Hey folks! So fzrdave pointed out to me that I was a total ****** bag and didn't post any kind of review after the UPS guy dropped off my shoes on July 6th. So here's the deal...

1) I hate fzrdave because I assume he owns a Yamaha sport bike and I sold my Honda VFR in 1991 and have missed it every day since.

2) Oh...about the Newtons...here goes.

In the whole scheme of things, I would have to say that I am very positive on them. I purchased the "Motion" which is their 10.4 oz Stability shoe since I have pretty flat feet. The folks at Newton told me that I should buy the size 10 1/2 because that's what I size out to on the Brannock device but I decided to go with size 11 and I think that was the right choice. One note, my foot is fairly wide but not nearly as much as some of my friends. I think if mine was any wider, the fit would be uncomfortable.

These shoes are just plain weird the first time you run in them...especially if you are trying to transition from being a heal striker. I gutted it out for several runs and they started to grow on me but then I got some REALLY BAD calf cramps in the middle of a couple of runs. No joke, one calf would pretty much lock up and I would end up limping for a couple of days. I think this was more my fault than the fault of the shoes as when I concentrated on lifting my knees to run, the problem went away. There was probably too much flexing going on before.

Fast forward to November 2007 and I'm pretty sure that the Newtons are great shoes. They are noticeably lighter than the Brooks I used to run in yet pretty stable and I felt pretty good through my entire nine-miler today. Earlier this week I finally tossed them in the washer (not the dryer) because they had gotten too gross for even me...and they came out looking almost new.

So...will I buy another pair for $175? Maybe. A buddy of mine did IM Canada in the new Zoot shoes and he raved about them. I may give those a try next. Then again with IMAZ only 20 weeks away, it might be a bad idea to mess with the formula.

I've heard some buzz that the Newtons screwed up Michellie Jones this year. I spoke with her very briefly at Vineman and she made an offhand comment that she had gotten slower but she didn't say anything about the shoes.

I don't know if this helps anyone or not. Best wishes for a great 2008 season.
-CJ