So to you 160 anonymous blog readers sent from Google, I dedicate this actual shoe review. I apologize for your fruitless search for information that ended in a photo of our Christmas tree and only one sentence of actual information indicating that the MT110 was indeed an early Christmas present.
About a month ago, I began running again and was convinced the stiff sole and forefoot roll of the Newton shoe was just the thing I needed to run comfortably and prevent irritation of plantar plate. Unfortunately, after two runs and about a week I figured out these were not the shoe for me. The top of my feet hurt for some reason, and I just couldn't get used to running around in a shoe that felt so blocky. I might try them again sometime.
In the meantime, I had been waiting patiently to try out the MT110. Since I was frustrated with the Newtons, the time had come. I ran for 3 or 4 miles on road and trail on my first time out in the shoes, and I knew immediately I had stumbled onto a great shoe.
If you have a narrower foot and lace these tightly, the "hug" of the shoe from ankle to mid foot just feels extremely secure and balanced with no tight or uncomfortable spots.
Looking at the shoe from above, what I felt in the fit is also visually apparent. The shoe has a narrow and comfortably secure mid foot, but also a spacious but not ridiculously wide forefoot that gives your toes adequate room to spread without blistering. This is simply for my taste one of the best fitting shoes I have ever worn.
The inside of the shoe doesn't have a traditional insole, and has a thin liner surrounding upper of the shoe. In both my road and trail runs done without socks my feet have been comfortable with no uncomfortable rubbing. Also when running sockless, I didn't get the achilles tendon rubbing and eventual bleeding I had from the New Balance Minimus Road or MT101.
I've now ran every mile for three weeks in the MT110. Although not designed as a road shoe, it actually works out pretty well. The mid foot lugs made of a less resilient rubber compound have worn down pretty quickly, but the heel and forefoot lugs still look new even with road abuse. The shoe has just enough cushioning to be comfortable on the road with a mid foot strike. The first few times I ran in the shoe due to the low 4mm heel to toe drop I had a little upper achilles tendon irritation on my less flexible right calf. As I have settled in to running in the shoe and worn it walking quite a bit I haven't had any trouble.
As for trails, the sole isn't quite as grippy as I thought it might be on wet rock, etc. but is overall grippy enough. The light feel of the shoe and precise fit does make trail running feel particularly nimble and a little like dancing on trail when tricky footwork is required.
I've put the most miles on the shoe in the Deam Wilderness, and this is a case where the shoe particularly excels. Because of the often muddy, wet and creek crossing filled lower areas on the trails it is probably my favorite shoe I've worn there. Instead of worrying about hopping on rocks I have just blazed through the water and it feels great. The shoe drained incredibly quickly after these crossings and I forgot that it was soaking wet. Even immediately after a creek crossing the shoe didn't feel heavy.
Also having kicked or stepped on roots and rocks I would argue the shoe has adequate protection in the front as well as under the forefoot in the rock plate. I think that for Bloomington area trail running this will be my usual shoe for a while.
Post run, the shoe is easy to clean up because the synthetic surface just wipes down for removing layers of mud. The exterior of the shoe is also reasonably tough as the shoes still look new. For some reason the interior gets very smelly though, so I have battled trying to air it out somewhat.
The Breakdown
Good
Bad
I've now ran every mile for three weeks in the MT110. Although not designed as a road shoe, it actually works out pretty well. The mid foot lugs made of a less resilient rubber compound have worn down pretty quickly, but the heel and forefoot lugs still look new even with road abuse. The shoe has just enough cushioning to be comfortable on the road with a mid foot strike. The first few times I ran in the shoe due to the low 4mm heel to toe drop I had a little upper achilles tendon irritation on my less flexible right calf. As I have settled in to running in the shoe and worn it walking quite a bit I haven't had any trouble.
As for trails, the sole isn't quite as grippy as I thought it might be on wet rock, etc. but is overall grippy enough. The light feel of the shoe and precise fit does make trail running feel particularly nimble and a little like dancing on trail when tricky footwork is required.
I've put the most miles on the shoe in the Deam Wilderness, and this is a case where the shoe particularly excels. Because of the often muddy, wet and creek crossing filled lower areas on the trails it is probably my favorite shoe I've worn there. Instead of worrying about hopping on rocks I have just blazed through the water and it feels great. The shoe drained incredibly quickly after these crossings and I forgot that it was soaking wet. Even immediately after a creek crossing the shoe didn't feel heavy.
Also having kicked or stepped on roots and rocks I would argue the shoe has adequate protection in the front as well as under the forefoot in the rock plate. I think that for Bloomington area trail running this will be my usual shoe for a while.
Post run, the shoe is easy to clean up because the synthetic surface just wipes down for removing layers of mud. The exterior of the shoe is also reasonably tough as the shoes still look new. For some reason the interior gets very smelly though, so I have battled trying to air it out somewhat.
The Breakdown
Good
- Lower price than competing shoes at $85 MSRP
- Minimal, but more cushioning and greater stiffness than most other "minimalist" shoes out there
- Minimal, but adequate protection for the foot
- Very light weight (7.7 oz)
- Fast draining and doesn't get water logged
- Awesome fit for the narrow foot
- Reasonable toebox avoids blister
- Perfect "no sock" interior
- Silver color is cool
- Durable and cleans up easily
- Knowing ultramarathoner Anton Krupicka has contributed to the design while logging hundreds of miles in the shoe
Bad
- More expensive than the MT101 was
- Gets smelly inside pretty quickly
- Not that cushioned, but if you like the feel this doesn't really matter
- 4mm drop and relatively small platform might make this a tough shoe to run a 50+ mile ultramarathon in
- Probably not the best shoe for a heel strike on harder surfaces
- Knowing ultramarathoner Anton Krupicka has logged hundreds of miles in the shoe and is still battling injury
No comments:
Post a Comment