Newton Gravity III Review

I tried out the Newton Gravity III that I got a while back and because of injuries I had a friend test them out for me.  He generously agreed to review them for the Running Without Injuries Blog.  Here it is, courtesy of Ferdinand Batatan. 

Last week, I had the opportunity to test out the Newton Gravity III. At first, I was a little bit hesitant on how this shoe will perform since I’m used to the Altra’s zero drop technology/innovation.

It took lot of trial and error, mostly error, to find the right shoes for me. A very good friend of mine introduced me to Altra shoes and voila…I found my shoes. In my opinion, once you find the right shoes, you stick with them!

Though I previously owned a Newton Motion shoes (with 4 lugs)… I have to say that I had a love it/hate relationship with the Motion shoes. The loved the feeling of testing out new “lugs” innovation and hated finding out that the shoes did not work for me.

With that being said, should I try new shoes made by the same company? Ehhhhh, sure why not?!?  My plan was to run for a short distance only and if it doesn’t feel right, then I would be done with them….that’s how I roll.

So there I went.  I spent the first mile being careful of how I landed on my feet, so I didn’t injure myself. To be more conservative, I ran 8:30 min/mi pace to get the right feel for the Gravity III’s. They didn’t feel too bad for the first mile, so I went for another mile to test it further.

My biggest concerns were:

· Would the 3mm toe to heel drop causes some muscle tightness on my calves since I am used to a zero drop shoe?

· Would the lugs be an issue in balancing myself every time I land my feet like with the Motion shoes?

I have to say that I was really surprised how the shoes performed.  The shoes are more stable than the Motion and the ride is so natural that it lets my feet do what they are supposed to do. The 5 lugs are well placed, helping balance my forefoot and letting me feel the ground under my feet. The shoes are really not that cushy compared to Altra but enough to give me a soft landing. The Gravity III’s lightweight and breathable mesh was comfortable and because they are breathable, they won’t get that funky smell after each run.

I have to say that I ended up with a total of 9 miles.  I love all 9 miles with the Gravity III.

Thanks Newton….this time you hit the mark!

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.

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Thank you Ferdi for the great review.

Tune Belt Sports Armband Review

What do you do with your phone when you run?  I usually run with my phone in my pocket.  I have dropped my phone on more than one occasion and even if it stays in my pocket, it is really uncomfortable.  If you have an iPhone 5 or older, you won’t have a problem finding an arm band for your phone.  I have the Samsung Galaxy S5 with a case on it.  Like many of the larger smart phones, it is almost impossible to find a sports armband that your phone will fit into. Until now, that is.

Tune Belt was founded in 1983 by Richard Wagner.  He was hiking in Wyoming’s Teton Mountains and saw that his friend was using a neoprene strap to hold his sunglasses on.  The idea suddenly came to him that he could use neoprene to keep his music player from bouncing around. 

The best part about Tune Belt is that you go to their website, pick your phone and type of case (no case, medium case, or large case) and you will easily be able to pick the right sports armband.  I have been looking for years to find a good armband that would fit my larger phones with cases on them, with no luck.

I got the AB89, which is made for the Samsung Galaxy S5 with a large case.  It works great.  The armband even has a Velcro strip to keep your cord from dangling.  The neoprene is very durable and the plastic screen looks like it should last for quite a long time.  There are several holes on the bottom so you can plug in your earphones. 

 

The only negative thing I have to say is that the top where you insert your phone doesn’t close completely.  There is a flap that covers your phone, so there is no way it will fall out.  I just wish it would protect the phone if I ran in the rain.  I love this sports armband though and would definitely recommend it.  Their website is extremely easy to navigate through and simple to understand. 

The armbands average from $20-$25 each.  They also have belts for iPhone phones as well.  For the old school runners out there, they even have belts for cassette player and CD players.  Now you can take your old MJ tapes on a run with you.

You can purchase your Tune Belt products at www.tunebelt.com, Amazon, REI, and other retailers.

 

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.

Edge Mobility System Review

I received the Edge Mobility System from Dr. E a while back.  The system includes an EDGEility Tool, Edge Mobility Bands, and TowEDGE Spacers.   I was excited about the toe spacers because I use wide toe shoes (Altra and Topo Athletic) because it allows your toes to spread out and helps with stability.  I knew the toe spacers could help out with that.  I had no idea what mobility bands or the EDGEility Tool were used for. 

Dr. Erson Religioso III is a Physical Therapist, located in the Buffalo area.  He created The Manual Therapist to help mentor and teach professionals around the world and physioanswers.com to help the general public understand the profession of physical/physiotherapy. He created the EDGEility Tool, which is used for instrument-assisted soft-tissue manipulation.

Let me quickly explain what instrument-assisted soft-tissue manipulation (IASTM) is.  IASTM is a practice that is used by more than 16,000 physical therapists worldwide to help heal soft tissue injures.  These are injuries where you have damaged muscles, ligaments, or tendons.   The most common soft tissue injuries are sprains and strains.  IASTM is used to increase blood flow and break up restrictions in your injured soft tissue.  

The EDGEility Tool was something that I had no clue how to use at first.  It is a plastic tool that you use for IASTM.  They can be used by anyone at home (you don’t need to be a physical therapist) when mobility is the only issue.  If you are in pain, please see a doctor.  As a runner, you should be looking at asymmetries.  I had a weakness in my left leg due to my Achilles tendonitis.  I used the EDGEility Tool around my ankle and Achilles tendon.  I did feel that after a few days that the tendonitis was starting to get better.  Dr. E does not promote breaking up scar tissue, just to decrease tension through light skin stimulation.  You simply rub the tool over the skin, as lightly as possible, to promote skin stimulation and to have the skin slide over the soft tissue.  There are video’s available for download that show you how to use IASTM on specific body parts on Dr. E’s website.  

The TowEDGE Spacers are comfortable silicone spacers that you wear between your toes.  This is best done when you are working out, running, or walking around the house.  The purpose is to correct the alignment in your toes that is caused by years of wearing shoes that push your toes out of alignment.  The toe spacers should help with mobility and stability.  I found that it did take a while to get used to the spacers as I felt like they spread my toes out too far.  I did get used to them after the first 15 minutes of working out with them on.  I used them when I did my core workout which consisted of planks, squats, and I ran on my treadmill for 1.5 miles.  The toe spacers were comfortable and I did feel more stable when I was doing my squats and running.  I would recommend wide toe box shoes for these though as there might not be enough room in standard shoes.

The Edge Mobility Bands are used to apply comfortable compression during any mobility exercise.  This includes static and dynamic stretching as well.  If you have knee or ankle pain, you could wrap them with the mobility band.  When you do your stretch or exercise, you should notice that you are able to do more with less pain with the compression.  I tried this on my knee and did notice that it worked as advertised.  I had a slight pain in my knee without the compression and no pain with the band on.  The bands are made out of 100% rubber and measure 7.5’ long by 1.5” wide.  I have also used this in treating my Achilles tendonitis as a stretching band.

I am not a doctor and cannot tell you if these products could benefit you.  I can only share my opinion.  I feel like each of these tools have their benefits, especially for runners.  We tend to get injured or have minor muscle issues that we deal with on a regular basis.  I feel that these tools have helped me and I plan on using them as part of my daily maintenance.  If you are interested in purchasing any of these products, please visit http://www.edgemobilitysystem.com/.

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of

it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.

Altra Paradigm Review

As you probably already know, I am a huge fan of Altra and have been for over a year now.  I love the zero drop, wide toe box and cushy ride.  I remember when I first saw that Altra was coming out with a maximal cushion shoe (Paradigm); I immediately told myself that I needed a pair.  Flash forward to last week.

I received a pair of the Altra Paradigms to review and couldn’t wait to put them on.  While they do have a lot of cushion, 31mm stack height, it didn’t seem like I was too high off the ground like with some other max cushion shoes.  These shoes are incredibly light was well, weighing in at only 9.1 ounces.  This neutral training shoe is so light that I could see using it in a race or speed workout. 

What I like about this shoe the most is that you get all the cushioning that you need on longer training runs, but you still feel that connection to the ground.  I could not say the same thing about the Hoka One One Rapa Nui Tarmac.  It was also a max cushion shoe, but was heavier and you couldn’t feel the ground.  It felt more like you were running on cotton balls.  While that might appeal to some people, I want to have the connection with the ground, otherwise I tend to not pay attention to my form and my IT Band starts to hurt.  The Paradigm is superior in that aspect.

The Paradigm utilizes Altras flexible outsole design that maps your bones and tendons so your foot can flex the way it naturally should.  This adds up to faster, more stable runs.  Altra even claims that these shoes help keep your foot in alignment when you get tired because of the cushioning wrapping around the medial side of the shoe, acting as a guide.

Pros:

Very comfortable

Zero heel drop

Very light

Tons of cushion

Great price (As low as $90 on Amazon)

Cons:

Not as flexible as Altra Instinct 2

I have to be completely honest.  I love these shoes.  They are not as flexible as my Altra Instinct 2’s which, are still probably my favorite shoes, but these are a close second.  The shoe is designed with a bit of a roll in the front to make up for the lack of flexibility.  They are very light and will be my longer distance training shoe. 

As with all of the Altra and other low or zero drop shoes, it might take alittle while to get used to.  Altra has suggestions on how to make the transition on its website.  The zero drop design can help with shin splints and other ailments.  Give some Altra shoes a try and let me know what you think.  They are not for everyone, but most people I recommend Altra’s to love them.

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.