Running to Think

Happy running!

Here is my review of these wonderful shoes I bought during my holiday in Southern Italy. I found a great deal, last number, last color, last everything and got a super discount, which was the perfect reason to buy running shoes for half the price.

Adidas Supernova Glide Boost presented themselves as really soft shoes since the very moment in which I took them in my hands. Quite a lot of marketing around the Boost technology was indeed attractive and worth trying. Yes, I had to wear and run like an idiot around the shop to prove that the cushioning was indeed comfortable.
At the beginning it seemed to be very soft. Probably too much. But I gave these shoes the amount of kilometers they needed to express themselves and decided to get an opinion only after 100 km.
The springy feeling of the Boost technology is not really nice for a runner like me who is used to run in the trail and wants to stay in contact with the ground. But things are different on the road. As a New Balance 890 v3 heavy user I must say that Adidas did a good job with the Boost. The springy feeling, too accentuated just outside the shop, literally disappeared after 100 km leaving only the good part of it.

As a result they provide a soft cushioning that is discrete on the heel and present on the forefoot. I am mainly a forefoot runner and some cushioning helps a lot there. The shoe in general is not stiff at all. It wears your foot like a sock and gives you the freedom that you need if you are a neutral runner. There are no stability features. Therefore watch out if you have been diagnosed with pronations.

One more thing: forget the trail. These shoes are made for the road and should stay on the road. Rocky tracks and dusty roads are not the perfect terrain for them. The tread is made by Continental, which also designs road tyres for cars. That should say a lot.

Happy Boosted running!

After the third training session with the new Brooks Cascadia 9, it's time to write down my impression. I honestly don't like reviews because I think that shoes and feet are such a subjective and complicated topic to be summarised in a pros-and-cons list.
First of all, I consider myself a versatile runner who enjoys the road and, on a similar amount, the trail. Running on the hills around Liege is not really an easy task, not only due to the elevation gain, but especially because of the irregular terrain, usually soft and muddy.
The terrain where I am running since two weeks, in Spain is just another story. Rocky, aggressive, rough and only partially soft and muddy. And, of course, I am running on the road too.

I chose a pair of Brooks Cascadia for several reasons, definitely not for the colour (which, for the record, I find disgusting). When I first tried them in the shop it was kind of love at first sight. The shoes adapted quite instantly to my foot. The feeling of having comfortable shoes since the very beginning is invaluable and already a positive sign for a buy.
With the aid of some drills in the shop I also checked their flexibility. Brooks Cascadia are shoes that, if I close my eyes and run around I really won't feel to be running in a pair of trail shoes, if you know what I mean.
They looked bulky only in my hands. On my feet, it was another feeling.

The first training on the road was quite disappointing though, for several reasons that I can explain a posteriori. Running on the road does not allow these shoes to express at their full potential.
Moreover, the first training session should not be considered by any runner who wants to assign a score to any shoes.
Two days later I tried about the same distance on the rocky roads around Madrid and the tale was indeed quite different. Protective but still capable of giving me the responsiveness I need from the ground. Soft but stable. Running on rocks for long distances doesn't seem to affect the sole of the foot, which is isolated by a solid but flexible platform.

But what impressed me the most was the top line. Not bulky at all. Actually quite low; as low as the New Balance 890v3, probably my favourite road running shoes. I personally think that this is what makes Cascadia a winner in the realm of trail running.

Runners are usually focused on the midsole and the heel, believing that those two components can change their running technique. Probably. I am not sure. But a lower top line is the only thing that can give me the mobility I need from the ankles.

But don't forget that an off-road run requires a good running technique and trained ankles, regardless of any type of shoes.

The last two weeks have been dedicated to fixing and recovering something that had all the characteristics to be a really bad injury. Without surprise I didn't feel psychologically down or, as many prefer to say, depressed, due to the fact that I couldn't run. I really didn't freak out this time. I rested. I ate more than I am supposed to and I had a great time. I also focussed more on my work at university. I can say that I enjoyed it so much. It was actually divine.
Not that I want to experience it again, of course. An injury is always an injury, after all.
The supervision of my physiotherapist had many invaluable benefits; it not only allowed me to recover in a very short time with respect to the other injuries I got in the past, but it also taught me some lessons I will hardly forget.
Every injury has its own story, and every injury teaches me something I will treasure for myself and my fellow runners.
Stressing the posterior tibial tendon should not be an easy task for an advanced runner. Fixing it and persuading a patient to go back on the road in less than 10 days is everything but easier for a physiotherapist. Injured runners usually want to go back on the road as soon as they can. Sometimes much sooner. Coming from an experience that forced me to stay at home for 6 months, I decided not to take the risk and throw my entire faith in Kathelijn, my physiotherapist. I don't know what will happen in the near future but I have the impression that she was right on many aspects.
I'll keep writing in first person here, even though I am sure that many runners will recognise themselves in my words.