Friday

Natural Running: Barefoot, Science or both?

Natural Running is getting more and more attention these days. So for those who are looking for Natural Running material check out these links Newton RunningVirbram 5 Fingers and Barefoot Runner.

Asics Cumulus 12 Review

Cumulus 12
Running 3-5 miles a day, 4-6 days a week after my workouts my cheaper and older Asics were not cutting it. They were cushioning but lacked stability causing pain in the bottom of my heel and in the knees after a couple weeks. If you can squish a shoe down length wise like a sponge they are not good for your feet I found. I could hardly walk the day after a few days of 4-5 mile runs. So I had to find something to make it better.
Cumulus 12
I purchased the Asics Cumulus 12 yesterday and ran with them for 4 miles and I can tell you today, the right places are in pain and not the wrong places. Gone is the pain in my knees and the bottom of my heels. Instead, my calves, quads and a little of the Achilles is where I felt like got worked out. They seem to help me keep form and with my slight suppination (the Asics Kayano 16 are good for slight pronators) as it got later in the run.Are these the best? Probably not but there are a step in the right direction from bad running shoes to good running shoes.The Asics Cumulus 12 running shoes released in 2010 is the model below the Asics Nimbus 12 which provides an ergonomically designed lacing structure and many different lacing combinations. The Asics Cumulus 12 is in the $100 range and can be purchased as low as $89.95 on sale or even cheaper if you find a $25 off coupon for a $100 purchase at Sports Authority (in the US), which is what I did. For $80 after taxes it was a good deal for my wallet and my feet.Asics, Nike and New Balance  all produce good entry level to intermediate running shoes in the crowded $100 range which will last about 100-150 miles from reviews I've read. The Saucony brand with the grid structured soles seem to last up to 300 miles without giving away cushioning and stability over the miles from a recent marathon runner I spoke with. Who knows, take it with a grain of salt.Here are a couple more objective reviews at Running Shoes Guru to confuse you even further:Asics Cumulus 12 ReviewAsics Nimbus 12 Review