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new shoes and modified gait I came to know intense calf soreness. I guess the “start with a short<br />
run” advice applied to me too. I continued to run five to eight miles at a time in them until my calves<br />
couldn’t take it anymore. My revolutionary running shoes sat untouched in my closet for close to<br />
eight months before I felt adventurous enough to give them another shot.<br />
Round two with the Newtons was a much better experience. I wasn’t aggressively training or racing<br />
so I had more flexibility with my running routines. It was a very slow process but after about six<br />
months I finally adapted to forefoot striking and the calf soreness subsided. I have since purchased<br />
two additional pairs of Newtons and have adapted well to the shoes and gait.<br />
Although I haven’t personally experienced any breakthroughs in speed since becoming a forefoot<br />
runner, I can report that in general my body feels less fatigued after long runs. I completed a training<br />
flow leading up to a marathon running exclusively in Newton Stability Trainers and Newton Stability<br />
Racers. After 20-mile training runs in Newtons I didn’t feel the ‘frame fatigue’ I experienced<br />
during previous marathon training flow 20 milers. In addition to promoting forefoot strike, I’ve<br />
found them to be remarkably comfortable and relatively light. Running a marathon in Newtons resulted<br />
in a three-minute PR and the first non-toe blackening marathon of my running career.<br />
Although Newtons carry a high price tag it is only about $30 more than I was paying for other<br />
brands and I got about 450 miles out of my first pair compared to the 250-300 miles I average from<br />
other brands.<br />
I want to mention a few things about my experiences with Newton’s customer service. After running<br />
a few times with my second pair of Newtons I realized they were a little too small. I e-mailed customer<br />
service through their website and without hassle they promptly shipped out a pair that were a<br />
half size larger. The new shoes came with a pre-paid return shipping label and simple instruction<br />
for shipping the other pair back. I wasn’t charged return shipping or restocking fees and I wasn’t<br />
threatened with a holding charge on my credit card until<br />
they other pair was received.<br />
My second encounter with Newton’s customer service was<br />
especially impressive. After e-mailing them regarding some<br />
sole wear pattern questions, I was invited to call the representative<br />
who fielded my inquiry. The Newton rep spent<br />
about 30 minutes on the phone answering questions, resolving<br />
concerns and providing me with information and tips to<br />
optimize the shoes. I was impressed with the Newton employee’s<br />
product knowledge and desire to help a customer<br />
and fellow runner.<br />
Lastly I should mention that a natural running gait can be<br />
achieved in any shoe. The advantage of the Newtons are the<br />
patented actuator lugs because, in addition to absorption<br />
and energy return, they provide real-time impact feedback<br />
so you know (by feel) if you are hitting the forefoot sweet<br />
spot.<br />
Check out complete information on Newton products at<br />
http://www.newtonrunning.com/<br />
The author and his Newtons hit a three-minute<br />
PR marathon finish at the Nov. 2009 <strong>Space</strong><br />
<strong>Coast</strong> Marathon. Kara Springer photo.<br />
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