Even though there's Mega-Tons of snow out there, I'm planning ahead. Although I am 'Mr Minimal Footwear", I am also 'Mr Variety of Footwear.' In a given week, I will cycle through 2-3 pairs of shoes. This practice:
- Spreads the 'love' of tiny differences in muscle activation that occurs from differing footwear
- Spreads out time that I need to make a (read: another!) shoe investment
In my rotation I will keep higher stack-height shoes. They are a tool in my shoe-tool-box that I most often pull out when fatigued but need to hit it again, or in a drop bag of an ultra and need extra stack height to go on.
Typically, my back to back long runs on a Saturday/Sunday. The Sunday run I will enter fatigued but I want to hit the larger muscle groups more aggressively. Therefore, the more supportive shoe comes out! Saves foot muscle activation when feet are tired.
The Tempos are now my go to shoe for this purpose. Holy cow, comfy. The first two hours I owned them I ran 14miles at a decent clip. The breathable upper will be heaven-sent in hotter weather, especially hitting the pavement. On trails, I'll be bombing down a little more aggressively than normal - which will give me a good training benefit there! (22mm stack height, medium EVA cushion).
Things I really dig:
- Grooves in sole. Even though it's a tall shoe for me, grooves make it flexible. I'm getting good foot mobility in there!
- Breathable upper. This mesh will be VERY refreshing. I plan to wear them for my 100 km Road Ultra coming in mid March
- Smart Lug Placement. Great traction even on pea-gravel, sand collected on road shoulders.
- Zero drop. This should go without saying for me... We all have these amazing springs that return ground force reactions. An elevated heel reduces those springs' effectiveness. Zero-drop is a prerequisite for me (and should be for you.)
- Subtle little curve in the sole. When I am running long miles on unchanging surfaces (like road running). I find I will consciously adjust toe emphasis. Force toes to relax, or curve them up, or press them down. Varies over long runs. The sole in the Tempos have a subtle upward toe curvature. This *may* weaken toe extensors over time, but my first impression is it feels NICE. I last longer! This is another reason why it will work for my road ultra!
- Color = visibility on the roads. I'm normally shy, but I want cars, bikes to see me coming!
Things I dig less:
- Can't wear in winter, can't add microspikes. The elastic from my kahtoolas crush my toes. With thick boiled wool socks they can be a good winter shoe. But I needs' my spikes'!
- Will I rely on them too much? Will that weaken foot muscles due to thick(er) cushioning than what I'm used to? Can't wait to find out :).
They're really good looking.
