The Nike LunarGlide+...
The stage is set. Not blasting into space though...
Nike shoes and apparels galore...A year has passed since Nike held the Nike LunarTrainer+ shoe trials for the media team and runners. This year round for the Nike LunarGlide+ saw a larger turnout with both media team and runners turning up at full strength. Lynn, Pui San, Justin and Lionel took part for the first time, while making their return are Shih Ming, Jamie, Loke, Pueh Tian and Rashid too. Geraldine who is now in down under is greatly missed. 2 friends from the media team, Richard from TimeOut KL and Niki who both ran last year's Nike+ Human Race 10K with me was present too.
Lynn collecting her "rocket shoe"...The trial started off with a short introduction by my pal at Nike, Wong Li-Zren explaining the core technology of the shoe and how different it is to its predecessor. Though my first impression of the shoe wasn't really a good one, the explanation that Wong gave was indeed pretty interesting. Designed as a stability cushioning shoe which is something I have never heard before, I felt an arch support within the shoe which was something I really am thankful to have. And though the medial rear of the shoe is slightly higher compared to the lateral, the latter was built with more cushioning to balance things out. And when I first wore it, I find it rather tough on the heel. A huge chunk of carbon rubber was used and I believe this contributed to it.
Wong Li-Zren explaining the A to Z of the Nike LunarGlide+...One very important thing about this is shoe is the overall fit is much better than its predecessor. Sensitive areas were now padded especially the collar and it holds the feet nicely like a glove thanks to the seamless design. And the great news is, this shoe comes in gender specific models with the mens model coming in Black/Orange while the womens in White/Grey/Orange. After all the good stuff Wong described and after some tough decision making on whether to join them for a short run due to my injury, I decided to give it a shot.
The sky open up and our run was slightly delayed till about 5.45pm. It reduced to a drizzle and off we went for a 2.7KM run around the Mutiara Damansara neighbourhood. I was going slow following Loke and those from the "Injury Club" being Lynn, Pui San and Shih Ming. The run was good and the shoe gave a "bouncy" feel and the toughness I mentioned earlier was gone. Even traction and stability was much improved and I need not worry now running on pavements. Too early to comment on other areas of the shoe but at the end of it, I was glad that my legs held up.
The shoe is pretty good for a short run like this. Though heavier than the Nike LunarTrainer+, it is very acceptable. Not sure how will it hold for further distance but will give it a go at the upcoming Shape & Men's Health Run in about 2 weeks time. A full review will soon follow then.
A word of thanks to Wong Li-Zren and those at Nike Sales Malaysia for their great hospitality and generosity in organising this trialing session. It was certainly a fruitful one and I'm sure all those who were present will gain that extra knowledge to be shared to the running world out there.
10 comments:
Nice! Wish I could have been there to get myself a pair!
Miss that... would love to join next time, is it open to public or by invitation only?
Tweet & le_runner: There's always a next time. :)
Henry: It's by invitation only.
Frank, I am the one who greatly missed the chance to try the new handsome pair of Lunarglide. I am in dire need of new rubber. Haven't seen glide selling here much. Just an odd pair here and there.
Geraldine
Geraldine: I'm sure it will be available real soon as the worldwide launch date was in fact 1 July 2009. Well, good things comes to those who wait. Hehe... We all miss you.
Fruitful indeed! I only had fruits after the run! haha :)
Good seeing you again Frank!
after looking at the shoe that Loke showed me, it indeed had improved a lot from Lunar Trainer. at least the design itself look striking and deceiving. whether it can take one for a longer distance is probably secondary.
based on the physical outlook (short of running with it), the heel cap which is made of plastic is kinda suspicious to me. Isnt it too hard to have a piece of plastic at that area. but i may be wrong. but very obvious it made the shoe heavier.
the rubber compound used at the sole is hard too, more like a cross trainer to me. as you said, the true capability of the shoe can only be determine when u take it for a 20k or 25k run. thats the acid test. if its just good for 21k then one will probably be paying a high premium at RM399 (then an ASICS will be a better buy at that price)
looking forward to your wear test report and see how it perform. and if NIKE wanted to determine how stable the shoe is on a long run then get Lawrence Leong to trash it.
Niki: Indeed it was nice to meet up again. Time flies and it's been a year.
C-Cube: The rubber compound on the heel you mentioned indeed was very hard making the shoe very uncomfortable when used for walking. But for running, it was a different story, at least for the short run I had. As for the plastic heel cap, I greatly welcome it together with the padded collar as I'm sure it won't cause any irritation like its predecessor did. Well, to know the overall quality of the shoe, I just got to do more test and runs with it.
By the way may i noe hw to qualify to become this shoes trial programme?
How long is trial period?Never before wear a nike shoes to run...thnks
As from what I know, Nike are the one that does the selection. I do not know how they do it but some of us are through recommendations. The shoes are given free to each of us and there is no fix trial period for the shoe.
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