New Balance MT101 Trail Running Shoe Review

One of my favorite things about doing product reviews is that I have lots of opportunities to give stuff away.

I’m very fortunate to receive more gear than I could possibly use, and I love to pay that generosity forward as much as possible. However, since most of the things I give away have been worn for about 100 miles of trail running, I tend to shy away from handing them out online. Consequently, my training partners are the biggest beneficiaries of this policy, which also allows me to keep the very best gear for my own personal use.

So what does this have to do with a shoe review? Well, before I reviewed New Balance’s MT100 last December, I thought to myself, there's no way I’m giving these things away. The concept – a super-lightweight, super-high-performance trail runner inspired by the shoe-carving tactics of ultrarunning stud Anton Krupicka - was fantastic. The development of the shoe, incorporating feedback from top ultrarunners and hundreds of hours of biomechanical analysis, was impeccable. And the final specs – such as its 7.8 oz weight, midsole heights of 18mm (heel) and 8mm (forefoot), and aggressive outsole pattern with Rock Stop plating – had me drooling.

The more I heard about the MT100, the more enthralled I became; by the time the box arrived at my house, I was like one of those girls on The Bachelor who’s convinced she’s in love with the guy before she even steps out of the limo. I simply knew this was a shoe I was meant to be with.

But then a funny thing happened: on our first few dates, I noticed a couple of quirks that soon became red flags – and as we started spending more time together, those quirks became legitimate problem areas. Before I knew it, the relationship soured, and finally I did the unthinkable: I gave them away to a friend of mine. (Who loves them, naturally. And I pretend to be happy for them. You know how these things go.)

New Balance MT101

Needless to say, I was somewhat disappointed in how it all turned out – but when I learned that New Balance was updating the shoe this year, I jumped at the opportunity to test the MT101. I took a second chance on love, and it was the best decision I ever made – because this time around, everything has come up roses. The MT101 keeps everything about the MT100 that I adored, and updates the character flaws that were deal-breakers for me the first time around.

Aggressive outsole with scooped-out sections to decrease weight

For more extensive background about how the shoe was developed, check out my MT100 review from last year. You can also refer to that post for details on the midsole and outsole specs of the 101, because they’re essentially unchanged. From the midsole down, all the features of the 100 are carried over: the aggressive outsole with directional heel lugs for downhill braking; the 18mm/8mm midsole with ACTEVA cushioning; the Rock Stop forefoot protection. Even the overall weight of the shoe is identical at 7.8 oz.

The MT101 also maintains New Balance’s RL-3 racing last, which I find runs a bit small and short. One of my big problems with the MT100 was that my toes hit the front of the toebox on steep downhills, a condition partially attributable to the short cut of the last. I took the cautious route and sized up one-half size for the MT101, and I’ve had no issues with toe contact at all.

Lightweight mesh supported by gray EVA heel collar

Another contributing factor to my toe-mashing problem in the 100 was the upper itself, which is super-thin and framed only by a skeleton of EVA around the heel collar. It was fantastic for being lightweight and providing ventilation, but allowed a lot of foot movement on top of the midsole. One major improvement on the 101 is the addition of stability overlays on the upper (see first photo), which hold the foot more securely and prevent slippage towards the front of the toebox on downhills. (Just to be safe, though, I’d still recommend sizing up one-half size for these.)

Fabric and padding around heel collar - Hallelujah!

Without question, the biggest and most welcome revision to the MT101 is found on the heel collar, which is now lined with very thin fabric on the inside instead of placing the EVA in direct contact with the Achilles tendon. You’ll recall from my 100 review that this “ankle-biting” problem was persistent, and it proved to be the deciding factor in my giving the shoes away. In addition to adding the fabric, New Balance tinkered with the lip of the heel collar to make it smoother against the skin – and I’m thrilled to report that as a result of both of these modifications, I haven’t had any problem with heel pain whatsoever on the 101.

Lightweight tongue, Sure Laces, ventilated mesh upper with protective toe cap

A similar comfort revision is present on the tongue of the 101, which has a tiny bit of padding to eliminate the discomfort that some users felt when lacing the shoes tightly. (I never had this problem myself.) The tongue is still very thin and lightweight, and is secured by the same sausage-link Sure Lace system found on other NB racing models. One final tweak to the upper is a more durable and slightly wider toe-protection bumper at the front of the toebox.

As you’ve probably gathered, I’m extremely impressed with the MT101. It’s not a true minimalist shoe - that New Balance offering is coming soon – but it’s an ideal combination of the lightweight, low profile benefits of minimalism with a little bit of cushioning and protection so you can run like a maniac over any kind of terrain. These are my shoe of choice for our weekly 12-mile trail run where we often hammer the downhills at 6-minute pace, and it’s a perfect choice if you’re looking to PR at your local trail race. They’re durable enough to handle the most demanding ultras – in fact, Krupicka wore these for both Western States and Leadville this year – and comfortable enough that they haven’t given me any issues with blisters or hot spots, even right out of the box. I have more than 250 miles on my pair already, and they’ve shown no indication of wearing out yet.

In other words, this shoe is a keeper, and my training partners will just have to buy their own. Fortunately for their sake, as well as yours, the shoe is pretty affordable as well. The New Balance MT101 retails for $75 from TravelCountry.com and other online retailers.

*Product provided by New Balance USA
**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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Picture Me Running ... Without Pants

Ostensibly, the purpose of this post is to debut the cover of my upcoming book – but it also happens to be a nice little story about the importance of being prepared.

About three years ago in December, my friend Mike and I were approached to write an article about starting an exercise program for a magazine supplement to the Monterey Herald that would be published the following January. “New Year, New You” – that sort of thing.

Shortly after submitting our article, the editor asked if she could send a photographer to take pictures of us that would accompany the article. Since the two of us are accustomed to our head shots occupying a meager 1” x 1” square above our column each week, we were obviously flattered by this request. The editor told us the photographer would be in touch to set up a time and location for the shoot.

Several days went by without hearing from the photographer, we burned a few more days exchanging phone messages suggesting various meeting points, and our first target date ended up being a last-minute cancellation. All the while, the deadline for publication was drawing closer, and we were running out of opportunities to get the shoot done.

So it probably shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did when I got a call from Mike at work one morning that went something like this: The photographer needs to meet with us at Toro Park this afternoon. It’s the only day he can do it before the deadline, and you’ll have to come straight over from work so we have enough daylight left to take the pictures. It didn’t sound like much of a crisis until I remembered one thing: I didn’t have any running clothes in my car.

Fortunately, my car is something of a locker room on wheels, so on my way to the photo shoot I was able to scrounge a pair of beat-up athletic shoes, an old t-shirt, and a sweaty vest that was tucked behind the passenger seat because I forgot to bring it in the house after a 2-hour run from a few mornings ago. The final piece of the puzzle was my Speedo jammers that could pass as a pair of compression shorts – and with that, I managed to look something like a runner. Even though I felt like a complete moron.

The photographer turned out to be awesome, the photo shoot played out quite well in the fading light, and the pictures ultimately turned out much better than we expected. One of them was used on the cover of the magazine, and a couple more accompanied our article inside. Several people made comments to us about the cover photo, but no one specifically teased me about wearing a swim suit for a running photo. The moment came and went, and I figured that was the last I had to be embarrassed about it.

And then we went and wrote a book.

In the three years that have passed since that photo shoot, Mike and I really haven’t been photographed together for any promotional purposes; needless to say, being running columnists for a small-town newspaper doesn’t exactly make us Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. So when we started to consider a photo for the cover of our book, and remembered that we already had a series of high-res images of us running together that were taken by a professional photographer, Mike figured that was a slam-dunk choice to use. As you can imagine, I wasn’t quite as sure.

However, without any convenient or financially feasible alternative, I didn’t have any grounds for rebuttal – so the picture that graces our book about running is one I’m ashamed to admit I wasn’t even remotely prepared for. My only reassurance is that the picture is fairly small, and – unlike the digital master that it was taken from – you can’t zoom in close enough to see all the, um, "details" of my outfit from the waist down. Thank goodness for minor blessings.

So that’s your lesson for today, kids: always have the right clothes available when you need them - because you never know when you might end up in your swim suit on someone else’s bookshelf.

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Random Shots of Beauty

One of my favorite trees in Carmel Valley sits about two-tenths of a mile below the southern ridgeline of Garland Ranch Regional Park, nestled into a bend in a path called the Sky Trail:

The tree's dynamic colors at this time of year remind me of a large, slowly expanding firework. Right now the tree is mostly green and yellow, but will progress to brilliant reds and oranges as the season progresses.

Bring on autumn.

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New GU Island Nectars Roctane

Here’s one of those studies that probably didn’t require much brilliance to reach a conclusion: When the GU Energy company began researching a new flavor for its popular Roctane endurance gel, an exhaustive process of taste testing revealed that athletes really enjoy the taste of booze.

More specifically, testers went crazy for the taste of a sweet island concoction that somewhat resembles a Mai Tai. But since the newest Roctane formulation doesn’t have actual alcohol in it – and since they presumably didn’t want a flavor with “virgin” in the name - they settled on “Island Nectars”. And according to the official press release - I swear, I’m not making this up - "it's frickin' delicious.”

(And before progressing any further, I should say for the record that I have a very sweet spot for Mai Tais myself; they helped nurse me through a wonderful, awful vacation when I briefly thought I had suffered a spinal cord injury. Assuming this new flavor doesn’t trigger any sort of flashback to the physical pain I was in two years ago, I’m really looking forward to tasting it.)

Fittingly, considering the flavor, GU decided to launch the new Roctane product at October’s Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. They’ve also had an ongoing promotion where Kona qualifiers receive a free swag bag from GU which includes a healthy supply of Island Nectars Roctane. Thankfully however, GU, unlike the Ironman World Championships, decided to lax their qualifying standards quite dramatically, and they’re opening up the offer to everybody, with one small twist.

Here’s the deal: follow this link and buy one item from the GU website – you already know which flavor I’d recommend - and they’ll throw in a 6-pack of Island Nectar Roctane for free. You’re getting virtually the same treatment as the Ironmen, without any of the training – pretty cool, huh?

And before you ask: yes, I’ll be getting samples of these for myself at some point, and yes, I’ll probably conduct a giveaway in conjunction with my review.  If they're truly frickin' delicious, I'll be the first to let you know.  But if you don’t like your giveaway odds or you’d rather not wait that long, just go here and take advantage of the offer from GU while it lasts. It’s good from now until October 31st.

Aloha!

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GoLite Amp Lite Running Shoe Review

For all the hype surrounding minimalist and natural footwear lately, there’s a noticeable lack of options for runners wanting to transition gradually from traditional footwear towards minimalist shoes.

Interestingly, it took my wife of all people to point this out to me: she’s watched my progression towards minimalist running for long enough to be intrigued by the idea – and considering that she thought I was insane at this point last year, that’s significant progress - but she’s smart enough to be wary of just strapping on a pair of Vibrams or moccasins and resuming her normal running routine. So a few months ago she sought my advice (yes, occasionally it happens) and asked whether there were any running shoes out there with a flat platform for midfoot strike, but a traditional midsole and upper for cushioning and comfort.

My answer was something along the lines of, Um … hmm … I … you know … I’m not really sure. So much for looking like an expert.

In my defense, the reason I couldn’t think of anything is that there really haven’t been any shoes on the market with those specifications – at least, not until just recently, with the arrival of the BareTech series from GoLite Footwear. The Amp Lite is designed as a trail running model, and the Micro Lite is a women’s-specific version that also debuted this fall. Both of them will be reviewed here – I’ve mentioned before that my wife’s on the R&R payroll, right? – beginning with the Amp Lite today.

GoLite Amp Lite

Before we jump into the review, a point of clarification: the GoLite Footwear company based in New England is a distinct entity from the GoLite company that makes camping and athletic gear in Boulder, CO. It’s the same brand, complete with the same logos and everything, but two separate business operations. If that makes any sense.

The shoe company has dabbled in hiking and outdoor athletic footwear for some time now, but the BareTech line represents a full paradigm shift away from built-up, overly constructed designs and towards endurance sports models that are more lightweight and promote natural foot motion. The Amp Lite a transitional step in the company’s progression toward a true minimalist shoe: the Tara Lite (see this post for a preview), scheduled for release next spring. It’s fitting, then, that the Amp is also a great option for runners looking to transition gradually toward true minimalist running.

Ventilated mesh upper, protective toe cap

From the outside, the Amp Lite looks like any other trainer, and at 11.8 oz, it will never be mistaken for a anything remotely minimalist – but that isn’t really the point with this shoe. The structural differences aren’t apparent until you actually put the shoes on your feet.

Complicated (but effective) laces

About that “putting them on your feet” part: the Amp has a unique internal lacing system that I found somewhat challenging and cumbersome to operate. The laces twist around each other directly over the top of the foot, and are incorporated into something called a TPE cage system that adjusts the tension across the arch as you pull on them. The resulting fit is comfortable and quite secure, and is designed to hold your heel in place better and prevent your foot from sliding forward on descents. Eventually I got used to the system, but it definitely takes a few practice laces to remember which way to pull at each eyelet.

Assuming you get them on your feet properly, you’ll immediately feel the Amp Lite’s distinguishing feature, in that there’s no drop from heel to toe through the midsole – it’s 20mm thick in both regions. The official term for this is a “zero-drop” midsole, and the Amp is currently the only traditional-styled trainer that offers this (even Newtons have a slight heel to toe drop that’s offset by large forefoot lugs on the outsole).

Three insole options

GoLite offers three insole options with each shoe: you can use the insole as is for a normal fit, or the thicker or thinner options which make the toebox area more or less roomy. True minimalist runners prefer a nice wide toe box that allows the toes to spread out, but someone transitioning from standard footwear may be more comfortable with the standard insoles. The insoles also have a bit of an arch support built into them – which is a drawback for pure natural runners, but a comfort for transitional runners.

The zero-drop structure allows you to run with a midfoot or forefoot strike, but habitual heel strikers can also use this shoe while tinkering with their form. While there’s essentially no ground feel through 20mm of midsole, GoLite’s Soft Against the Ground (SATG) technology makes it feel like there’s a firm surface underfoot at all times, instead of having the cushioned feel of traditional trainers. SATG basically turns traditional footwear construction upside down: the soft part of the midsole is closest to the ground to absorb shock, and the firm platform helps rearfoot stability while providing the feel of hard terrain that minimalist runners crave. The overall effect isn’t nearly as good as actually feeling the ground, but it’s a nice compromise considering there’s so much midsole beneath you.

Crossover outsole

Under the midsole, the Amp features a Crossover outsole that is designed as for all-purpose road and trail running. It has GripStick rubber for traction on slick surfaces, and is formed with wedge shapes that help with shock absorption and stability on hard terrain. GoLite markets this shoe as a trail runner, but the tread isn’t so knobby that it’s out of place on the roads, so jogging through the neighborhood to get to the trailhead isn’t a big deal.

Considering that this is their first foray into the natural running arena, GoLite has put together a very compelling shoe with the Amp Lite. It offers some nice innovations that are new to the market, and achieves its goal of being an intermediate step between traditional and minimalist shoes. From that standpoint, the shoe is a success. My biggest question is whether this particular niche is big enough for the shoe to be a long-term stalwart in the running shoe industry.

After all, at some point most “transitional” runners (or as I like to call them, the bare-curious) will gravitate fully towards minimalist footwear, or revert back to traditional trainers. The Amp is too much shoe for the first group, and not enough for the second. Throw in the fact that it's designed primarily for men - as mentioned, the women’s equivalent will be reviewed here this fall – and you can see how this shoe won’t be threatening Nike for market share anytime soon.

Personally, I hope it sticks around for a while, because I think it serves an important purpose in a way that no other shoe on the market currently does. Hopefully, that will be enough for the Amp Lite to succeed.

GoLite’s Amp Lite retails for $109 with free overnight shipping from Endless.com as well as other online vendors.

*Product provided by GoLite Footwear
**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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Random Shots of Beauty

It’s not exactly going to shock anyone to hear this, but I frequently run with a camera.

Many of the pictures show up on race reports or photo tours or product reviews (see right sidebar), but others just sit on my memory chip or hard drive for far longer than I expect. In some cases I never get around to writing a story idea, or the photo doesn’t go along with the rest of the narrative – or sometimes I have a post where 50 pictures seems just fine, but 51 would just be way too excessive. Honestly, I don’t spend much time trying to quantify these things.

The end result is that I have a lot of pictures that I think are cool for one reason or another, but never see the light of day on this website. Until now, that is.

Rather than just deleting everything, I figured I’d just post one or two of them here each weekend, for no other reason than because it’s easy. It could be something like those Wordless Wednesday posts that a lot of people do, except that 1) It won’t be on a Wednesday, and 2) I'll probably include at least a few words. Other than that, it will be exactly the same.

I suppose there's a larger meaning of sorts, too, which kind of relates to what I described in my previous post; With increasing frequency, it's the small moments, the little snapshots in time - like a colorful sunrise, a scenic landscape, or simply an interesting tree alongside the trail - are the primary reasons I enjoy running, even moreso than competing in races or striving for PRs or pushing my limits of performance.  (And yes, if you had told me five years ago that I'd be saying this, I would have called you insane.)  Consequently, these are the moments I feel compelled to share more frequently than just explaining how far I ran in my last workout.

So let’s just name this little experiment Random Shots of Beauty, and see where things go. To kick things off, here’s a scene from my early-morning run on Friday:

Full moon at sunrise, as seen from an area called Couch Canyon in the Fort Ord open space.  I had been fixated on the moon for quite a while at this point; on Friday morning, it shone so brightly that I switched my headlamp off five minutes into the run, and navigated by moonlight for the better part of 15 miles.

In the opposite direction, sunlight was spilling over the hillside ...

... illuminating the many miles of trail that still awaited me. The beauty of the dark was behind me, with plenty of beauty in the light still to come; it gives me the kind of feeling that makes getting up at 4AM worth it.

So there you go: your first Random Shot of Beauty. To be continued next weekend.

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Feeling the Path: Anton Krupicka and New Balance Minimus

“Feel the path of every day - which road you taking?
Breathing hard, making hay - yeah, this is living …

Feel the sky blanket you with gems and rhinestones –
See the path cut by the moon for you to walk on.”
- Pearl Jam, “Unthought Known” (video after post)


There’s a very cool video making the rounds in the trail running community lately, featuring two very compelling subjects: Anton Krupicka and the forthcoming New Balance Minimus.

The 3-minute clip is noteworthy for a couple of reasons: first (and, from a product marketing standpoint, foremost) is that it features several close-ups of the eagerly anticipated shoe that’s scheduled for release in March of 2011. You’ll recall that a couple of months ago, NB was intentionally secretive about what the shoe actually looked like; in this video, you can see for yourself, from a few different angles.

Without question, the new Minimus looks like a pretty sweet ride, and I’ll be eager to give it a spin (and a review, of course) in the springtime. However, what stands out more to me from the video are Krupicka’s musings on minimalist footwear and natural running. He explains how the current evolution - or if you prefer, revolution - of shoe industry leaders like New Balance towards a “less is more” mindset is an extension of a larger movement towards a minimalist lifestyle, simplifying our existence as a means of giving it greater meaning.

He also describes the inherent satisfaction in feeling your foot interact with the ground with every step you take: the way it connects us more closely to our surroundings, and the way it strips away all the other distractions we sometimes bring to our training. The constant feedback of the Earth underfoot helps us stay focused in the moment and at one with the natural world around us.

Sure, that kind of talk has hints of New Age gobbledy-gook to it … but the thing is, I feel exactly the same way. In fact, I discussed this very topic about two weeks ago with a writer who is researching the barefoot running phenomenon.

He was interviewing me as a reference (I know … I was shocked, too) for his book, and thought that I was somewhat unique in comparison to other barefoot or minimalist runners he’d spoken with, mainly because my affinity for this approach has been completely voluntary. I didn’t have difficulty running in regular shoes. I didn’t suffer injuries from conventional footwear. And I don’t harbor any counter-cultural animosity towards traditional shoe companies.

So he asked the obvious questions: Why did I do it? And why do I stay with it? The answers I gave him were almost identical to what Krupicka talks about in the New Balance video.

I was drawn to barefoot running – and by extension, minimalist footwear – somewhat by intellectual curiosity, but more by this primal joy of letting my body function naturally in the endlessly fascinating world around me. I love to feel the ground below me, the rhythm of my legs and lungs and body working in harmony, the sky blanketing me with cool air and fresh breezes, and to see my path illuminated in the moonlight before me. Those moments, more than anything else, are what running is all about to me – and the less my gear interferes with those experiences, the better.

But I’m digressing too much, because this post is primarily about Krupicka and the Minimus. Watch the video below, then if you’re so inclined, you can follow the link to an interview with Krupicka and senior New Balance designer Chris Wawrousek for further insights into the development of the Minimus. Or you could just stick around and listen to Pearl Jam.

“Tony Krupicka and the New Balance Minimus” (click to play):



See the interview with Anton Krupicka and Chris Wawrousek here.

*
Considering what a huge Pearl Jam fan I was in college, I’m ashamed to admit that it took me a couple of years to warm to the idea of a comeback from them – but this song from the Backspacer album was the one that closed the deal for me. It’s got classic Pearl Jam style, and instantly became one of my favorites.

Pearl Jam, “Unthought Known” (click to play):

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