Happy Valentines Shoes Of The Day.
Maybe next year you’ll buy her the heels she wanted instead of the running shoes you thought she’d love.
Thanks for the priceless picture Dan - today was awesome!
If you want our take on running shoes - read our running shoe reviews
Just in time for your “shoe years” resolutions, Nike has introduced three new training shoes to help you with your 2010 weight training program. Whether you are trying to loose or gain weight, these will look great on your feet. The name of the new Nike training shoes are: Nike Lunar Kayoss, Nike Trainer1 Low, Nike SC2010. Each of these shoes are designed to provide a durable and lightweight shoe for your New Year. That’s right, shoesoftheday is committed to helping you achieve your athletic goals, one shoe at a time. Go ahead and click on the links below - come on start clicking, your fingers need exercise too!
Images courtesy of Nike Media
Enjoy the Nike training shoes of the day for your 2010.
We have done a Vibram Five Fingers review but, we continue to hear about them. My aunt sent me an email, “hey, you should review these shoes.” Next, a good friend; “you’ve got to review these again.” Finally, when I saw Sergey Brin wearing them comfortably in a directors chair, I had to write about them again. After all, if these shoes are good enough for the co-founder of Google, they deserve a second review.
VibramFiveFingers.com “recommend(s) wearing FiveFingers for exercise, for play, and for fun. Stimulating muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.”
Do I own a pair? No. Remember, I suffer from “the-my-second-toe-is-longer-than-my-big-toe-coolness.” Perhaps Vibram will make a custom pair for me with an extended cab! If you are done with socks and your toes are tired of co-habitation, get them their own space with the Vibram Five Fingers “Floves.”
New England Footwear recently sent me a pair of GoLite “Fire” shoes to test and review. Today I completed my final trail test-run with the recently released shoes. This shoe review will contain mostly pictures and some commentary, in an effort to show you how these shoes performed in each circumstance; from packed trails, to slick sandstone and hard mountain rock. We reviewed several other pairs of trail running shoes, but only one pair was chosen for an all-expenses paid road trip trail shoe review.
Let’s begin the review at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Ranger Bill at Arches told us that you must stay on the marked trails, otherwise you are “busting the crust.” We assure you and Ranger Bill that there was no busted crust while at the park. The GoLite Fires handled the slick rock, dirt and red sand without any slips.
Next we go to Goblin Valley, Utah. This State Park is an incredible scene to behold. The entire park is covered with small sandstone structures that look like thousands of aliens who set up shop in the middle of Utah for a family reunion. You can’t help but run from structure to structure, scaling the dusty sandstone just to see if you can identify any of your relatives.
Next we go to the Manti LaSal National Forrest. Three pictures show the topography that was thrown at the shoes this time. The shoe proved to have incredible stability on the uneven surfaces, and yes, they handled the plain old packed trail just fine.
Next, Rock Canyon. This canyon is well, rocky. The shoes handled the uneven, rocky terrain with ease.
The final trail run was Grove Creek Canyon. Every kind of terrain imaginable is on this trail: gravel, dirt, rocks and shale. Of all the trail runs, this had the steepest terrain and the most rugged off-road conditions. The shoes exceeded our expectations here, too.
Miles driven for this review: 880 miles.
National Parks: Three. (Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef.)
State Parks: Two. (Dead Horse Point and Goblin Valley)
Shoe Test Miles: 29 total miles running, walking, scrambling and just looking good.
Now for the shoe highlights for all the non-visual people:
Shoes of the day: GoLite’s Fire. We think even Smokey the Bear would like these Fires! But don’t Go-lite any fires without his permission.
Happy Labor Day from Shoes Of The Day. There isn’t a better time to get out and trail run - the leaves are changing, the air is perfectly crisp, and soon there will be snow. This September we are going to exclusively review trail running shoes, and we wanted to share 10 tips for finding the perfect trail running shoe for you and your feet.
1. Breatheability. Let’s be honest, your feet are already pretty cool - that’s why you’re here. No need for your feet to heat up on your trail runs. Look for a lightweight mesh or some other breathable material in an upper. Not only will your shoes be cooler for you when you run, but when you step in water, they will dry out much quicker. Get breatheability. If you can’t stay out of the water, abandon this bullet-point altogether and get something that’s stuffy and waterproof.
2. Integrated tongue. If you like dirt, rocks and other debris snuggled up with your feet, stick your tongue out. For those who don’t, make sure your next trail running shoe has an integrated tongue. Extra padding in the tongue will make the top of your foot happy.
3. Toe protection. No steel toe is required, just some nice tough rubber, urethane or other material to protect your toes. When trail running, chances are you will kick some rocks or tree stumps. To reduce the risk of angry toes, keep them happy and protected with extra on the front of the toebox.
4. Cushion. Nothing more, nothing less. Find the right amount of cushion for you depending on the terrain that you run on.
5. Traction. Bowling shoes are meant to slide. Your trail shoes shouldn’t. Remember pavement is flat, the trail isn’t. Look for an outsole with climbing and descending traction. You need something that has some “meat on the bone” and offers durability in the high wear areas - look for meaty lugs! Also, consider the variety of surfaces that you will encounter - rocks, mud, grass and dirt. You never know what mother nature will toss your way - make sure your shoes are ready with adequate traction.
6. Light-weight. You’re carrying enough, that might be why you’re running. The last thing you want is clunky heavy shoes to add weight to your ascent or descent. Lighten up, and you can start with your shoes. Most good light-weight trail running shoes are between 11-15 ounces.
7. Notice the laces. Think seatbelt. Right, I didn’t wear one in the 70’s either. But think how nice it would have been to stay in one place when that vinyl seat heated up in the Chevelle and you started to slip. The same goes for your feet; you don’t want your feet moving around without your permission. Look for integrated lacing for your foot’s safety and security. Buckle up, it’s also the law.
8. Leave some room for the toes. Think first-class in an airplane - make them comfortable and they’ll become frequent fliers. Remember, when you run, your feet will swell and when it heats up in the toebox, its like flying coach…you didn’t claim the armrests and it’s a 4-hour flight. Typically you want a trail shoe that is 1/2 size larger than you normally wear.
9. Gotta have the look. Pick the right color, even if you have to pay a little more. Guys, those hot pink shoes are probably on sale for a reason. You need to like to look at them on the shelf and especially when you’re running.
10. Above all, gotta love the way they fit and feel. Try a pair on. Get the right fit. Buy Shoes at Zappos.com and take advantage of Free Overnight Shipping - you like ‘em, keep ‘em - you don’t, send them back.
Now go put them to use and Happy Trails.
July 13-15, 2009 marked the 32nd anniversary of the Badwater ultra-marathon. Globally recognized as “the world’s toughest foot race” this “mara-ultra-long” (as we call it) features 90 of the most amazing athletes on this planet. The race starts in Badwater, Death Valley – the lowest elevation in North America at 280 feet below sea level. The race finishes at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet. In total, 135 non-stop miles, 217km for all you metric people. The course covers three mountain ranges totaling 13,000 feet of vertical ascent, and 4,700 feet of cumulative descent. Oh, and one other detail; you only have 60 hours to finish, and only 48 hours if you want the legendary belt buckle. But wait, that’s not all…if you act today, you might even get temperatures up to 130F!
Yes, we actually know, and for purposes of this article will claim close relation to one of the runners who participated, and most importantly finished this mega-amazing, ultra-marathon!
What does it feel like to run 135 miles in 44 hours? These shoes of the day do! More important than the shoes, we want to pay special tribute to the person who was wearing them - congratulations to #17, Leigh!
We had an opportunity to interview her and ask a few questions about this amazing race:
What was your time? “44:17 for my finish - that is what earned my buckle.”
What kind shoes did you run with? “New Balance 479.”
Did they meet your expectations? “Yes they always do.”
Why did you choose these shoes over all of the other brands/styles out there? “I have been running in these trail shoes for over two years. I bought a pair right before I ran the Western States 100 mile Endurance Run. The expensive trail shoes that I had been buying would hurt my feet and about 40 miles and beyond and I would cry from the pain. As a last resort, I picked these shoes up at a sports chain-store and they were really inexpensive. They worked great. I felt like I was running in slippers. I have worn them ever since, even when I did my stage race in Morocco.”
You used all 4 pairs in this race, right? “I brought 4 pairs - one pair I could not get my feet into on the second day due to swelling. But I also had my pink crocs and I put those on two different occasions; I ran in them too.”
135 non-stop cheers for the New Balance 479 shoes, belt-buckle, a pair of crocs and other accouterments of the day! Congrats once again Leigh!
Happy Valentine’s Day from the shoes of the day. Since today is a day filled with hearts and love, it reminded me of an ad that I saw recently. The ad compared the cost for a new pair of shoes to the cost for major heart surgery. A pair of walking or running shoes: $80-100 . Bypass Heart Surgery: $20,000. Go and buy some shoes - as you can see, a new pair of shoes is much cheaper than any future medical treatment. Looking for another benefit? Just think, if you wear out your shoes you can also justify staying current with the newest shoe fashion trends.
Back to hearts. Here is an idea for you: if you need some additional inspiration or motivation to work out, take your current shoes, get out a red marker and draw a big heart on your shoes. This will remind you every time you lace these sweethearts up, your heart and maybe the love of your life will thank you. If neither of those are a good enough option for you, then just think it will make for a great conversational piece, especially if you are looking for love. Send us a picture of the hearts on your shoes, a story of why you put hearts on your shoes and the reaction. Your shoes may even be featured on shoesoftheday.com
Back to shoes. Here is a picture of my shoes, I am committed - for the love of shoes! Enjoy the shoes of the day: Shoes that I Heart!
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true shoe love said to me, no more Uggs just give me…..12 drummers drumming! Drummers will love this for Christmas:
Playstation - PS3 Rock Revolution Bundle w/ Drum Kit (One Color) - Electronics
Eleven pipers piping, the real pipers shop at piperlime.com and will enjoy: Fantastic Finds Under $75 at Piperlime, Ten lords a-leaping, Get Max Air when you leap with this pair of basketball shoes:Nike - Air Max Elite II TB (White/Deep Forest-Metallic Silver) - Footwear
Nine ladies dancing, Dancing ladies’ tired feet need shoes that provide long-lasting comfort and relief like these: Salomon Women’s XT Wings WP Running Shoes
Eight maids a-milking, These are the optimal milking shoes: Women’s shoes: Vince Camuto Emala - Butterscotch
Seven swans a-swimming, Seven out of ten people prefer these shoes while swimming: Rubber Duck - Snow Joggers (Gold Patent) - Footwear
Then there’s six geese a-Ugg-ing, 5 Gold-Ugg Pearles! 4 golfing Uggs, 3 Uggs - Coquettes, 72 degree uggs and a pair of Uggs with a Cedar shoe tree.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you shoe lovers out there!
I just returned from a trip to the UK and found these on display in all their collective glory: REEBOK LIFESTYLES!
I think the last time I saw these shoes was on a PBS aerobics special back in ‘85 - Eat your heart out Richard!
You play varsity? You’re gonna need a pair for next semester; Supportive leather upper is soft and comfortable. Sculpted EVA midsole offers lightweight cushioning. High abrasion rubber outsole affords traction and durability.
Time to get in shape girls!
And who said Reebok shoes were all that bad?
These banana shoes rock! One of our faithful readers sent me some amazing pics of these banana shoes for your feet. (Thanks DW) Typically you don’t want to see bananas or peels anywhere near your shoes, but these offer style, stability and dunk-ability (even if you’re not in the South Bronx.) Get some extra potassium in your step with these “K”icks!
Here is a list of the shoe’s highlights:
Enjoy the almost edible shoes of the day, Osiris South Bronx Dunk!
