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Lead Stories: Sunday, November 23, 2008

TFS Shoe Review:
Saucony ProGrid Guide

Posted September 24th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Cheryl Lowe

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

The Saucony ProGrid Guide shoe might be the ticket to a very comfortable, light, and responsive run. This shoe is light yet dependable for at least 400 miles. The heel fit is snug and cushioned, and the heel-to-toe transition is smooth and flexible as you land on the ground with each step in this shoe. The ProGrid Guide, a light stability shoe, is also relatively affordable at a mere $90.00 suggested US retail price, so there’s some extra pocket change for you to fill up your car with expensive gas this summer.

Saucony, celebrating its 110th anniversary this year, has always been a brand loyal to a runner’s heart because it is a brand of shoe “Loyal to the Sport.” Their technology in shoes and apparel is completely centered on running. Three big items have stood out about Saucony’s current line of training shoes, including the ProGrid Guide: the snug, well cushioned fit of the heel, the comfortable fit across the top of the mid-foot, and the spacious toe box. When the shoe is laced up and ready to go, there is minimal to no pressure on the top of the foot, so you don’t even have to worry about your toes going numb mid-run.
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Brooks Makes First Biodegradable Midsole Available in Trance 8 Model

Posted July 24th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Press Release: Leading performance running company Brooks Sports, Inc. today announced that BioMoGo, the world’s first biodegradable midsole, is now available to consumers in the new Trance™ 8 premium support shoe. Brooks designed BioMoGo to biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoe midsoles, making it one of the most significant sustainable technologies to hit the running footwear market.

BioMoGo midsoles include a non-toxic, natural additive that exponentially increases the rate of biodegradation by encouraging anaerobic microbes to break down nutrients into reusable byproducts.
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TFS Shoe Review: New Balance MR790 Trail Running Shoes

Posted January 6th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: New Balance MR790
Price: $80.00
Shoe Type: Lightweight Trail / Racing
Fit: Half a size small
Weight: 7.9 oz
Pronation Factor: Neutral
Best for: Lighter runners with access to softer surfaces

Many trails near my home in northern Utah are steep, rocky, and foreboding, requiring heavy tank-like trail running shoes that can withstand the punishment of the terrain — and protect my feet as well. Many of these dedicated trail running shoes weigh up to a pound apiece in order to offer high levels of support and protection.

However, there are times in my trail running when I don’t quite need that level of stability and “armor”, but rather, I want speed and agility. In other words, I want a lightweight trail shoe, the trail equivalent to a road racing flat.

Fortunately, New Balance has come through with this wish, with their MR790 model trail shoe. At a feather-light 7.9 ounces, this trail shoe is lighter than my road-racing flats! But how will they perform on a trail?

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Brooks Sports Unveils New Biodegradable Midsole in Running Shoes

Posted November 15th, 2007 at 9:45 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

TheFinalSprint.com, TFS Media Network and I would like to applaud Brooks on their commitment to environmental sustainability and for the innovation, as described below, of a new biodegradable midsole in running shoes.

*** *** *** *** ***

Brooks Sports, Inc., a leading performance running company, today introduced from its sales meeting BioMoGo, the world’s first biodegradable midsole.

Blazing a new trail in the athletic industry by offering runners more environmentally friendly footwear, Brooks designed its new BioMoGo midsole to biodegrade 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoes.

BioMoGo midsoles include a non-toxic, natural additive that exponentially increases the rate of biodegradation by encouraging anaerobic microbes to biodegrade nutrients into reusable byproducts. While Traditional Ethylene Vinyl Acetate™ (EVA) midsoles can last up to 1,000 years in an enclosed landfill, extensive tests have proven that BioMoGo can biodegrade in roughly 20 years when placed in the same environment. By using BioMoGo in its shoes, Brooks will save nearly 30 million pounds of landfill waste over a 20-year period.
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Study Shows No Link
Between Price and Quality
in Running Shoes

Posted October 26th, 2007 at 8:50 AM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Price has long been associated with quality when it comes to consumer goods. However, for all those athletes out there pinching pennies to save up for a decent pair of running shoes, good news is afoot.

According to an article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, cheap and moderately priced shoes are just as good - and sometimes better than - pricey ones when comparing cushioning impact and general comfort.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Nike Opens New NIKEiD Studio in New York City

Posted October 5th, 2007 at 8:45 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Apparel, Running Shoes

Nike today announced the opening of its first NIKEiD Studio at Niketown in New York City, giving consumers a more hands-on design experience and the power to design and create footwear, apparel and equipment for themselves, for their friends, and even to be purchased by others around the world.

The NIKEiD Studio is a consumer destination for designing, personalizing and customizing Nike performance and sport culture footwear, apparel and equipment, and marks the beginning of a design community, both virtual and hands-on, for consumers to share ideas, concepts and a passion for NIKEiD.

Pilot NIKEiD Studios have opened in Paris, France and Osaka, Japan with New York being the first comprehensive space which will be followed by Niketown London in November.
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Nike Unveils First-of-its-Kind Performance Shoe Designed Specifically for Native Americans

Posted September 27th, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes

Nike today unveiled the Nike Air Native N7, a unique athletic performance shoe designed specifically for Native Americans. The Nike Air Native N7 is the result of nearly two years of collaborative research, development and fit testing in partnership with the Native American community. This first-of-a-kind performance shoe is built on a new and unique last created to address the specific fit and width requirements for the Native American foot. The result is a true Native fitting, performance product.

The Nike Air Native N7 shoe marks another milestone in Nike’s long-standing commitment to Native American communities. Profits from the sale of the Nike Air Native N7 will support “Let Me Play” programs on Native American lands that leverage sport to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.

The Nike Air Native N7 shoe also embraces Nike’s Considered design ethos, where details in the development and design of the shoe are geared to deliver sustainable innovation and reduce waste, without compromising product performance. The Considered design ethos also honors the traditional Native American Seventh Generation philosophy, an approach that respects the impact of decisions made today on seven generations. The shoe’s design draws inspiration directly from Native American culture.
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Choose Running Shoes
by Arch Height

Posted September 17th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Check the height of your arches when you shop for new running or walking shoes. If you have high arches, you usually need shoes with good shock absorption. If you have low arches, you will probably benefit from shoes with good motion control (Gait & Posture, July 2007).

When you run, you land on the outside bottom of your foot and roll inward. This is called pronation, which helps to protect you from injury. If you landed on your foot and did not roll, the force of the impact would be transmitted up your leg to increase your chance of breaking bones and tearing muscles. However, as you roll in from the outside bottom to the inside bottom of your foot, you will see that your lower leg twists inward.

Excessive pronation twists your lower leg, which can cause stress fractures of the lower leg bones. It can cause knee pain because it forces your kneecap to rub against the bone of your upper leg. Excessive pronation can even twist your hip joint to cause pain in the hips and lower back.
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TFS Shoe Review:
New Balance 755

Posted May 21st, 2007 at 1:26 PM by Jessica Galvano

Section: Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Product: New Balance 755
Price: $85.00
Shoe Type: Neutral / Neutral Cushioning
Fit: True to size
Weight: 11.1 oz (Men), 9.0 oz (Women)
Pronation Factor: Neutral to Slight Over-Pronation
Best for: Runners with a medium to large build and medium to high arches

As the newest update to New Balance’s 750 series, the 755 remains committed to delivering lightweight cushioning for neutral runners. Our reviewers logged serious mileage with this model and reported positive results throughout nearly every stage of the evaluating process.

Almost an ounce lighter than its predecessor, the 755 boasts a significant weight reduction without sacrificing support or cushioning. Ample and evenly distributed shock absorption made these shoes an instant hit with wear-testers who noted a flexible and smooth overall ride.
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It’s time! … To start rotating your running shoes!

Posted January 26th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Gear & Apparel, Running Shoes, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TFS. Also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

Rotating two or more pairs of running shoes can produce the following benefits:

1. Reduced risk of injury.
2. Extended lifespan of shoes.
3. Flexibility to use different types of shoes for different types of runs.

It takes up to 48 hours after just a few miles of running for the midsoles of running shoes to fully recover their shock absorption properties. Allowing them time to recover at least that long reduces one’s risk of injury and extends the life span of the shoes.
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