News » are immediate turn-offs

Ignoring the comment about shinsplints, which typically are a problem for newer runners, the statement in this review that really raised my ire was the following: “Nike Air Max 90 Homme Perhaps wearing a “barefoot shoe” is, in and of itself, a constant reminder to reduce the heel-stomping. After all, you can’t slam your heel down hard without a big wedge of rubber under it, so shoes like the Nike Frees force you more onto your midfoot www.tobiasstiftung.de and toes.” I don’t know how you can possibly look at the heel on the Free Run+ and make this statement – it looks to me to be even bigger than that found on both the Free 3.0 and the Free 5.0 (see image to the left – Update: apparently I’m incorrect about the heel, see this post for more). In their introduction of this shoe, Nike even touts the improved cushioning of the Free Run+. Barefoot-like running is about minimizing cushioning and the size of the heel, and this shoe, therefore, is even further from “barefoot-like” than previous models in the Free line.I’ll finish by pointing Nike Air Max Classic BWout the the image that Wired includes with their review appears to be a different shoe than the Free Run+ I’ve seen in all of the photos on-line (compare the shape of the heel and the width of the yellow band above the sole in the image at the top of this Nike Air Max 2017 Femme post to the Free Run+ shown in the image in my comparison picture). To be honest, the picture included in the Wired article actually looks to have the biggest heel of any shoe pictured in this post (Update – thanks again to Dennis in the comments for pointing out that this is a photo of the Free 5.0 v4, not the Free Run+. Not sure why, but the heel looks unnaturally large in that photo. Even more unsure as to why there’s a picture of the Free 5.0 in a review of the Free Run+???)! [Update 5/15/2010: Glad to see they finally changed the image to the correct shoe!]What’s most Nike Air VaporMax Femme disappointing to me is that Wired themselves put out a video last year showing the difference in footstrike that occurs when wearing the Vibram Fivefingers vs. a more typical shoe (see below). Maybe they should do a similar comparison involving the Free Run+ –www.tamarastein.co.uk I’d be willing to bet that the Vibrams promote a more barefoot-like footstrike.So, I’ll agree with Wired that these shoes might work as a entry-level minimalist shoe in terms of their light weight and flexibility, but they’re far from being the “barefoot-like” shoe that Nike is marketing them as. From a news outlet like Wired who Nike Air Max 95 Femme values accurate reporting on science and technology, I would’ve expected better in this review, particularly in light of their excellent previous work on the Vibram Fivefingers.So here it is – Nike, you dropped the ball on this one. The only thing I ike Air Max 90 Mens Grey can say about the release of the Free Run+ (probably better named the Free 6.0) and the apparent disappearance of the Free 3.0 is that Nike is moving away from what the Free line was originally meant to be. Yes, they shoot off about the benefits of “barefoot Nike Air Max 90 Womens Pink running” in their post introducing the Free Run+, but really, there’s not much “barefoot-like” about the shoe other than the fact that it’s lightweight and flexible. As someone who was a huge fan of the Free 3.0, I’m more than a bit disappointed with what I see in this shoe.For those of us who are fans of barefoot and/or minimalist Nike Air Max 270 Femmerunning, the words “cushioning” and “stability” are immediate turn-offs, and both of these words are emphasized in Nike’s description of this shoe. The Nike Free Run+ appears to sport a bigger heel than on either the 3.0 or 5.0 – I could be wrong, Nike Air Vapormax Womens but just look at the comparison picture to the left and see if you agree (Update: apparently I am wrong about the heel, see this post for more). I’m now convinced that the strengthening benefit I get from my runs in the Vibram Fivefingers is due to the lack of a Nike Air Max 90 Dam built-up heel, which forces my stride/gait to adapt, and thus provides a much better workout to the soleus muscle in the lower calf and the muscles in my feet.