Altra Zero Drop Sale; The Muir Project Kickstarter Campaign

A couple of quick notes as I while away the hours thinking about how if trampolining is an Olympic sport, slacklining can't be far behind … and also putting together finishing touches on a new contest for tomorrow night.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I’ve made reference to Altra shoe sales in the past, and there’s another good one going on at The Clymb right now.   Get the Instinct or Intuition shoes for $60, and the Adam or Eve for $50 – but only if you hurry.  The sale ends August 2 at 8AM PST, so check it out here.

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I’ve written promotional posts soliciting assistance for The Muir Project’s upcoming documentary film Mile … Mile and A Half, but up until this point their official fundraising efforts were what you might call loosely organized.  Now it appears that they’re getting serious, and soliciting donations to a Kickstarter campaign for the final push toward completion.

There’s also a new video for your enjoyment on the fundraising page, but since I can’t find it in an embeddable version yet, I’ll paste an early favorite of theirs below, and send you to the fundraising page again afterward.  Summer’s the time for chasing big dreams – so if you’re able to help the filmmakers accomplish theirs, that would be awesome.

“Almost There” by The Muir Project (click to play):

Check out The Muir Project Kickstarter page here.

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Altra Zero Drop Sale; Sex in the Village; Sierra Slack Life

Tell me, did any of those titles catch your eye? We'll get to that one shortly ... which is among the random odds and ends that are buying me some time to put the finishing touches on a product review slated for later in the week ...

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First, I’ve made mention of the fact that my wife is a big fan of zero-drop - but not necessarily minimalist - running shoes, and that one of her recent favorites is the Altra Intuition (which I reviewed here).  If you’re like her, or if you’re a fan of Altra’s more minimalist stuff (like the Adam or the Samson), here’s a great sale for you:

PlanetGear.com currently has a great lineup of Altra shoes available at up to 40% off.  You can get the Adam or Eve for $48 (regularly $80), and the Instinct or Intuition for $65 (regularly $100).  The sale lasts through July 24^th, but there’s no telling if inventory will last that long – so if you want to grab a pair, get going.

*

One of my first articles to make a big splash on the Internet was a reformulated version of an old Monterey Herald article from 2005 on the topic of sex and athletic performance.  Among other noteworthy points was the fact that nearly 90,000 condoms were distributed to athletes in the Olympic Village during the 1992 Albertville Games.  You read that right: nine - zero - THOUSAND.

In light of that, I was amused to see this ESPN.com piece last week on sex in the Olympic Village, which I suppose can be considered an updated version of the topic I first explored almost seven years ago.  There’s no telling whether the author used my piece as source material, but I’m sure there’s no shortage of interesting stories to be told on this subject.

*

On a little less racy note: remember all the times I’ve mentioned how cool it would be to work for the CLIF Bar company?  Well, if for some reason you still don’t believe me, check out this article and tell me if your employer would do something similar.

*

Finally, here’s one of the many signs that I was in full-on vacation mode last week:  I spent more time slacklining than I did running.

The good news is that I can now walk about 40’ on a slackline, which – considering how dreadfully I sucked just a few months ago – honestly kind of amazes me.  The bad news is that as far as I can tell, this has absolutely zero carryover to my running, overall fitness, or for that matter, any other redeeming merit in any aspect of my life.  (The other bad news is that the only photo evidence I have from last week captures me without a shirt.  For the love of God, please don’t click to enlarge.)

And yet, I’m absolutely hooked on this crazy sport, to the point where I have slacker dreams just as often as I have running dreams.  And sometimes when my daydreaming gets the best of me, I get lost in the exploits of the truly amazing slackers, such as the guys in the video that follows. 

I probably have a whole series of posts about the slack life in me at some point, but, you know … I guess I’m kind of a slacker when it comes to actually writing about it.  In the meantime, enjoy this clip by a dude named Clark Grubb, which also features perhaps the most fitting background song for slacklining: David Bowie’s classic “It Ain’t Easy.”  Indeed.

“Slacklining – Moab” by Clark Grubb (click to play):

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Altra Samson Shoe Review

Among the multitude of minimalist and natural running shoe manufacturers out there, nearly all of them seem to be staking out one particular segment of the market.  Some are throwbacks to old-world designs, others try to be as minimal as possible, and others seek to be an all-purpose transitional shoe for newcomers to the natural running Renaissance.

And then there’s Altra, which is doing something altogether different: they’re producing very solid entries in every segment across the board.

Last year the company released the Instinct and Intuition, 9-oz men’s and women’s models that feature a somewhat stiff zero-drop midsole platform and a total stack height of 21mm off the ground.  They quickly followed that with the Adam and Eve, pure minimalist models that remind many (including me) of Vibram’s groundbreaking KSO: they are lightweight (4.7 oz), low to the ground (4mm), and completely flexible.

Altra Samson

With this year’s Samson (and women’s equivalent Delilah – don’t you love how Altra’s model names are male and female counterparts?), Altra now occupies a middle ground between their two previous releases.  The vital specs – 6.5-oz weight, 10mm stack height, moderate protection and flexibility - are all comfortably situated between the Adam/Eve and the Instinct/Intuition.  The Samson also features all of the compelling design aspects that Altra has made standard with its entire line of footwear, and it’s proven to be a very comfortable and durable shoe for me over about 100 miles of testing.

The Samson also addresses one criticism that many users has with the Adam, in that the upper uses a traditional lace design instead of the slip-on / pull-on upper that some users found difficult to use.   

Although I didn’t have a problem with the Adam’s fit, it’s clear that a lace system represents a large improvement both in terms of ease of putting on and customization of fit.

The remainder of the upper is a quick-dry mesh that ventilates the foot very effectively, but also does a decent job of keeping grit away from your toes.  As I do with virtually all my shoes, I did the majority of my Samson testing off-road; after a long run, my toes are a little dustier than usual, but not so much that it bothers me during the run itself.

Inside the shoe, Altra provides the option of using a 3mm insole (which results in the 10mm standing height), or ...

... removing the insole and riding directly on the BareSole footbed that feels comfortable against bare skin and creates a resulting stack height of 7mm.

Below the footbed, the Samson has 3.5mm of EVA for a very moderate degree of cushioning, which makes this a nice option for a couple of potential users: 1) those who are almost ready to go all-in with completely minimal footwear but aren’t quite there yet, or 2) pure minimalist users who want a slight margin of error when pushing the envelope of high mileage runs.  You obviously sacrifice a little bit of ground feel compared to the Adam, but it’s a very subtle difference, especially if you run without the Samson insole.

Even with the midsole EVA, and even with the insole in place, the Samson is still very nicely flexible in all directions.  Also ...

... like all Altra shoes, it also allows plenty of room in the toebox for your toes, so there’s nothing about the overall structure that will interfere with your foot’s natural motion while it’s contacting the ground.

That ground contact will be made with the same siped outsole that Altra uses for the Adam.  It is remarkably similar to Vibram’s old KSO in terms of appearance, durability, traction, and overall performance.  It’s more than grippy enough for road running, and does remarkably well on most trails aside from loose gravel or very steep climbs and descents.

With the Samson, Altra presents a very solid natural running option in that elusive middle ground between pure minimalist entries such as Vibram, VivoBarefoot and Soft Star, and more structured zero-drop shoes like Merrell’s Barefoot line or New Balance's Minimus Road shoe.  Obviously, it’s also a comfortable medium for Altra’s own existing models – so if either side of the existing spectrum is too much for you, the Samson or Delilah might be just the shoe you’re looking for.

Altra’s Samson retails for $100 with free shipping from Amazon.com, and the Delilah is available for the same price.

*Product provided by Altra.  Affiliate sales support Running and Rambling.

**If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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The Keeper List: Running and Rambling Gear of the Year 2011

Before today’s post, an overdue announcement of sorts: over the holidays, I was pleased to see a small spike in sales of my running book. If you don’t recall my book, I can’t really fault you, because I do a lousy job of actually promoting or marketing the thing.

Each time a sale came in this month, I thought to myself, you know, I should announce some sort of reminder on the website about this – the book might make a good Christmas gift. And then in typical slacker fashion, I kept postponing or forgetting about doing so, until Christmas came and went and I completely missed the holiday shopping wave.

But since we still have a decent supply of books available, and since New Year’s is about doing the stuff you want to do rather than worrying about pleasing everybody else, I may as well mention it again here: Hey, I have a book for sale! It’s mainly geared toward novices and anyone who wants insight into life as a runner, but in my humble opinion there’s stuff that anybody will enjoy. And if you order from our website – where it’s less expensive than Amazon.com for some reason – we can autograph it or do any other special requests you’d like.

With that, I’ll stop the pandering – but today’s post is all about grabbing some additional stuff to make your running life more enjoyable.

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It won’t particularly come as a news flash to anyone when I say that I get a lot of gear to review. What might surprise some newer readers is that I review even more stuff than you see here on this website.

Most of my shoe reviews end up here, as minimalism has become a nice little niche I’ve settled into, but I also contribute to other websites and magazines after testing apparel or other trail running gear. The biggest portion of this extracurricular product testing goes to FeedTheHabit.com, with whom I’ve partnered for more than two years now.

I recognize that I’m in an enviable situation, so I pay my good fortune forward as often as possible by giving almost everything away. Running partners, family, and non-running friends have all been the recipients of gear from top (headlamps, hats) to bottom (socks, shoes) and everything in between (clothes, food, watches). They get free stuff, my wife gets her closet space back, and I feel good about sharing the wealth; it’s a winner for everyone involved.

Here’s my caveat, though: if there’s a piece of gear that I love, or one that I get a ton of great use out of, I keep it for myself. Accordingly, my Gear of the Year review should rightfully be called the Keeper List, because it’s all about the stuff that’s too awesome for me to give away.

However, my Keeper List differs from other annual ratings in one important way: the best gear isn’t necessarily from 2011. Rather, my list is a Jeopardy-style competition where the only way to become champion is to defeat the current champ. (Completely tangentially, it’s the same way I choose my wines.) Sure, the newer stuff will tend to be better – but if I have a Ken Jennings-like piece of equipment that crushes all potential challengers year after year, there’s no reason to take it off my Keeper List. And yes, there are a couple of those items included below.

Finally, before we proceed, a note on formatting: The first link of each entry will go to my original review of the product, and the second will go to a purchase link from Amazon.com or one of my other affiliate partners. Remember, affiliate sales support Running and Rambling, so, you know … help me help you, and all that. Now let’s get to the list; these are my keepers for 2011.


Part 1: Gear and Apparel

Headlamp for roads: Black Diamond Sprinter. A 68 lumen headlamp in front with a blinking red LED in back for an unbeatable combination of visibility and safety. The entire lamp weighs a mere 3.5 oz, and the lamps are completely rechargeable. Black Diamond is updating this product for 2012 (yes, I’ll have a review), but until then you can get the current version for $64 at Amazon.com – it’s the best investment you can make in your safety this winter.

Compact headlamp: Petzl Tikka XP2 with CORE rechargeable battery pack. There’s nothing better than a headlamp that’s bright enough to light the trail before dawn, and small enough to tuck in a pocket afterward. This category has stiff competition, most notably from Black Diamond’s Spot, which is a little bit brighter. However, what tips the scales for me is the rechargeable capacity of the XP2 with the CORE pack: it’s eco-friendly, easy to recharge, and saves a ton of money in the long run. The headlamp sells for $41 from Amazon.com, and the CORE pack sells separately for $39.

Headlamp for ultras: Black Diamond Icon with rechargeable NRG battery pack. I don’t think twice about it anymore: if I’m running through the night, the Icon is on my head. It’s relatively lightweight (6.6 oz), super bright (100 lumens), with enough battery life to burn high all the way to morning. Best of all, if you purchase an NRG battery pack, it’s completely rechargeable – and just to remind you, I love being green. Black Diamond is also updating this lamp next year, and I’m very curious to see if or how they can improve it. The current Icon is discounted to $55 from Amazon.com, and the NRG pack sells separately for $25.

Nightlife at Western States 2011: Black Diamond Icon, Nathan Endurance vest, and one very fast ultrarunner (hint: not me)

Jacket: Patagonia Nine Trails. You’ll see this name again further down the list as well; basically, 2011 was the year that Patagonia became my go-to ultrarunning brand. I wore the Nine Trails jacket at three ultras and during countless training miles last winter and spring; for lightweight weather-resistant insulation, there’s nothing better. Unfortunately, it’s not currently available on the Patagonia website, but TravelCountry.com has a closeout price of $60 on remaining stock.

Shorts: Patagonia Nine Trails. Are you sensing a theme yet? My first ultra in the Nine Trails shorts was the Miwok 100K in May, and I never looked back. Anytime I’m running for more than 4 hours, these are the shorts I’m wearing. Like the jacket, the shorts aren’t currently available from the company, but TravelCountry.com has a few pairs in size small available for $60.

Shirt: Patagonia Capilene Silkweight. I never reviewed this shirt, but here’s a true story: Back in the spring, when Soft Star offered to put their logo on any shirt I wanted to use for my upcoming ultra calendar, I told them to buy this Patagonia shirt. I have a couple other capilene shirts from past races; they’re not only the most comfortable items in my collection, but they’re remarkably durable after multiple runs and washings. So my official Team Soft Star kit this year featured Patagonia shorts, shirt, and jacket – a nearly clean sweep in the apparel department (the only exception was my socks). The shirt is available for $39 from the Patagonia website – and if you’d like your own Soft Star logo on it, I’m sure the Elves would be happy to oblige.

At the Tahoe Rim Trail 100: Patagonia shirt and shorts, Ultimate Direction Uno waist pack 

Gloves: Sugoi Firewall LT. Sorry, no review link on this one either: I did a glove comparison for Ultrarunning magazine this fall, and these ended up being my favorite from the bunch. It’s a nice upgrade from the previous Firewall gloves, with similar water resistance and slightly better insulation. $35 from Amazon.com.

Small hydration pack: Ultimate Direction Uno. I’ve had my current model for years – and before that, I used an older version for several years as well. It fits me well, I like the upright bottle position, and the separate pockets give surprisingly ample storage for such a small pack. I use it anytime I’m running between 90 minutes to 3 hours. $17 from Amazon.com.

Large hydration pack: Nathan HPL 020. How awesome is the 020? Not even Nathan can beat it. This year they released the Endurance, a similarly-designed and very strong vest that I wore while pacing at Western States (see WS photo above, and see my Endurance vest review here) – but when it comes to selecting one pack as my gold standard, I still prefer the 020. And when you consider that they’re available at the extreme discount price of $53 at Amazon.com, there’s no reason this vest shouldn’t be in every ultrarunner’s gear closet.

Break time in Zion National Park with the HPL 020

Tights: Salomon Trail III. Full disclosure: I don’t wear a lot of tights - fortunately in California, I don’t have to. So my list of contenders in this category isn’t huge, but these tights have been the most comfortable of those I’ve tried over last winter and this fall. Available for $69 at Amazon.com.

GPS: Soleus GPS 1.0. This review just posted a couple of weeks ago, so I don’t need to rehash things here, other than to say that I’m a big fan. It’s basic, high-quality, and extremely affordable at $87 from Amazon.com.

Socks: Drymax. This is the true Ken Jennings of the group: I’ve probably tested a dozen other brands over the past few years, and none compare to Drymax. I wear their lite trail model ($12 from Amazon.com) for training, and the max protection model ($31 from Amazon.com) for ultras. The Drymax reign continues.

After 50 rainy, muddy miles at Woodside in Soft Star RunAmocs and Drymax max protection socks 

Part 2: Footwear

As you might expect, my shoe list can be broken down into several categories – in this case, I went by primary use, starting with …

Minimalist road shoe: Vibram FiveFingers Bikila LS. Vibram came up huge this year with the advent of their LS models – laced versions of popular models that made the footwear easier to use and more accessible to a larger variety of people. From its inception, I’ve labeled the Bikila my gold standard for minimalist road running shoes, so you can imagine how impressed I was when the company managed to improve it this year without sacrificing anything that made it awesome in the first place. Right now they’re discounted to $70 at TravelCountry.com, so grab ‘em while you can.

At play in the Salinas Valley in Bikila LS

Minimalist all-purpose athletic shoe: Vibram FiveFingers KomodoSport LS. I’ve worn mine for running, basketball, tennis, floor workouts, and just plain goofing around. They’re getting very popular with CrossFit and Paleo workout enthusiasts as well. If you have multiple activities to do and only enough money for a single pair of Vibrams, this is the one. They’re currently discounted to $80 at TravelCountry.com.

Minimalist trail running: Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove. 2011 may well be remembered as the year Merrell triggered a seismic shift on the minimalist landscape with its Barefoot line of footwear. In my review I called this shoe minimalism for the masses, and since then I’ve recommended it to a lot of trail runners. They retail for $110 from TravelCountry.com.

Minimalist hybrid trail/road running: Altra Adam. They’re not the ultimate trail shoe, or the ultimate road shoe, but they’re a pretty solid combination of the two. They normally retail for $100 on the company website, but if you use this link you’ll get them for a 10% discount.

Minimalist hiking: Vibram FiveFingers Trek LS. My first-generation Treks had defeated all challengers as my favorite hiking shoes until Vibram topped itself with the Trek LS. Rugged leather, durable outsole, crazy comfort. They’re also nice enough to pass as dress shoes if you so choose (but I don’t – see below). They’re currently discounted to $112 from TravelCountry.com.

Rock scrambling at Lava Beds National Monument in Trek LS

Minimalist dress shoe: Merrell Barefoot Tough Glove. This shoe took out one former champion (the VIVOBAREFOOT Oak) in my collection, and has been an almost-everyday shoe since April. It looks sharp, it’s super comfortable, and it’s got all the right mechanics. It retails for $120 from TravelCountry.com.

Minimalist kids shoe: VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Kids. I was lucky enough to have several brands of shoes for my children to test, and the Neo Kids emerged victorious. Their minimalist construction is unbeatable, and the styling is ideal for kids to use like good old-fashioned sneakers. They retail for $75 from the VIVOBAREFOOT website.

Transitional trail shoe: New Balance Minimus Trail. Yes, it’s odd that the shoe with the most minimal-sounding name is actually the least minimal of the group mentioned here, but there’s no question that New Balance means business when it comes to cruising light and low to the ground. The Trail version of this shoe (also called the MT10) has a slipper-like feel, lightweight flexibile construction, and rugged traction underfoot. Its principal drawback to pure minimalists – the 4mm heel to toe drop – is precisely what makes it ideal for transitioning from a structured, supportive shoe to the minimalist end of the spectrum. The 2012 version will have a flat platform, but in the meantime you can get the 2011 Minimus for $100 from TravelCountry.com.

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Do you have enough items for your shopping list yet? I’m already waist-deep in reviews for 2012, which I’ll collectively preview sometime next week. There are some very strong offerings from most of the heavy hitters mentioned here; it will be interesting to see if any new products wrestle the title of “keepers” away from the current roster. Time (and miles) will tell, I suppose – so let’s meet back here again next year and I’ll let you know for sure.



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Altra Adam Shoe Review and Discount Code

When I reviewed Altra’s Intuition shoe this summer, I described how the company has obviously done its homework about what natural runners are looking for. They also offer something for almost everyone in the new running paradigm: the Intuition and Instinct are zero-drop trainers that are the natural running counterpart to traditional trainers, while the Adam (along with its female partner Eve) is a pure minimalist model that I’ve been testing for the past few months.

The Adam combines many of the features I love about minimalist footwear, with only one noteworthy drawback that I’d like to see improved upon. For a first-time offering, however, it’s really quite impressive, and strikes me as something of a combination of my two favorite minimalist brands: Vibram and Soft Star.

Altra Adam

Think of it this way: if you took an old-school Vibram KSO and did away with the toe pockets, and instead made a roomy, comfortable toe box like a moccasin, you’d have something very close to the Adam. By appearances, the Adam bears a strong likeness to Vibram, and tends to draw a lot of comparisons to that groundbreaking KSO model. I actually find some of the specs on the Adam to be superior to the KSOs, such as its overall weight of 4.7 oz (compared to 5.7 for the KSO) and some other points I’ll mention shortly.

Mesh uppers with dual Velcro straps

The Adam’s uppers are composed of a breatheable mesh that’s very similar to the KSO, along with two separate straps that help secure the foot in place. I found that if I pulled the midfoot strap too tight, I had some discomfort at the base of my pinky toes, but the good news is that I didn’t really have to cinch either strap very much at all to get a secure fit. The toe box is very roomy without allowing excessive movement of the foot on the insole. Combined with a gender-specific last, the feel of the upper is very slipper-like around the foot, almost (but not quite) comparable to Soft Star’s Moc3.

One of the major advantages of having a single toebox instead of toe pockets is warmth – and with the Adam, my feet tend to stay comfortable at temperatures about 10-15 degrees colder than I’d attempt to wear my Vibrams. However, the mesh is also quite breatheable, so your toes won’t overheat in hot weather.

Strengthening insole in place; compare with 2 photos down

There isn’t a lacing system on the Adam, but unlike some Vibram models, the mesh is flexible enough that it’s easy to work your foot into the upper. Loop straps in front and behind the ankle are helpful in getting the heel in place.

That's a fig leaf ... just like the original Adam wore

The heel collar of the Adam is similar in appearance to another Vibram model – in this case the Bikila. It’s got just the right amount of padding to provide comfort without adding excess bulk, and stays very secure on the heel even in muddy conditions or on irregular terrain.

Internal seams on footbed

Like all Altra shoes, the Adam comes with two insole options: a support insole that has a slight arch and a little bit of padding, and a strengthening insole that is completely flat and less than 2mm thick. You could remove the insoles entirely, but I prefer to leave them in due to some mild irritation from longitudinal seams on the interior footbed surface.

3.4mm razor-siped rubber outsole

Adam’s outsole is extremely similar to Vibram’s siped rubber KSO outsole, and at 3.4mm is just barely thinner than the KSO’s 3.5mm spec. I’ve found the Adam to be much more flexible in all directions while offering a similar ground feel as the KSOs. Traction is outstanding for road running, and is generally decent for trail conditions except on steep hills with mud or loose gravel. It’s ideally suited for hybrid use, such as a run I did on Thanksgiving morning.

Our family was signed up for a trail 5K at a park in Salinas – but because I knew I’d eat more than 5K worth of food that day, I decided to wake up early and run to the course. My route ended up including about 14 miles on roads and 5 on trails; it had also rained the night before, so trail conditions were wet but not terribly sloppy. The Adams went seamlessly back and forth from one surface to the other, and kept my feet cozy and comfortable even after several hours of wet wear.

Making my way to the Salinas Valley, Thanksgiving 2011

However, for my ultrarunning purposes, I prefer an outsole with a bit more grip to it, and this is the primary drawback I have with the Adam. Coincidentally, it also happens to be the main criticism I had when reviewing the KSO. Of course, Vibram kept tinkering with their outsole designs for dedicated trail use, and there’s no reason to suspect that Altra won’t do something similar in future iterations of the Adam. They do have a more aggressive outsole on their zero-drop Lone Peak, and if Altra could combine a bit of the Lone Peak’s traction with the current design of the Adam, it would vault very close to the top of my list of favorites.

Outstanding flexibility; razor sipes visible on curled outsole

For the time being, the Adam is a very attractive minimalist option for general all-purpose use, especially for those who are reluctant to wear Vibrams or want something a little more sporty than moccasins. It draws from both of those concepts and has some clear advantages over each one, with potential to become even more compelling in the future, particularly for trail running. Given what I’ve seen from Altra in their premiere models, I’m excited to see what the future brings from them.

The Altra Adam retails for $100 from the company website but if you use this link to do your shopping, a 10% discount will be deducted from your purchase price at checkout.

*Product provided by Altra
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.



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Altra Intuition Women's Running Shoe Review and Discount Code

Quick reminder before today's post: you've got one more day to enter my Barefoot Running book giveaway. Winner to be announced tomorrow night.

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There’s been a fair amount of buzz this year about Altra entering the market as a revolutionary new shoe company … but I don’t really believe it.

After all, they’re not doing anything that other companies haven’t done before. The barefoot-inspired natural running revolution is well into its third year now, and by this point just about every variation of natural footwear has been tried. The key to success today is to work with the base of knowledge that’s out there, and develop products that deliver high performance while maintaining the pure biomechanics that naturalists have come to demand.

On that basis, Altra scores very high marks. They’re a company that’s a little bit late to the party, but one who has clearly done its homework on what natural runners are looking for. Over the past few months they’ve debuted a variety of models aimed at specific types of runners: the Adam and Eve for pure minimalists like me, and the Instinct and Intuition for zero-drop midsole fans like my wife. (They also have a trail-specific zero-drop model, the Lone Peak, scheduled for release very soon.)



Altra Women's Intuition

I’m lining up an Adam review for the near future, but in the meantime my wife got first dibs on evaluating the Altra company by testing their zero-drop women’s model, the Intuition. (Get it? Women’s Intuition? It’s a lot better than naming it “She Knows When You’re Lying”, I guess.) Truthfully, she’s an ideal person to test the shoe, because as I’ve mentioned in the past, she’s not onboard the pure minimalist bandwagon yet, but she really likes wearing flat-platformed athletic footwear.

That’s also the reason why I don’t consider Altra to be particularly ground-breaking, because the Intuition is at least the 4th zero-drop running shoe my wife has tested for me over the past year or so. It’s also not the first female-specific running shoe in this category she’s worn – I’ll throw in some comparisons as we go along - and there’s nothing particularly remarkable about the construction. However, the Intuition has rapidly become her favorite running shoe, to the point where she’s already shopping for a second pair – which is also reason enough for us to take a closer look.

From the top, the Intuition looks pretty much like your standard trainer, with a breatheable mesh upper that provides good ventilation in hot weather. The upper has asymmetrical lacing that is designed to be open in the foot’s natural flex zones, providing a secure fit with fewer pressure points. The upper is also shaped in what Altra refers to as an A-Wrap, which makes the midfoot area snug while leaving the toe box area more roomy.

Merrell employs this same concept with its Barefoot shoe line, but the midfoot of the Altra isn’t nearly as snug as Merrell’s models. To many runners, that will be a point in Altra’s favor, as one common criticism of Merrell’s shoes is that they are too narrow in the forefoot, making them difficult to put on or uncomfortable to wear for long durations. From heel to toe, the shape of the Intuition’s female-specific last is wider than Merrell’s Pace Glove, which is a strength or a drawback depending on your preference. One of the things my wife really likes about the Intuition is the width of the toe box, which gives her feet plenty of room to splay upon impact.

All Altra shoes come with two insoles, one of which helps accommodate zero-drop newbies. The “support” insert has a molded arch and heel wrap like traditional insoles, which helps ease the transition to flat platform shoes. The “strengthen” insole is completely flat with no arch support, which is the recommended choice for truly natural mechanics.

As for that zero-drop platform: it’s approximately 10mm high, but the shoe has a total "stack height" of 21mm, providing plenty of cushioning for a smooth ride. My wife feels that the Intuition diminishes impact much more effectively than the GoLite Micro Lite or Merrell Barefoot Pace Glove. She feels the ground impact much less with Altras; from my minimalist perspective, this was disappointing, but from her “I just want natural biomechanics with the comfort of a regular running shoe” standpoint, this is her favorite aspect of the Intuition.

Part of the explanation for the comfortable ride is a midsole material called A-Bound, a proprietary compound which Altra claims returns energy back to the foot with each step. There’s also something called a Natural Ride System, but I’m not quite certain how it works. Here’s how the website describes it: A combination of unique design elements and materials, working together to let the foot do its thing. Components include outsole and midsole componentry with proper metatarsal parabola, Zero Drop, and foot shaped lasts working together to allow you to run as nature intended. No artificial flavors!  If you can make sense of that, you’re doing better than me. Whatever they’ve got going on in there, it certainly makes for a comfortable platform.

One drawback of the midsole is its relative stiffness, as you can see in the above photo where I’m really pushing hard to curl up the shoe. I’d like to see slightly more flexibility here, but newcomers to zero-drop shoes may appreciate the similarity to traditional trainers. Weight of the Intuition is 8.1oz, which is comparable to regular running shoes (as well as the 9.0-oz Micro Lite), but significantly heavier than the 4.7-oz Pace Glove which is also a lot more flexible.

Altra uses different outsoles on its minimalist and zero-drop shoes, and the Intuition features a FootPod design which mirrors the bones and tendons of a naked foot. This is intended to allow maximum flexibility at all the points where your foot wants to flex, but I suspect that some of the effectiveness of this outsole is hampered by the stiff midsole. Otherwise, it’s a very durable rubber material that’s ideal for roads and grippy enough for fire roads or mellow trails.

Obviously from a spec standpoint, there’s nothing about the Intuition that jumps off the page to make it clearly superior to the other models my wife has tested. So when construction features are a toss-up, you go with how the shoe feels – and by that standard, the Intuition has clearly been the running shoe of choice for my wife this summer and fall. It offers an ideal combination of natural biomechanics with the protection and comfort of traditional running shoes. It’s not exactly revolutionary, but it’s pretty darn good – and that’s probably the best you can hope for from any new company.

The Altra Intuition retails for $100 from the company website, but if you use this link for your shopping, 10% of the purchase price will be deducted at checkout.

*Product provided by Altra
**See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.



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