The Saucony Kinvara 3 is honestly the most comfortable running shoe I have ever put on. The Flexfilm technology, which is a pliable material welded onto the upper, sort of locks the runner’s foot in place. It almost feels like the entire shoe shrinks around your foot without squashing it. It really is a shoe worth trying on. Even if it is just to put a smile on your face.

Below there are 2 videos and so pictures to give you a better idea of what the Kinvara 3 is all about. You can also read more about it on Saucony’s Community Page.

You can also visit Saucony South Africa’s Facebook Page.

There are plenty of colour options available. We will have to see what comes to South Africa. I will keep you all posted though.

Ladies' Kinvara 3

Men's Saucony Kinvara

So it’s been a little longer than usual. I’ve just hit the refresh button and taking a while to boot up again. I just felt it was time to clear the mind and the body of everything competitive, everything training and everything triathlon. So I’ve really been surfing and reassessing my life as an athlete. I have still not come to a conclusion just yet, but let’s not get too carried away. I know how you lot can start/spread rumours. (Laughs… laugh with me).

Now I don’t usually post much personal stuff but today I’ll mix it up a little for you.

It’s been a busy season and I have made some serious progress. My running is finally where I need it to be and although it could be better I know that I can be competitive on the run now. This did take time with a lot of focus on my running form and some help from Saucony getting me into the right shoes. Finding a mid-foot strike, increasing my strike rate, reducing contact time and lifting my knees higher were all part of how I set out to get running faster.

On a competitive note, most recently I competed in the Cape Town leg of the BSG Energade Triathlon Series held at Brandvlei in Worcester. I raced in the elite category and realised that racing elite is another ball game altogether. The gap between the slowest elite and fastest age group racer is quite significant. Having said that however, I do personally feel that that gap is 80% experience. With more racing and perhaps more opportunity, there are several age group athletes that could make the jump. Unfortunately, being a sport that does not involve a ball, there is not much support or opportunity. It would be good to see a mentorship programme established. I have no idea what that involves though so it may just be wishful thinking.

Finishing the run at BSG Energade - Image: Chris Hitchcock

As far as my race at Brandvlei went, I lost the pack from the start. My swim splits would suggest that I can exit the water with the big guns, but I guess that swimming alone or with 2 or 3 other guys at the front of an age group race is not ideal preparation for setting off at the frantic pace set by the elite athletes. Unusually for me, the run was the best part of my race and although I did have the second slowest run split, I was only a few seconds (less than 10) off the pace of a seasoned elite triathlete, which was fairly comforting.

As for now, I have only been doing pilates, surfing and some gardening. I do plan on setting things back in motion soon but there is no date or any specific intensity level set. Right now, I find it fairly comforting to know that things will happen as they need to.

See you all soon, if not before Christmas, please enjoy and be safe.

So yesterday I headed out to the 3000 ha of the Koeberg Nature Reserve on the Cape West Coast (Eskom Power Station) and had my first run in the Saucony ProGrid Peregrine. Sandy, grassy and loads of gravel, the Peregrine ate it all up.

Built on the same platform as the Kinvara, the Peregrine boasts a 4mm heel drop. Traditional running shoes or the type of shoe that most people run in or are familiar with have a 12mm heel drop. Trust me, the 8mm difference is epic and I am loving life in my flatter shoes. I only run in 4mm heel drop shoes or complete flats.

The Peregrine won the Runner’s World Editors Choice award April 2011, and that’s up against some big names including Brookes, New Balance, Asics, Adidas to mention a few.

The Peregrine has unbelievable traction. The sole is pretty stiff and these shoes are certainly not for the on/off road kind of race. These are serious trail racers that will give you all the grippy confidence of flat out hiking boots at a fraction of the weight. Having said this hey are still responsive and deliver enough feedback but the soles and the lugs were certainly not developed for the urban warrior.

If you steer clear of the tarmac and head for the rugged, not-for-sissy-boys stuff the Peregrine will be hard to compete with.

I have never really enjoyed running. I always experienced some form of discomfort. That was until I was given a pair of the Saucony Kinvara. Now Saucony have developed a trail shoe “built on the same foot form as the Kinvara”, the Peregrine features a 4mm heel drop and weighing in at only 257 grams this is a light yet still rugged fully capable trail shoe.

The Saucony ProGrid Peregrine received the prestigious Runner’s World Editor’s Choice award in their April, 2011 Trail Shoe Guide. This was ahead of the likes of the Asics Gel-Trail Attack 7, Brooks Cascadia 6, New Balance 915 and 5 others. To read more you can click on the previous link.

These are truly special trail shoes. If you want more info or would like to know where to find a pair contact me via my contact page.

Happy running

Nic

For those of you who don’t know, running is not my strong point, even though I used to win just about every race I entered at school up until I was about 15. What happened after that? Shoulders and chest happened. Anyway, I am wanting to run like used to so I am paying quite a lot of attention on my running. I came across this video and thought it was pretty good. I find this to be working well for me. Just replace the Brookes he speaks of with the Saucony Kinvara.

Runners are generally known to have stiff feet, hence their inability to swim (You can read more about foot flexibility and swimming here).

I used to run in full on motion control Adidas throughout school, until I eventually developed chronic compartment syndrome. I them had the operation, known as a bilateral subcutaneous fasciotomy which releases the overdeveloped muscles by cutting the fascia/sheath which encases them. Part of the reason for this is a muscle imbalance due to the raised heel on the common running shoe most of us know. Since my operation I have run in shoes with nothing more than a 4mm heel-forefoot drop; the Saucony racing flats and more recently the Saucony Kinvara.

The Development of Engineered Running

Standard running shoes have around a 12mm drop from heel to forefoot. Yet this style of shoe encourages us to heel strike, and land on a squishy marshmallow. Try stand on your heel and only your heels and then put a squishy marshmallow under that. You see how this developed?

Shoe manufacturers made squishy heels for “protection”, which led to instability and hence an uneven progression though the gait. This led to the introduction of “motion control” in the form of heel cups, arch support, pronation blocks and torsion bars. And so engineered running was born.

There are about 20 muscles within our foot and 12 muscles from our leg that attach to our foot. While wearing cushioned, “motion control” shoes only a couple of these different muscles are needed to facilitate human locomotion. That means that certain muscles aren’t working. The body then lets them shrink to maximize efficiency. This, coupled with the elevated heels, cause your calves will shorten too.

Arch Support

You may now wonder about arch support. Just ask any engineer what happens when you exert upward forces on an arch. It weakens the structure and can longer bear weight from above, which it was originally designed for. Basically if you want to destroy an arch, push up on it from below. An arch is designed to withstand forces from above, compressing it (and in the case of our feet) allowing it collapse and rise thereby not only providing natural shock absorption but also assisting in propulsion.

Shoes with arch supports prop you up and lead to weak, atrophied foot musculature. Your feet aren’t grasping, pulling, pushing, and flexing inside a pair of athletic trainers

The Argument against Barefoot Running

The argument against barefoot running is born out of making the transition too quickly. Remember the foot no longer has a cage of support and protection around it, and is forced to act as the interface between your body and the ground. The torque generated from pushing around all of your weight at speed and high repetition is a lot to ask of your newly awakened feet.

Many people make the transition too quickly, without allowing their smaller, weakened muscles to develop and function as they used to, or were originally designed to. All of the argument against barefoot running comes as a result of the increased injury risk with making the transition too quickly.

You will be using those calves much more now, go slow or you’ll risk developing antagonistic shin splints, calf strain and even Achilles problems.

We have been Barefoot running ever since we started walking upright. Since when did barefoot running become a bad idea? Perhaps since tarmac become the only surface humans could run on.

The barefoot running debate will continue and athletic footwear manufacturers will continue to make unnatural shoes. People may tell you how bad it is for you. Just get into it slowly and you will see how much your running will improve and how much more you will enjoy your running.

Companies like Saucony for example are decreasing the heel-forefoot drop and with good reason. If you are looking at making the transition to barefoot running, let’s talk and get you into a pair of shoes that will allow you to make the transition painlessly.

I will be testing the new Saucony Hattori soon and I will certainly keep you updated.

The Saucony Hattori is Saucony’s answer to the Vibram 5 Fingers. The Hattori is a super lightweight “barefoot” running shoe. I have just received a pair and will be reviewing these in the next week or so. Until then please enjoy the video.

Xtenex (indeXed-TENsioning-nEXus) is a worldwide patented elastic lace technology that produces adjustable tensioning between shoe eyelets. Xtenex laces have an elastic core and a series of knots along the entire length of the lace at consistent length intervals. Stretch the lace and the knots disappear, allowing you to thread the lace through the eyelets. Release the tension and the knots reappear. More knots between eyelets lessens the tension; fewer knots between eyelets increases tension.

Currently, most laces are not able to provide variable tension as laces are tied by creating a knot at the top end of a shoe. The problem with this way of lacing is that all of the tension sits around the ankle area and that results in a restriction of blood flow and circulation. The problem is compounded by people creating a double knot so as to avoid their laces coming undone.

With Xtenex laces the shoe contours to the unique form of the foot by adjusting the tension between eyelets producing a custom fit every time. Once you have your perfect fit the laces will stay in place and your shoes slip on and off with ease. Xtenex laces eliminate the tightening and restricting pressure at the top of the shoe that leads to foot fatigue, pain, numbness and restriction of natural foot swelling. The Xtenex flexible core expands and every laced shoe becomes a comfortable slip-on.

One of the major problems that I experienced with many other elastic laces was the pressure they placed on the bridge of my foot. Since using Xtenex, I am able to reduce that pressure thanks to the fact that the clever technology allows for adjustable tension at any point along the lace. If you want the most comfortable fit from any shoe, I’d suggest fitting Xtenex to them.

The Saucony Type A4 is essentially the perfect triathlon running shoe. Super light at 189g, they are quite simply the best shoes I have ever run in.

Yes they are great looking shoes and very comfortable, but there’s little doubt that they were designed purely for speed. For more leisurely runs I use my Kinvaras (See my Kinvara review here).

The Saucony Type A4 is truly fast and although I may have mentioned that already it’s really no understatement.

There are also a number of features which give this shoe a certain edge over other racing flats. The sock liner is soft and tight which makes these shoes a pleasure to run barefoot in. As a matter of fact, out of more than 20 shoes I have tried, these are the first that I can run in without getting blisters or drawing blood. That alone is enough to get my excited. However they also have the “hydrator” pad inside the top of the heel which prevents the back of the shoe from slipping. This also means that your laces don’t need to be as tight. Looser laces mean it’s easier to put them on… faster.

The only thing that doesn’t work for me is the elastics which keep the tongue in place. I simply cut mine out because I got blisters thanks to my wide mid-foot.

Other than that, these shoes are absolutely perfect racing flats and possibly even more perfect for triathlon use. I can’t fault them… now that I’ve cut the elastics out.