New to site - views on Newtons?

Howdy. After about 6 years of running and 3 of considering myself a "runner", I have decided to convert to the natural form of running. Picked up a pair of Newtons to aid in the transition, and strap them on once a week right now for one of my shorter mid week runs. The ankle/calf pain is pretty legit, and I can't convince myself to complete give up my normal training program to make the switch, so this approach seems to make sense to me (build up strength with 1 run a week and eventually put my old form to rest). Has anyone else tried an approach like this? Anyone have views on the Newtons?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Lori Enlow on June 8, 2012 at 12:02pm

My husband really likes em. I've tried them on and they are comfy, but feel weird to me. Both of us have a natural mid-forefoot strike though. I'm a little nervous about shoes that force a form. I run typically in the NB 101s. Drills that help me with forefoot strike include running in place with knees high before I take off, running in place you will naturally land mid-forefoot.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Orton on June 8, 2012 at 8:56pm

Lori you're supposed to say how much you love B2R shoes, especially being the first to ever race in them!! ha - wink!

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Permalink Reply by Lori Enlow on June 8, 2012 at 9:10pm

I didn't know if I was allowed to talk about 'em yet!! Yes! My BTRs are definitely my favorite!! I emailed you twice with pictures. Let me know If you got them both, I had a hard time getting them to go through. The BTRs are so magnificant only a few pics can be sent at a time! In reality, I do prefer the BTRs over any shoes Ive had.

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Permalink Reply by Leslie on July 16, 2012 at 7:27pm

Are these available to the general public?

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Permalink Reply by Glen Christopher Hansn on July 18, 2012 at 6:44am

In my experience in changing from a heel strike to a more natural fore/mid foot strike was to go cold turkey. Abandon the old form and reprogram the muscles and nervous system all to once. Going back and forth from one to the other seems to prolong the transition process. Of course getting up tomorrow morning and running 20 miles with a completely new form is not a smart move either and a recipe for injury. As a runner who had run a lot of years and a lot of races with bad form I had to start from scratch. Slowly build foot and lower leg strength (lots of soreness) then add a few miles, repeat and repeat... etc ...etc. You are demanding so much more from your feet that they need time to recover and get stronger. Just my opinion.
About the shoes, to me it seems that any shoe that places artificial lift under your foot be it in the front ( forefoot) or the back (heel) can be damaging to your body. The lift in the heel makes it possible for you to over stride and plant your heel heavily and unnaturally. The lift in the front may shorten the front of the stride, but it will place tremendous stress on the newly recruited Achilles. Flat shoes are a great place to start.