Shoe Review: New Balance Fresh Foam 980

image from runblogger.com

I'll admit that I (at times) ride the waves of marketing trends in running shoe technology.  I tend to think that any informed shoe choice takes into account the extremes; and the pendulum's well-documented swing from minimalism to maximalism has caught my attention.  That isn't to say I went out and bought a pair of Hokas (I'll leave that to Joel), but I did get swayed by the concept of a lower drop, maximally cushioned shoe.  Also, I've been meaning to give New Balance a try again; its been a while since I've tried their shoes and they have a very loyal group of followers.

I don't tend to write shoe reviews until I'm very sure of my opinion.  I've already logged 200 (or so) miles on the Fresh Foam 980 at the writing of this review.  Sadly, while I've learned a lot about the shoe over that period of time, one glaring fact stands in the way of me fully endorsing them:  the fit.  Fit is highly variable...  makes sense, FEET are highly variable.  For whatever reason, the designers at NB just didn't make a shoe with the 980 that fits my feet.  I discovered this the first time I took them Fresh Foam on a long run, and ended up with blisters.  I reaffirmed this the second time I did so with the same result (I very, very rarely get blisters otherwise).

While that pretty much assures I won't buy another pair, I do want to point out some of the positive things I like about this shoe; a shoe I still use for short runs on occasion:

1. It's got a 4mm drop with tons of underfoot protection.  Massive.
2. I've heard folks mention the cushioning is very stiff.  From my standpoint, this is a good thing.  My feet feel very protected, the shoes are plenty plush and they are responsive enough to handle any paced running.  Tough to have all of those things at once, in my mind.
3. The upper is light, but doesn't seem fragile.  In fact, the shoes look quite new even after 200 miles.

On the flip side:

1. The tongue is absurdly puffy and bothers the tops of my feet, moves around during the run.
2. The "fit issue" for me is related to the narrow toe-box.  Widen it up, NB!!

All-in-all, its a well-cushioned, light, low-drop shoe that, provided it fits, will get you through the miles at any pace you choose.

New Shoes

In the mail today: a new pair of the Brooks Launch.   These will be replacing the blue and silver ones that I have been wearing for all of my long runs since the 50k.

I love how smooth and comfortable these feel straight out of the box.  When a shoe is right, its right.

For comparison's sake, I put one of my old ones on one foot, and a new one on the other.  It was striking how worn down the old pair felt, especially as I have only put 300 miles on them.  That's not a lot of miles for a pair of shoes.  But given that I paid only $63 for my new pair (thanks, Running Warehouse!), I can't complain.

I do prefer the blue and silver color scheme, but these black ones were $20 cheaper.  The different colors do share a lot of the same components, such as the silver overlays and the neon green rubber in the soles.  I'm thinking of switching the green laces from my old pair over to the new ones, to pep them up a bit.

 

UPDATE (2/18): I took the shoes out for their first run today, a 10-miler.  I promptly beat my previous record by a full three minutes, or in other words, by a pace of 18 seconds per mile.  Could it have been due to all the training I've done during the winter?  Or perhaps the beautiful 50 degree weather, or that I was returning the C&O canal towpath, which was just slightly damp today and perfectly packed?  Nah.  It must have been the shoes.

Related posts:
Review: Brooks Launch

the "New Shoe Effect"

i'm amazed at how many shoe reviews contain statements like "i ran 30 seconds per mile faster" or "i took 10 minutes off my time for 10 miles".  these statements aren't just about running faster, but significantly faster, on the first run with a new pair of shoes.

i wonder what it is that causes this to happen?  surely it's mental...

maybe we here at rrrs should invent some token disposable "per run" add-on to shoes that will tap into that mental fuel tank and allow people to harness it more regularly?

strapping on a new pair of shoes myself for tonight's run...  will i be faster?