NB Zero Drop Minimus: Ain’t no barbeque shoe

by John Schrup

New Balance is proving, at least in running specialty, that it ain’t your uncle’s New Balance.  The makers the most popular non-running shoes in backyards and fraternity houses across the country, New Balance are known mostly for making monochromatic footwear in a multitude of widths for the pudgy guy flipping your burgers on the Fourth of July and the scrawny kid with the bowl cut and the genetically attached beer can.

In running specialty, New Balance had fallen so far as to barely register on the radar.  Oh sure, there were a few die-hards who remember the 320 from back in the day, but for the most part, NB had little or no credibility in running.  Someone saw the writing on the wall–more than half of their customers would be, um, no longer purchasing barbeque shoes in 10 years–and recognized the need for a huge market about-face.  So NB went out and hired the best marketers and designers from the other running shoe companies, and in very little time began to produce some of the best shoes on the wall.

Take, for example, the 1400.  Technically a race flat, is serves well as a daily trainer for most of the population.  It is simple, lightweight, unencumbered by bells and whistles.  It is almost exactly what a running shoe should be.  So is cousin 890, the trainer version of the 1400.  Their Minimus series–Trail and Road–are some of the best available in those categories, the Trail 110 being arguably the best.  NB are firing on all cylinders, they are en fuego, they are bomb.com.  And now with the Zero Drop Minimus on the wall, NB are again proving to be the real deal.  They are making some of the best feeling, best fitting, most functional shoes on the wall, period.

The Zero Drop Minimus is a true minimal running shoe.  You know how I dislike the word minimal when it comes to running shoes, but I’m far too lazy to come up with another, more appropriate word, and “biomechanically appropriate” is a hard sell.  But it is a true minimal shoe:  12mm forefoot and rearfoot, simple upper with overlays placed sparingly, light and flexible.  In an improvement over the original Minimus–which is thankfully still available–the fit is a little less roomy through the forefoot, while still allowing for plenty of toe splay.  Through the midfoot, the upper is just snug enough that you don’t need to really pull the strings tight.  When the shoe is laced to the foot it disappears, just as a good shoe should.

Underneath, the midsole foam is firm without being stiff.  The original Minimus was a bit too stiff for some, but here they’ve nailed both comfort and function.  There are a couple shoes in the minimal range–coughBrooksPureFlowcough–that are a wee bit too spongey-soft to really allow for a quick turnover.  All told, this is what a true minimal shoe should be.  And, for those of you who tuck your shirts in and match socks by color, the Zero Drop look cool too.

The Zero Drop will work well for those who are looking for a true minimalist shoe:  They’re going to run to feel the ground beneath them and enjoy the sensation of movement.  It will be a brilliant shoe for doing General Strength circuits.  It will function well as a daily shoe for kicking around the Central Market comparing olives and cheeses and shit, since the high flexibility and zero drop will strengthen the feet and lower leg while you shop.  I’m using it as a daily kick around shoe, though I don’t put in a lot of thought about olives and cheeses, and when I go over to the park to do strides or some GS stuff.  I’ve done three runs in them–35, 45 and 60 minutes–and each time I felt like I was barefoot while being very well protected against the rough and tumble bike lanes of Brentwood.  And the other day when I was in the Thunderbird on 2222, TWO people asked me what shoes I was wearing and where I got them.  Rogue, I said.  Rogue.

Lost in Transition

by John Schrup, Rogue coach and retail manager

The other day, I wrote a caffeine-fueled piece about the new design paradigm in running footwear, why it is important and if you should buy in.  (And when I say, “the other day,” by that I mean that it was a day previous to this one, but I can’t remember when.)  Well, guess what?  I’m on the sauce again–thank you Chameleon Cold Brew–and you’re screwed.

So you’ve decided to take ownership of your running, make your body strong from head to toe, inside and out.  You want to be more athletic, you want to be stronger, more injury resistant.  You want to run more naturally.  You’ve decided to put your effort into YOU rather than into your footwear.

How to do it?

First, you need to be committed to it. You have to have faith in your body’s ability to change and adapt.  You need to be comfortable running by feel and listening to the feedback your body gives you, the most exacting information you can get.  You have to believe that the human body, whatever the origin of design, is the most wonderful machine ever built–it will work properly if you let it.

There is no template to follow.  For every one hundred people who want to run more naturally, there are one hundred different bodies with different histories, genetics and experiences.  So the wisest way is to approach it very conservatively, always mindful of the feedback you get from the body–all the sensations, the aches and pains.

When we train for a marathon, for example, we don’t do an 18 miler before we do a 16 mile run.  We don’t run hill reps until we’ve spent considerable time running up and over hills in the middle of a fartlek, or easy run–we get used to things with baby steps.  The structural stress of running in a racing flat is different enough from your standard cushioned trainer that it would be wise to consider it as an added day in the workout cycle.  When you are ten weeks from marathon day is NOT the wisest time to begin to transition.  You are better off making the transition when the training stresses are lower and easy, relaxed running is the norm.

We like to suggest initially running in the new shoes only once per week or so, on the shortest run of the week.  Give yourself two or three weeks at that and see how your body responds.  Are the calves tighter?  Are your hips sore?  Do your feet feel like bricks when you wake up in the morning and walk down stairs?  Instead of looking at aches and pains that need to be corrected, perhaps it is wiser to look at them as messages from your body that these are areas that need to be strengthened.  When something is sore or painful, it is a sign that there is an imbalance, not that there is a fault or problem.  It is all about your intention.

All systems are go?  Then add the second shortest day.  Two weeks of that and you are ready to add the next shortest day.  If you have a day in which you do a very light fartlek or strides, it would be wise to try those after you’ve been running for a month or so in the new shoes.  The shorter, faster efforts will put you through a wider range of motion and allow your body to get familiar with longer or faster running.

The general idea is to run a bit less in the new shoes than you think you should, and let the body adapt on its own time frame, rather than one you’ve created for it.  If you are conservative in the approach, the transition should be easier.

The long run is the tricky part.  The long run is the time when most of the repetitive stress injuries manifest.  Late run fatigue and decline of structural form and integrity seems to be the common factor contributing to injuries across all levels.  Greater structural integrity of the lower leg and core will improve with a focus on proper form and functional strength exercises.  With patience you can do long runs without issue, but they might take longer to adapt to that shorter, faster runs.

The time it takes to transition to natural running will require you to be more aware of your body, to pay attention to the things that you used to ignore–stretching, strengthening, even nutrition–and use your own experience as the guide line.

New Balance Minimus Road and Minimus Trail

In the not-too-distant future, the running shoes you have on your feet right now will be obsolete. No, not updated. Obsolete. They’ll be relics. More likely they’ll be considered “fashion” or “retro”, whatever that means.

Each of the big 7–adidas, ASICS, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike and Saucony–and myriad smaller, niche brands will have completely shifted focus to footwear that is biomechanically appropriate. That is, footwear that works with an individual’s natural running biomechanics, rather than against it. It might take a few years, maybe ten, but it will happen.

Probably already you’ve seen some of these newfangled kicks, either here at Rogue, out on the trails or roads. Maybe you read Born to Run. As much as I hate the label, minimalist is what’s happening.

The first introductions—not fringe, not the far side of the pendulum, like Five Fingers—have been well received and are already taking traction. For historical purposes, we won’t go too deep, but let’s say that the Saucony Kinvara was the first one on the wall. The next offering, New Balance’s Minimus line, is thus far the most pared down and focused of the options available now.

The Minimus line—Road, Trail and Wellness (the Minimi?)—began to show up in viral marketing campaings last year, creating a positive buzz well before the shoes were available in store. The timing was right—Born to Run was already a hit, inside and outside of the running community—and the marketing was honest and directed. New Balance has never been a solid marketing company, certainly not to the extent that a Nike or even a Brooks has been, so this was refreshing to say the least.

The goal was to make biomechanically appropriate running footwear, simple in design and function. The Minimus trio is, so far, at the top of the heap. Free of the mucky-muck-bling-bells and whistles that we had grown to know and loathe, the Minimus is really, simply, what a real running shoe should be. Of course, there are variations on every theme, but this is a really solid introduction.

The upper is about as basic as it gets. It is one piece, with no restrictive overlays or seams. Drawn, apparently, by someone who understands design (form follows function!) and not someone who is just really adept at repackaging the same old, same old. The fit is comfortably snug from hind foot through the mid foot, where it needs to be; and broad and roomy from the metatarsals forward to allow the feet to splay, as any self-respecting biomechanically appropriate footwear should.

The midsole and outsole offer the (apparently) minimalist standard 4mm heel/toe differential, giving the feeling of being almost flat footed when standing and farther forward on impact when running. Moderately firm and responsive, the Minimus Road feels not unlike a roomier version of some old school racing flats, with durability added. The Trail is much firmer, fits a hair snugger and feels lower and less protective, which is perhaps a bit strange initially to think about when thinking about our rocky Texas trails. But two one hour runs on the Greenbelt were fine, though I would imagine that 100K over some really gnarly, technical rocky stuff might leave your feet a bit abused.

Both the Road and the Trail would make really nice additions to the weekly rotation. I have find each on my doorstep, drying from the last run more often that not, and have used them almost interchangeably on road or off-road. The only way I can see either being bumped from the rotation is when next year’s updates are presented. A zero-drop Minimus Road makes me salivate, and the new Trail looks like it could become the go to trail shoe for the next years.

At the moment, the Minimus options from New Balance are as good as it gets, and the gettin’s pretty good right now.

Not ready to take it ALL off?

by John Schrup

All the shoe talk lately—still!–has been about minimal-this and less-is-that. “Minimalist” running shoes, or whatever we will call them, are not just the latest fashion or technology trend, they are the future of running specialty footwear. Believe it or don’t, the world is always flat to some people (and not in the Thomas Friedman way.)

That is not to say that everyone is ready to try something new. New Balance is arguably at the front of minimalist design, and they understand that some are not quite ready to make that leap of faith to a more biomechanically appropriate shoe. And for those people, they have the 890.

Drawn with more traditional lines—heel/toe differentials and stack heights—the 890 is an unusually lightweight, clean looking neutral shoe that feels much faster than it already looks.

New Balance was in a position that could only really be described as DFL. Their market share had dwindled to barely even registering on the radar, and their product was arguably as archaic as it gets. Quite obviously, warning bells were ringing loudly, as quick shifts in marketing and product design signaled that New Balance wants still to be a player. And because of their position at the bottom of the totem pole, they really had little choice but to make bold and aggressive changes in footwear design.

The NB Minimus Trail and Road models are about the hottest things on the wall, road and dirt at the moment, but the 890 deserves some props for sure. This shoe has instant street cred. It would be easy to go into hyperbole about the 890, but we’ll leave that for the more biomechanically appropriate offerings.

The feel of the 890 is soft and responsive, two characteristics not often seen together. Most of the time, responsiveness is sacrificed for the benefit of a higher marshmallow count to the mid sole, but NB has done well to blend the two together well. The simple, lightweight upper, free from superfluous overlays, is deceptively snug. Without the overlays, first feel is often that the upper is too roomy, loose even. But after a quick jog, the upper shows to be much snugger and more supportive than expected.

So far, customers have been really pleased—ecstatic almost, in some cases—at the feel of their new 890′s. We are equally as happy. When was the last time you bought a New Balance? Seriously. That’s what we said. The 890 is what neutral shoes really ought to have been all along.

(Come feel it for yourself! Rogue Equipment has the shoe and the shoe experts, right here in Austin, Tx)

The Raffler, in pictures!

Barefoot Running Seminar

Signing in for The Raffler

The crowd gathers!

Bird's Barbershop - check!

And the winner is...

Post-Raffler eating, drinking and...drinking!

All photos courtesy of Josh Baker, Azulox Photography  – see all of the Raffler photos here.

May 27: National Day of Rogue

May is National Running Month, and we are cramming an entire month of celebration into one day - Thursday, May 27. You should probably consider it the National Day of Rogue!

The day will begin with a huge, huge spring cleaning sale at Rogue Equipment – quite possibly the best sales on the largest selection of inventory you’ve ever encountered at a running store!

At 6pm, John Schrup will be leading an open seminar on Barefoot/Minimalist Footwear in Running Specialty. The talk will include a brief history of running shoes from the 1970’s through the present, take a look at what the future brings in terms of running shoe design and discuss how you can incorporate barefoot or minimalist running footwear in your own running programs.

It can be argued that there has been no other design paradigm in the short history of running footwear that has had as much of an effect as the barefoot or minimalist design concept, since maybe, Air.  It might be even more important than the introduction of supplementary cushioning systems as it serves to erase what has been presented as gospel for the past 30 years.  The introduction of the Vibram Five-Fingers and the publication of Born to Run helped to invigorate the movement, and we don’t see it slowing down any time soon.  But it is not just Vibram or Terra Plana; all the big brand names are in play.

The seminar will wrap up just in time for the inaugural Rogue Raffler! As you’ve likely heard, we expect the Raffler to become the biggest social running event in Austin, and plan to kick it off in a big way! Think scavenger hunt plus urban race plus local businesses plus big prizes plus FREE BEER. This is how it works in Portland – expect something similar, with a decidedly Rogue twist!

Terra Plana – the newest way to go bare

Learn about the newest barefoot running “shoe”. John Schrup, shoe guru and Rogue EQ store manager reviews the Terra Plana Barefoot EVO:

Is natural best?

Whether you are a barefoot convert or think that it’s all a bunch of hype, you can’t deny that the difference between a bare foot strike and a shoe-clad foot strike is significant. Whether all-natural is best or if shoes are an improvement on evolution remains a heavily debated topic within both the running and the science community – your thoughts?

From BBC News:

Get your kicks: Vibram Five Fingers

by John Schrup, manager of Rogue Equipment - your favorite running store

(This was begun several weeks ago, just before the swine flu dropped into our house like a quiet bomb.  That is why there is some distance between the first and second article.)

In this, the second installment of Get Your Kicks, or whatever it is that we call this thing, where I tell you what you should be wearing on your feet, we discuss the Vibram Five Fingers.  Discuss isn’t the correct word, obviously, because so far this is pretty much a monologue.  But play along with me and we’ll see where this goes.

Last time, I mentioned that the Brooks Launch was arguably the shoe of the year.  In terms of sales at Rogue Equipment, yes, the Launch is currently number one.  But in overall buzz and hype, and certainly in questions asked, the Five Fingers probably wins out.  Also in sarcastic comments.  And raised eyebrows.

The Five Fingers was developed in Italy five or six years ago.  Many of you will know Vibram as the maker of the outsoles of your hiking boots or casual shoes.  The name Five Fingers, I’ve been told, comes from the Italian for “five toes” which is the same as for “five fingers.”

They’re the weird, ballet slipper looking shoes with individual pockets for each toe that you see around here and there.  It seems that I always see someone wearing them in Whole Foods.  Just the other day, I counted nine people wearing them on the Lady Bird Lake trail.  Nine.  Not including myself.  So, ten, at least.

The idea behind the VFF is that it brings you as close to being barefoot as you can be, bringing you closer to a natural mechanical and neuromuscular state while running, without actually screwing up the new pedi.  The science behind it does hold water, despite everything we’ve been told regarding shoes and support/stability/cushioning for the last 20+ years.

Initially, just getting the things on your feet takes some effort.  The smaller toes don’t want to get aligned properly and you have to fuss and fiddle for a minute or so to get all the toes placed in the correct pockets.  But once they’re on right, and after a moment or so of the unusual sensation of having something between your toes, there is the feeling that your doing something wrong or sinister or (even better) childlike.

The first few days of wearing them, my feet and legs were tired.  Really, really tired.  Tired like I just stood in line for eight hours for Texxas Jam tickets.  Not nearly as bad as the post-marathon feeling, but maybe an untrained half marathon feeling.  But once you adapt to them, the sense of freedom and play is unmistakeable.

I would recommend for most that if you are going to run in them—and you should, if only for a mile or two, just for the experience—that you ease into them, let your body rewire and recalibrate, rather than just put them on and knock out ten kilometers or whatever.  The first time I ran in them, I ran maybe a mile, maybe a bit less.  After about thirty seconds, my body had mechanically adapted—my stride was shorter, my steps lighter, I stood much more upright.  But the thing I noticed greater than anything was that I wanted to keep running, I wanted to run more.  So I only ran a mile or so the first few times, because I’m older and wiser and am thankful to be able to run, and I certainly didn’t want to screw that up.  Soon I was doing easy thirty minute runs two or three times per week, with no real discomfort.  After one of the thirty minute runs, I did notice that the tips of my toes had been sandpapered nicely, and were quite tender.  But by the time I put them on again a few days later, I’d forgot that already.  And now I wear the Injinji socks with them, so I should keep most of my skin.

And so, pre-swine, I was running two to three times per week, very easy, for an hour at a time.  Two things come to mind when I wear them:  One, that I want to run further and faster than I probably should; and, two, that the day after I wear them, I notice that my lower legs—calves, ankles, arches—feel really strong, snappy, almost refreshed.  And near the end of each run in the VFF, I’d noticed that I was still as upright and relaxed as I was in the first ten minutes.

Honestly, if you can get beyond the look, I see no real reason why you shouldn’t try them…if only for the experience.  The benefits you receive are both instant and long term—a sense of childlike freedom and play and the manifest strengthening of the body from being closer to a natural state while in motion.  Probably most people would only wear them around as a casual shoe, since the feeling of running barefoot is antithetical to everything we’ve learned up until now, but even then, likely you’ll notice how much stronger your legs feel, albeit with a more subtle learning curve.

Very, very few things in running shoes excite me.  I am old and jaded.  But the Vibram Five Fingers are so out there, so crazy, so unusual…they…just…might…work.

Miss McDougall?

Chris McDougall at Rogue Equipment

Chris McDougall, author of Born to Run, spent a couple of hours at Rogue Equipment yesterday signing books, chatting with the crowd and walking around barefoot. He also gave an intriguing, light-hearted talk about his book, his thoughts and his experiences with the Tarahumara before taking any and all questions. A great, enthusiastic crowd showed up, the books sold out and the afternoon was deemed a great success – whether you made it or not, you’ll want to check out the photos!