I have put about 50-60 miles on my “Newts” now, and am still pretty happy with them.  I have run pretty much all training distances (at least for me) with them on, including 6+ miles, interval runs, tempo runs and all out sprints. My original posts are still pretty much how I feel, but I thought I would follow up on a couple of points.

I think there are 2 main issues with trail running with the shoes:

1. The mesh on the top of the shoe (which will be great during the hot summer months) sometimes lets small pebbles into the shoe.  It is more noticeable than the occasional pebble that works its way in from the foot insert area.
2. The front shock absorbers (or whatever they call them) don’t perform all that well in mud, snow, wet grass etc.  You just have to be a little more careful, really, and you will be fine.

Now, don’t let these items deter you, as the shoes are not designed for trail running, so one should only expect so much.  I just know that in my neighborhood there is a mixture of trails and roads that I can run on, so it would be nice to have a pair of the shoes that didn’t let pebbles into the shoe as much (not like it is that often, though)

The price is still annoying, but I have accepted it.  I like the shoes and will buy another pair when these wear out.  And, of course, the consensus is still that they are as ugly as sin.  The biggest reason I like them: they provide me feedback on every foot strike about my form.  Better form, in theory, equals better, more comfortable running.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Newton Running, Running, Training, Triathlon, shoes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.