as a mid-to-heel striker, it didn’t take long for me to adjust to the new way. I started out by doing short runs, only about 3 miles or less, some on a track, some on my usual loops. Two days ago, I did a 40 minute run with absolutely no problems. In fact, as compared to my first couple of runs where I was conscious the whole run, most of this run I was unaware that my stride had changed or that I was wearing the shoes, other than the now subtle feedback from the shoe that my foot was landing correctly. My calves don’t hurt and, in fact, while not cured, my nagging ankle pain seems to be less.
Still, the one thing that I am not sure on and still feels a bit awkward is going down hill. Going up hill, I think one naturally rises up onto their forefoot because that is the part of the foot that strikes first. However, going downhill is a bit different. At first, I was keeping my same stride length and it felt weird to try and get my forefoot to land first. After some trial and error, it seems that shortening my stride (and making it slightly quicker) helps and I once again feel comfortable going downhill.
The price, of course, still bothers me, but, if pressed, I probably will buy another pair when these are worn out. Time will tell. I also plan on racing again this year, after not racing at all last year due to some unrelated health issues, so we will see if they actually make me a better/faster runner when it comes to racing.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:44 am
I just had my first run with the Newton Gravity. In one sense I took everyone’s advice seriously and only did about 2.2 miles, but on the other hand… I ran FAST. I didn’t feel like I was running fast, but my Garmin doesn’t lie. Still not sure my foot is falling as intended, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it as others seem to be with a few more miles. Like others above I also noticed that my normal aches in the ankles were gone. Short run, new shoes, could just be that. Time will tell, but so far, I’m a fan.
FYI - I ordered them online and followed their guidance on size, but then I found them at City Sports, tried them on and realized I had ordered a half size too small. I was able to cancel my order easily, nice customer service, and just bought them at City Sports. I was wearing some Reeboks (don’t ask) size 10, but found I needed a 10.5 in the Newton’s. Their advice is to go with whatever size you currently wear, but that doesn’t make much sense, now does it?
Happy running,
Pete