Thursday, February 13, 2014

A Shoe Review & when to replace my shoes

My Nike Flyknit Lunar +1 shoes came in the mail on Monday. It was a nice package to get even though I was home sick feeling miserable on the couch and was definitely NOT RUNNING that day. Or the next day for that matter.

I tried them out on Tuesday in the gym - but since I wasn't back to my normal self I did some cross training instead of the run I was hoping for - lifting, step ups and things like that. It was a good first use of the shoes.

I was able to use them today for my run and here's my first impression.


(photo: niketalk.com)

I'll take my own picture - but people will think I'm a real nutter if I bring my phone down to our tiny work gym and start snapping photos :)

When I first pulled them out of the box I was happy to see the soles that I am used to. I've been wearing the Lunar sole for several years. The shoe felt lighter than my typical Lunar Glides. I could definitely tell that the upper is "knit" and the laces are silkier and thinner than my other Nike laces.

When I slipped them on for the first time they were a little snug in the toe box. I read this in the reviews on Nike's website, and I tend to like a little more room up in the front so I was a little worried. But honestly the flyknit material is really forgiving and wears kind of like a sock. Which is, I think, their goal. During my run I could feel the shoe on my toes and was worried about that but really had no issues whatsoever. I can tell that it won't take long for my foot to stretch the shoe exactly where I need a little extra room. I read in the reviews that the laces can tend to come undone. To be honest I've felt this about every pair of Nikes I've owned so I double knotted them before I started my run today. I HATE stopping my run to tie my shoes. It's a pet peeve for sure. I also hate double knotting my shoes because then I feel like they are going to get too tight, but I didn't have that issue today. I typically feel like I need to break a pair of shoes in for a few runs before they feel real comfortable, but today they felt great through the whole four miles. We'll see how they hold up on longer runs, and I'll do another review in a month once I have a few more miles on them to let you know how the upper stretches out - or if it doesn't I suppose.

So far I give the Lunar Flyknits really high marks. I'm incredibly happy with how light the shoe is yet it's still giving me a decent amount of support in the foot and the upper. Nike shoes in general are really good looking shoes and though I won't wear these with jeans until I have retired them as running shoes, I'm still thinking they'll be fun to wear with some of my casual outfits.

I was WAY overdue on a new pair of running shoes. I always do that to myself and I need to get better about replacing my shoes quicker. I usually wait until I'm sore for weeks before ordering new ones and then waiting another week for them to ship to me.

So how many miles should we be putting on our running shoes? I think the general consensus is between 300 - 500 miles. The range is vast because runners who strike with their heel while running are going to wear through shoes more quickly. I'm a mid foot striker - meaning I landing on the middle of my foot up close to the ball of my foot - so I can get a few more miles out of them. You should NOT wait until your knees start to hurt or you get noticeably sorer after runs like I do.


(photo: accelerateuk.com)

Is anyone else in desperate need of new shoes? Tell me about it in the comments~

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