Has anyone tried Newton running shoes? I understand that they are very different but am hesitant to try them with out some runner feed back…
never heard of them, but do you know anything about powercranks?
Oh my … living under a rock 
Discussed ad nauseum here - try the search function above, have a cup of coffee or beer, and be prepared for some reading.
I own a pair. I do like them a lot. They keep you on the ball of your foot very well and I am quite a bit faster in them vs. my Asics DS Trainers, and several others. That said, they can be somewhat harsh for long distances (think half-marathon and over).
I’m def. recommend them. They are expensive, but worth it in my mind. You won’t be disappointed.
I am a very bad heel striker and was very hesitant to switch from my beloved Nike’s to another shoe (changed once to another brand and developed shin splints). I gave in and tried a pair at the IMLP expo and decided to give them a try. I immediately felt like I was walking more on the ball of my foot than striking my heels. I now won’t run in anything else. I did IMLP in them last year and did not have an issues doing long distances in them. I do find that they tend to break down faster than my Nike’s did, but I feel a difference (for the better) in my running form and stride.
Lots of questions about Newtons this week…
I’ve raced and run in them and I did get faster in them, quite a bit faster. I also ignored their advice about getting acclimated to them and subsequently got an injury, specifically, Plantar Fascitis which may have (also may *not *have) been partially derived from going to a lighter shoe with a little different geometry when my foot hit the ground.
Now, in fairness, I think if I *had *followed the manufacturers’ recommendations on gradually getting acclimated to the shoes I may not have had this injury. If you do a search on this forum going back to last season you’ll see similar posts.
Newton’s customer service was nothing short of superb. I visited them at Ironman Wisconsin at they did a thorough fitting and asked that I exchange the shoes I had for a diffeent model and size. It turns out that when I bought the shoes over the web I actually got the wrong size and the wrong model, this may have also contributed to my problems but, interestingly, it did not prevent me from being tangibly faster in them.
How much faster? a 7:30 felt like an 8:00 mile. It was much faster, more effortless. They are so light, even when they hit the ground on the actuators. When you get “up on plane” and run on the actuators you really do go a trifle faster. Your stride may need to adapt gradually as they recommend but ultimately I think this is valid technology if used correctly.
Per website they do not have DD or wider. How wide is their shoe, say compared to a typical Nike? If you wore a 12 in an Asics or Saucony, would Newton be a 12.5, 13? I may not be able to get to a dealer. Once acclimated, was there any difference in stress on your lower legs? I am interested primarily to releive annual calf issues.
I loved them, ran faster with the same effort, but could not get past the constant achilles pain after a few months. Newton customer service explained that some people do not adapt. I wish I could make the transition…
I have a wider foot, and these shoes are not wide like a New Balance can be, but they are not as narrow as a Nike. I personally wish they were a little wider.
As far as the calf issue, my experience is that these shoes place an additional load on your calves since you are landing and pushing off with your forefoot. For me at least, this energy is being absorbed more by my calf in Newtons then other shoes.
It took nearly 2.5 months to adapt to these shoes, now I will not wear anything else. You need to work on cadence before getting the shoes, this will help you get over the balls of your feet. I run faster and feel better. Only negatives are that the shoes wear out quickly, about 350 miles and they cost twice as much as my old shoes.
What I have doneto offset the cost, sort of, is use a pair until I get about 400 miles on them and then buy a new pair, and use the new pair only for long runs. I can run 6-8 miles on just about anything, but when I get over 10, I really start to notice if the shoe is worn out and old. That way I am only putting about 15-20 miles a week on a new pair and they will last quite a while longer before I have to buy new ones again.
Really enjoy mine, I use them for speed workouts and races only. Too expensive for easy running days. Hills seem much easier and I really like the customer service that they provide. But for $175 a pair, the service should be amazing.
Maybe I can just SuperGlue 3 square erasers to the bottom of my current shoes.
Taking time to adapt to these is very important, as a couple of others have stated. I took about 4mo. to adapt to these shoes, as I was a heavy heel striker and my knee was “locking out” / hyperextending as my heel struck the ground (I saw photos and was horrified).
All said and done, I’m screwed because I love them and they are expensive as all get out.
I also feel that they helped me rediscover my natural running form/stride/etc.