9:30 AM - Westboro - 6 miles, 42:00.
7:30 PM - BSC - Bike, 35:00.
I had hoped to squeeze in both of my workouts before work today, but my hair cut ran a little long and I only had time for six miles and a solid stretch before looking at the Asics line somewhere around the 11 o'clock hour this morning. Neither workout is worth rambling on about, but I did work the three hills pretty hard during my run this morning and I'm no worse for the wear as I write this entry. As expected, my legs and lungs weren't on the same page but my lungs felt fantastic and my legs felt like lead and that, quite honestly, was a bit of a surprise.
No big surprises in the Asics line today though, as a lot of the old stuff simply has a brandy new number after it. Heck, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, or at least don't mess with it too much. Asics, for the most part, does a pretty good job of this. Here's a few quick quips on what Shalane's dad had to show us.
Kinsei 2. Same ugly shoe, new uglier colors. The best upgrade Asics could make to this shoe is just to get rid of it altogether. It's a waste on many levels: ridiculously expensive, ridiculously ugly and a ridiculous excuse for a functional running shoe.
Kayano 15. Only one noticeable change here, that being the addition of an asymetrical overlay right across the middle of the forefoot, making for a tighter fit up front than classic Kayano wearers may be used to. It will be interesting to see how this will be received, as a similar stunt in the Nimbus 10 didn't go over so well.
Nimbus 11. Ch-ch-ch-changes. A couple worth noting, anyway. The biggest being the elimination of the asymetrical overlay in the forefoot that had many Nimbus 10 wearers going to a wider width or a 1/2 size bigger altogether. It was a change that needed to be made and has this shoe fitting more like Nimbus 8 or 9 than the current version of this cloud. Change # 2 is conservatively cosmetic. Asics actually toned down the look of this shoe, making the primary color a very white white with a touch of basic blue. Think along the lines of the cosmetics of the Kayano 13. They've also taken out the PHF stitching across the entire line, making the collar seemless and softer than every before. Add in a layer of memory foam on the inside of the tongue and this already plush shoe is going to give the Michelin Man a run for his money.
Cumulus 12. This cloud didn't change much, and that's a good thing. Despite a forefoot sans overlays, this shoe fits the snuggest of the core neutral trainers. That said, it's not super snug. My ugly bunions had plenty of breathing room up front.
Gel 3010. The 3000 was a nice addition to the Asics line last year and the new version doesn't disappoint, either. This shoe basically splits the difference between the 2140 and Kayano, and not by much. Think of it as the 2140 on steroids. The posting is very similar to its little brother, but there's a dynamic cradle that extends to the forefoot, addressing the needs of that late stage overpronator. This shoe is a little lower to the ground than both of its brothers, but it's a bit softer and fits snugger than either of its siblings.
DS Trainer 14. Love, love, LOVE this shoe. They finally got the DS Trainer right again after two terrible versions of what has traditionally been regarded as the best lightweight performance trainer on the market. The sizing has been fixed, it's no longer running a half size too small. Asics hasn't messed with the tooling all that much, but they have cleaned up the upper and fixed forefoot, leading to a racing flat look that feels fast on the feet. No price change, either. All the more reason to love it.
2140. It's already in the stores, but no changes to The Franchise for fall 2009 other than an additional colorway. The current version is sleeker and softer than the 2130, but hasn't been messed with much. Now weighing in at $100 though, which has been the trend amongst shoes in the stability category.
Evolution. Looks like any evolving will have to wait a while with this shoe, as the only changes made were to the colorways. A solid stability shoe to the highest degree, but it's no Beast. Then again, as my rep put it, "the Beast barely classifies as a running shoe."
Landreth. Same wide-open forefoot, widest of what Asics has to offer in the cushioned category. Not as plush as the the clouds it gets grouped together with, but responsive enough to hold it's own as a solid everyday trainer.
Racing flats. Bandito hasn't changed, neither has the Hyperspeed other than some fancy shmancy new colors. The Piranha hasn't changed much, but then again how much can you change on a shoe that barely weights 4 ounces. As for the cross country spikes, the new Dirt Dog and Dirt Diva are running a full half-size bigger than last year and will have to do without the rubber plugs for 2009, as those suckers had trouble staying in their respective holes.
Yeah, that's what she said.
7:30 PM - BSC - Bike, 35:00.
I had hoped to squeeze in both of my workouts before work today, but my hair cut ran a little long and I only had time for six miles and a solid stretch before looking at the Asics line somewhere around the 11 o'clock hour this morning. Neither workout is worth rambling on about, but I did work the three hills pretty hard during my run this morning and I'm no worse for the wear as I write this entry. As expected, my legs and lungs weren't on the same page but my lungs felt fantastic and my legs felt like lead and that, quite honestly, was a bit of a surprise.
No big surprises in the Asics line today though, as a lot of the old stuff simply has a brandy new number after it. Heck, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, or at least don't mess with it too much. Asics, for the most part, does a pretty good job of this. Here's a few quick quips on what Shalane's dad had to show us.
Kinsei 2. Same ugly shoe, new uglier colors. The best upgrade Asics could make to this shoe is just to get rid of it altogether. It's a waste on many levels: ridiculously expensive, ridiculously ugly and a ridiculous excuse for a functional running shoe.
Kayano 15. Only one noticeable change here, that being the addition of an asymetrical overlay right across the middle of the forefoot, making for a tighter fit up front than classic Kayano wearers may be used to. It will be interesting to see how this will be received, as a similar stunt in the Nimbus 10 didn't go over so well.
Nimbus 11. Ch-ch-ch-changes. A couple worth noting, anyway. The biggest being the elimination of the asymetrical overlay in the forefoot that had many Nimbus 10 wearers going to a wider width or a 1/2 size bigger altogether. It was a change that needed to be made and has this shoe fitting more like Nimbus 8 or 9 than the current version of this cloud. Change # 2 is conservatively cosmetic. Asics actually toned down the look of this shoe, making the primary color a very white white with a touch of basic blue. Think along the lines of the cosmetics of the Kayano 13. They've also taken out the PHF stitching across the entire line, making the collar seemless and softer than every before. Add in a layer of memory foam on the inside of the tongue and this already plush shoe is going to give the Michelin Man a run for his money.
Cumulus 12. This cloud didn't change much, and that's a good thing. Despite a forefoot sans overlays, this shoe fits the snuggest of the core neutral trainers. That said, it's not super snug. My ugly bunions had plenty of breathing room up front.
Gel 3010. The 3000 was a nice addition to the Asics line last year and the new version doesn't disappoint, either. This shoe basically splits the difference between the 2140 and Kayano, and not by much. Think of it as the 2140 on steroids. The posting is very similar to its little brother, but there's a dynamic cradle that extends to the forefoot, addressing the needs of that late stage overpronator. This shoe is a little lower to the ground than both of its brothers, but it's a bit softer and fits snugger than either of its siblings.
DS Trainer 14. Love, love, LOVE this shoe. They finally got the DS Trainer right again after two terrible versions of what has traditionally been regarded as the best lightweight performance trainer on the market. The sizing has been fixed, it's no longer running a half size too small. Asics hasn't messed with the tooling all that much, but they have cleaned up the upper and fixed forefoot, leading to a racing flat look that feels fast on the feet. No price change, either. All the more reason to love it.
2140. It's already in the stores, but no changes to The Franchise for fall 2009 other than an additional colorway. The current version is sleeker and softer than the 2130, but hasn't been messed with much. Now weighing in at $100 though, which has been the trend amongst shoes in the stability category.
Evolution. Looks like any evolving will have to wait a while with this shoe, as the only changes made were to the colorways. A solid stability shoe to the highest degree, but it's no Beast. Then again, as my rep put it, "the Beast barely classifies as a running shoe."
Landreth. Same wide-open forefoot, widest of what Asics has to offer in the cushioned category. Not as plush as the the clouds it gets grouped together with, but responsive enough to hold it's own as a solid everyday trainer.
Racing flats. Bandito hasn't changed, neither has the Hyperspeed other than some fancy shmancy new colors. The Piranha hasn't changed much, but then again how much can you change on a shoe that barely weights 4 ounces. As for the cross country spikes, the new Dirt Dog and Dirt Diva are running a full half-size bigger than last year and will have to do without the rubber plugs for 2009, as those suckers had trouble staying in their respective holes.
Yeah, that's what she said.
1 comment:
Nice feed back.......
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