Newton Shoes Update

Feb 29, 2012 by Greg Fowler

Last summer, I wrote a post called Newton Shoe Hunt 2011. I was on a quest to improve my running form and had decided to try Newtons.  I wanted less heel to toe drop but wasn’t ready to go minimalist for long distance training.

Most casual runners have not even heard of Newton shoes and they have very limited distribution in my area.  Once people hear about them, many are turned off by the price – $125-175, depending on the model. After some research, I saw that many people were getting very high mileage out of their Newtons.  So, if you looked at shoe cost in price per mile, then they might be comparable to “regular” $90-100 shoes.  I drove to Charlotte and bought a pair.

Fast forward now 6 months and 550 miles later on my 2011 Newton Gravitas (or Gravity) shoes.  I have been very satisfied with them.  I’ve had almost no pains with these shoes. Until the Newtons, I’d never been able to run long distances in a neutral shoe, due to arch pains.  Even in the stability shoes I had, I’d occasionally get IT band soreness. And let’s not mention the metatarsal pains of the last marathon training period.   However,  deep into this marathon training cycle, I was starting to feel new minor aches and pains, particularly in my knees and left arch (curse you, my nemesis).

I’d seen this before, and it usually meant time for new shoes.  However, I was also at the peak of training miles, having strung together 4 consecutive high mileage weeks.  So, was it over training or the shoes?  With just a couple of weeks to go before my marathon, I did not want to change shoes, but I did still have just enough time to order another pair of Newtons and log some miles in them before the race, if I absolutely had to.

So, what to do?  I decided to email Newton’s customer service to explain my new pains and ask if, at 550 miles, was it time for new shoes? I’m not sure what I expected to happen, but what happened surprised and delighted me.  Within an hour of my email (on a Friday afternoon, no less) I had a real response from a real person.  He asked me to send pictures of the soles of my shoes.  They wanted to see the wear. Wow.  Had not expected that.   So, that night I took several pictures of the shoes and sent them off.  Unfortunately, it was too late Friday night by the time I sent them, and I did not hear from them until Monday morning.  Here was the response:

Greg,

 Thanks for sending the photos over-

 Your wear looks pretty good, and even. I think you’ve still got a bit of mileage left in your Gravity’s. if you’ve got arch pain, think about lifting from the hip flexors, and core rather than pushing off as  you go to take your next stride. This should help to minimize the increased pressure on the arch region.

 Hope this helps and best of luck with your marathon training.

 Cheers,

 Cody

Wow.  They could have easily told me it was time to get new shoes, and I would have listened.  Instead, I’ll save my money for now, and I have peace of mind that my shoes are still good for the marathon.  I do plan on buying another pair of Newtons sometime this year. As an added bonus, the running form tip seems to be working!

For additional information on Newton, check out their website at http://www.newtonrunning.com.

They also provide a wealth of information on better running form.  Start here for that information: http://newtonrunning.com/run-better/optimal-running-form

POFIFOTO!