Hi Josh,

I hear what you're saying about loving those Newtons and you feel faster. Although I have not run a marathon in my Newtons, I do run faster because of them. One rep I speak to at Newton hears that a lot from folks who made the switch to Newtons.

I wore the Gravity's for the Branson half IM last September. They did not do well as far as "relinquishing" the water they held when I poured cupful after cupful of water on my head to cool my jets during that humid 13.1 mile run, but, they felt better than any other shoe brand I've tried to date.

I almost sent the Gravity's back to RR Sports, but, because I went past the 60 day return date, I was forced to keep them. Now I couldn't be happier in them! I currently have five pairs - two Distance (neutral and the stability), Momentum, Motion and the Gravity. My feet feel the best in these shoes compared to many brands I've tried over the years. I get stopped on the street from time to time to get asked, "Cool shoes! What are they and where can I get a pair?"

I hope they give you an even better running experience!

I have done 2 marathons, an IM, a half IM and an ultra in my Newtons. Had a few calf issues with the first few months of running but now I love them. Quite tempted to try some zoots or kswiss just for a change now as I noticed my Newtons have worn down so much they dont have the lugs anymore anyway!

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http://longwaytogo-ironman.blogspot.com/

Thats awesome!

I've just started with one run per week in them (5k Hard) and still getting some calf pain after 4 weeks im going to add a 10k easy with them as well and see how this goes. if anyone has better suggestions let me know.

how long did it take before you did your first mara in them? and were you using your newtons on long run days ? i've got a mara in 16 weeks and aiming for sub 3. thinking if my legs get used to the newtons enough, id like to use them.

I started using my Newtons a month before my first marathon BUT I had made a big effort with forefoot running before that so I think my calfs were getting used to the extra abuse. I had sore calf muscles after the marathon for sure though. I guess it wasnt the best way to do it but I had new green shoes and I wanted to use them (they also cost way too much to give up on!) so I did. I had calf soreness for quite a long time but with extra rest they coped ok. Im not a sub 3 hour runner though. My PB to date is 3:25 and I guess my PB now would be around 3:15 or maybe 3:10 if I was on fire.

I made a big effort to run shorter strides but quicker and trying really hard to stick to a good form. Obviously on the ultra that went to shit and I could have been wearing football boots by the end for the differnce it would have made! Its not the shoes that will give you sore calfs, you can still heal strike if you want to, if you run on the forefoot it will work your calfs more for sure.

I find the Newtons very light, very stable, I used them off road, on road etc etc. Yesterday I ran a half marathon in the rain and yes they were wet but they lose enough water to keep them useable.

I only run in one pair of shoes, I dont have training and racing shoes, my training shoes are my racing shoes.

The only bad point is that they are expensive, I just ordered some K Swiss K Ona's to see how they are as they are 50 quid cheaper (£s) and if they are ok I guess ill wait for Newtons to come down in price or K SWISS to go up before I switch back. I just think £130 is a lot of money for trainers.

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http://longwaytogo-ironman.blogspot.com/

agree on the price of Newtons! I'm an Aussie so the dollar is good for us to order American products at the minute. (am loving the online shopping)

Thanks this helps heaps. I have only run a 3:09 ... so i think we might be similar. I will try doing a longer easy run next week then, instead of running only short and hard in them.

Hey,

I am a fellow Newton runner. Always have run in the Neutral Newtons, just wondering how the Stability Newtons are? Do they have a different feel? Let me know if you get a chance!

Thanks

Hey Rhody,

I can hardly tell the difference between the Neutral and Stability Newtons. I have those in the Distance and Performance trainers (Gravity and Motion).

What I noticed first was the stability's feel stiffer, but not by very much. I've broken them in gradually as the company literature says to do.

I don't prefer one last over another. However, I much prefer them better once they are well broken in, which for me, is about after four months of use.

When did you make the switch to Newtons? What did you wear before?

I have run many races and two marathons in my newton neutral racers. I recently ran the new Orleans marathon fast enough to meet the basic Boston marathon requirement for next year in them. These shoes are great on flat courses and may very well be the best shoes on the market for serious up hill courses (like mount lemon, in az), however they are really bad news for point to point course with a huge drop (like steam town marathon). Best of luck at the races, tim

I went from doing a few half marathons and half Ironmans to a full Ironman marathon in my Newtons in the space of 7 weeks. However, this was after 6 months of starting to use them. I've always been more of a midfoot runner going back to highschool track days, so the transition was not that strange for me. I'd strongly advise a really gradual progression (like 4-6 months) before you are using them 100%. If you are not past that 4 month window, of exclusive usage of your Newtons for all your training runs, just go with what you have been using, or if it was not a completely neutral shoe before, perhaps a shoe that is in between Newtons and conventional shoes with respect to heel to toe drop (like a Kinvara).

I switched to the Newtons around the end of October. I used to run in the Brooks Adrenaline. Love my Newtons and was interested in the stability version...... If I have not had any problems yet maybe I wont need the stability Newtons. I do plan on using my Newtons for IMLP and am not sure if the stability may be beneficial to me?? Let me know your opinion if you get a second! Thanks!

I am not familiar with newtons, but am looking for a running shoe to help me stop heel striking. I currently run about half and half in Mizuno wave creations and vibram fivefingers. I much prefer the fivefingers, but after about 3 or 4 miles I start to get blisters. I only run in the Mizunos for longer runs or runs that dont offer any grass or road shoulders to run on... and every time notice that i start to heel strike and my posture goes to hell...

Are Newtons pretty much what I am looking for in a running shoe? From looking at them they looks a lot like a normal shoe, but is the heel a lower profile than it seems. On their website they talk about "natural running" but they look pretty cushioned in the heel. Thanks for the help!

I have a friend who bought a pair, did no more a few runs in them and ran a half marathon in them. He broke 1:12 too. These were not the stability racers though, just the neutral racers

The combination of ff and Newtons is a natural.

If you have the biomechanics to run the ff, the form will transfer directly to the Newtons. The Newton will give you ground protection and bracing for a longer stride than can be done in the ff. These two attributes will let you run faster than you would in the ff using basically the same form. The Newton has a very wide toe box to allow unrestricted foot spread and a solid plate over the lugs so your foot does not sink into the mush of eva or gel. This solid landing zone promotes the rebound off of your foot that you have come to expect in the ff and is virtually eliminated in a cushioned shoe. The negligible heel/toe drop allows a flat landing and the windlass effect of the achilles and plantar fascia stretch. The lug/membrane combination give some return, so running in them gives you a lot of the "bounce" or lively feel you have come to expect in the ff.

When you get Newtons I would seriously consider the performance racers. If you already are landing flat to mid-foot with minimal heel abrasion these shoes will last a very long time. The trainers have a re-enforced heel and are more expensive than the lighter racers.

I run 25-30 mpw on the ff. Half of that is trail, the balance is roads and stadiums on paved surfaces. Speed work, tempo, and racing is all done in the Newtons.

Running the ff gives you form, strength, and endurance. Put it into the Newton and the speed will be there.

how long will it take a newton runner in this thread to break 3hrs in the marathon?

You just told me exactly what i was wanting to hear.... i guess Newtons are what I have been looking for! Thanks!

I had some calf issues adjusting to the shoes so it took me over 12 months to run my first 13.1.....after that I've done several 13.1s, 26.2s, 70.3s, and 140.6s with them and love them.

Play by ear (pain, stiffness, etc.) with your calfs.

How do the Newtons differ from a minimal shoe like the Kinvara? Why would someone chose Newtons over the Kinvara?

To answer your question it took me 3:09.28 to run the white rock marathon in Dallas this December in my neutral gravity's. To answer the buildup question which I believe is what u meant I gave myself around 6mths from buying them to running 26.2 in them. I love em!!!! But I changed from heel striking to midfoot higher cadence running about 2 mths b4 I got the Newtons.

Kirvana has a heel toe ramp the Newton is flat.

The Newton a wide toe box allowing more foot spread on landing that results in elastic recoil of the foot

The Newton has a solid strike pad in the fore-foot/mid foot that also allows normal movement of the foot on contact and recoil. Your foot doesn't sink into anything that will damp recoil.

The Kirvana outsole is soft and will deform on ground contact with the shoe compressing to the center. This will inhibit foot spread. There is no solid strike pad in the Kirvana. Also, there is no rebound structure in the Kirvana like the lug/membrane in the Newton. The outsole of the Kirvana will primarily compress with virtually no rebound. Your foot is landing in mush and therefore needs to be pulled out of the mush rather than rebounding back up.

Run on correctly, the Newton will last a whole lot longer then the other shoes. There is not a lot of scraping and rolling over the sole as you run.You tap down and recoil up. There is not a lot of abrasion on the sole that tends to wear other shoes down so quickly. You can monitor the wear of the shoe by looking at the lugs. When the lugs are gone the shoes are done. Other shoes will go dead after the eva is compressed down. There isn't any eva in the sole of the Newton.

I just wanted to say that this is a very good explanation of how things work with the Newton design.

Just to add a counterpoint to things here.....I've just moved from Newton to New Balance to try and solve chronic calf/soleus problems. I'm sure they're great for lots of people, particularly heel-strikers, but I have the opposite problem and Newtons seem to have exaggerated it. This took months for me to understand & accept as the shoes are super comfortable and I really appreciate their design philosophy . However, I already have a very toe/forefoot oriented gait from my younger days as a sprinter and the Newtons were getting me even higher up on my toes. The wear on their soles confirmed this. The consequence was that my calf and lower leg muscles were stretching out too far for distance running and would get very fatigued, cramp and sieze. I'm still working my way back but I don't think I'll wear Newtons again. The New Balance are already making a difference and they are just a very simple, non guidance/stabilising shoe.