Outdoor Retailer-Altra Zero Drop Road and Trail Running Shoes & Something for Bad Feet

Pete Larson at Runblogger  recommended I visit Altra Running a Utah start up with a new shoe line for:

 the trail The Lone Peak (men and woman specific models). $99.95  
 the road Instinct (men's) and Intuition (women's). $94.99

Both shoes are zero drop (heel to toe ramp), among the very first zero drop "shoes" along with the GoLite Flash and Amp as well as the upcoming Saucony Hattori.
Weight:

Runner's World Out of Touch?

Runner's World's Spring Running Guide features the usual assortment of expensive, heavy, big heel to toe drop motion control, stability,and "performance training" shoes. Nothing weighing much less than about 9 oz and no shoes with what would consider Low heel to toe drop, less than 6mm, that I could see. A small addition is included in the print edition about more minimal shoes.

Seems to me

Outdoor Retailer-Other Ingenious Finds in Brief

All kinds of ingenuity on display by small companies. A small sampling below.

Paper Shower


After a run or ride and no time for a shower or just to cool and clean off after a sweaty run before getting in the car. Most towelettes are moisten with an  alcohol based solution. Paper towel is saline based. Then what to do to dry off? Paper towel is actually 2 towelettes: the cleaning towel and a

Outdoor Retailer-Julbo Ultra Dawn to Dusk Sunglasses

I am currently running and skiing with the Julbo Trail glasses.  Julbo is a small family owned French company in the Jura Mountains near Switzerland. They have been making exceptional optics since 1888. Despite their longevity they never stand still. Among their pro athletes:  Ed Viesturs of Everest fame and  Glen Plake, the long time  extreme skier with the huge multi colored mohawk. I saw him

Outdoor Retailer-Saucony Hattori and Peregrine

Saucony Hattori
The Saucony Hattori is a true minimalist zero drop shoe coming this spring. Retail $80.  Weighing 4.4 oz it has 10 mm midsole height.  2 velcro straps: one across the mid foot one across the heel. Very light, soft almost sock like upper with welded mid foot reinforcements Saucony's theme for the Hattori is "Protection without Correction".  It will come in 5 very flashy colors for

Outdoor Retailer-Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin Hydration Pack- An OR Favorite!

One of the products I was really looking forward to seeing was the Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin Hydration Pack. It did not disappoint. This is one of the best engineered pieces of running, skiing, biking gear I have ever seen. I look forward to trying one on the run soon.

It was designed with help from Kilian Jornet  twice  winner of the Tour du Mont Blanc North Face® UTMB® & Skyrunning 2010

Outdoor Retailer- GoLite Footwear

Stopped by to chat with my NH neighbors at GoLite Footwear who are increasing their offering of zero drop trail runners, boots, and sandals. I had previously tested and wrote about the GoLite Flash Lites. I found them to be a bit firm on the road and trail but a very strong road to trail shoe and the first true zero drop running shoe.

Doug Clark, Go-Lite Footwear founder, told me my observations

Outdoor Retailer-Adidas CC Trail Running Shoe

Adidas is introducing a very cool, super flexible trail shoe the CC Trail.



Available in July for $95.  I was told they weigh about 6 oz. They will be providing me info on the heel to toe drop which appears quite low. CC stands for Clima Cool so these would be a very comfortable summer shoe. Tight, thin mesh similar to the Saucony  Kinvara so one would expect minimal dust sneaking in and great

Outdoor Retailer-Hoka One One Bondi-B Road Running Shoe

I have previously posted about the counter intuitive and bold Hoka One One Mafate "natural running" shoe. While a trail shoe they are my current favorite for long road runs and recovery. Feel like running on grass on the road. Legs stay fresher during and after runs than any other shoe I have ever run in.

I visited Hoka's booth and talked to Nicolas Mermoud, co-founder about their new road shoe

Outdoor Retailer Reporting and Winter Running in Park City

I will be spending time at the twice yearly Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City, Utah this week at the tail end of a family skiing and running vacation in Park City and at Alta.

Yes, winter running and nordic skiing is incredible in Park City and runners will find the running at least as good as the sliding.  My favorite outdoor running venue is in Round Valley, just to the northeast of

Apple launches app store for Macs, a la iPhone - Technology & science - Wireless - msnbc.com

Apple launches app store for Macs, a la iPhone - Technology & science - Wireless - msnbc.com

No running in this post but this news signals the end of shrink wrapped software and ever more revenue for Apple. Apple never goes to the Consumer Electronics Show but they always have some real news which upstages the thousands of companies clamoring for attention at CES.

Nike+GPS Running Watch Announced at Computer Electronics Show.

Wired News and others have news about a new Nike+GPS Watch announced at the Consumer Electronics Show today. Combing  GPS pace tracking with the Nike+ Stride sensor and in some models HRM. Here is Nike's intro video. Cool looking with large light digits on black background which is a plus as I have found  most watches and my Blackberry with miCoach GPS running app are very hard to see in bright

Smartphone Running Apps-Searching for the Perfect Mistress

A guest post by my NH running buddy Mike Schwartz. Mike has joined me for many of my Boston Marathon training runs in recent months. He is keeping the pace brisk!

"After buying my first iPhone, my wife quickly dubbed it 'my mistress' -- I was a bit too addicted. Now I'm searching for that mistress running App. She needs to have a nice voice, be very flexible and have a top notch plan. Well,

A Blast from My Past-Mt Washington Road Race-Top 20 Juniors

The master of all things Mt Washington Road Race Dave Dunham  has a great blog with all kinds of historical statistics including junior records.

I found this listing of the top all time junior times and lo and behold I am listed. Note Karl Meltzer of ultra fame is in 5th place. Most from the golden years of New England running the 1970's and 1980's when speed was king, even uphill speed climbing

Hoka One One trail workhouse is now also my long haul road runner

Ran 2:05 on the roads yesterday in my Hoka One One Mafate "maximalist"  running shoes yesterday. Myfurthest road run yet in the "clown shoes" which I discussed in  previous posts. This shoe not only took Karl Meltzer down the Pony Express Trail in 40 days at 50 miles a day but it got me around the Tour du Mont Blanc trek this summer, pack and all, in fine form.
The Mafate has 2" of cushy foam and

Swiftwick Compression Arm Warmers... They're Arm Coolers Too!

Last winter the folks at Swiftwick were kind enough to give me a pair of their Ole Arm Warmers ($22.50) . I have extensively used and previously reviewed their light compression wool blend Merino 12 (12") socks in all seasons with great results.

At first I didn't see the purpose of arm warmers beyond the flexibility of rolling them down as temps and pace warmed during a run. Since then I have