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Thursday, September 2, 2021

August 2021 Round-Up | Surprising Instagram Poll of the Day Results

 


Wait, it's September??? We can't believe the summer months are almost at an end. August may have been the busiest month in Doctors of Running history, with 17+ new reviews and updates along with four new podcast episodes and the addition of a
new resource page. We are working hard to provide some content we've been dreaming of doing for awhile now and are excited to share a few more things in the coming months to round out the year. In the meantime, we wanted to pause and talk about something we've been doing lately on our Instagram daily - Poll of the Day! For the past two months, we've been connecting with our IG community to learn more about your preferences and interests. Read on to see what we've learned lately.

FOUR SURPRISING RESULTS AMONG OUR READERS


Photo of Kosmo and his pair of XTEP 160x 2.0. This has nothing to do with anything and everything at the same time.
Each day on our Instagram we like to conduct a Poll of the Day to learn more about our readers. It's been a fun way to connect with the community and learn more about preferences. If you haven't followed us on Instagram yet, please do and get involved! The data is useful for helping drive where we go next in our work. Here are some of the most interesting findings we've seen so far through our polls:

1. Injuries have starkly played a role in at least half of our respondent's answers

According to our most recent poll on plantar fasciitis, 50% of responders indicated that it has been a lingering problem in the past year. Over 55% of respondents indicated they had had ankle sprains in the past year/ A large proportion of messages we receive tend to be injury-related questions. Injuries are a tough part of running and one we try to spend a lot of time on in our podcast work to help bridge the gap between what we do on the site and the PT work we do daily.

2. Despite the maximal movement in running, a large majority of you still prefer a more traditional underfoot feel

Over 57% of you indicated that you preferred something closer to a traditional stack height than the high cushioned shoes we're seeing more and more of. Durability is still important as well, with 65-70% of you indicating that that was an important factor in purchasing a shoe. With the cost of shoes rising daily, it certainly makes sense that we want a durable rotation that will last us miles of training. In terms of performance, the majority of you - 58% - preferred a soft and flexible forefoot in your daily trainer rather than a firm and controlled foot.

3. Midsole > Everything for buyers

2021 has been a year of many, many upper updates from the Nike Pegasus 38 to the Saucony Endorphin Collection. Over 72% of you indicated that an upper update was not enough to get you pressing purchase at the store. In line with durability mentioned earlier, quality was also an important figure to respondents purchases regardless of price. 45% of respondents said that growing rates of shoes did not make a difference as long as the quality of the build and design was there. We've talked about uppers a few times, especially on a couple of shoes that it really changed the overall performance on. It's understandable though how a minor update like many shoes have had this year haven't been as attractive as new options like the Mach 4 or new collection of Puma shoes

4. Carbon plated racing shoes are the new normal in racing shoes

Over 63% of you indicated you had a carbon plated racing shoe in your arsenal, showing the growth of the super shoes in market today. When asked about racing flats, 63% of you indicated that you no longer had a racing flat in your arsenal. This is clear in our internal data, as views for carbon plated racing shoes has steadily gone up this year while old school racing shoes are both less viewed and in general hard to find today. That being said, there is certainly still plenty of room for non-plated workout shoes that merge new world midsoles with traditional flats. The FuelCell Rebel 2 and Liberate Nitro are two that come to mind, shoes that in a none-plated world may have even been marathon choices years ago.




LATEST REVIEWS AT DOCTORS OF RUNNING

Daily Trainer
Mizuno Wave Sky 5 Review - A premium cushioned trainer featuring a brand new Mizuno Enerzy Lite foam and Enerzy Core in the midsole
Asics Kayano Lite 2 Review - Some subtle, more eco-friendly elements are the highlight of the excellent geometric stability trainer from Asics
Asics Dynablast 2 Review - Dropping the stack down to 8 mm makes the Dynablast a versatile, comfortable ride that will like work well for a large number of neutral runners
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Review - Mizuno joins the plate wars with a glass fiber plated trainer combined with their Enerzy Lite foam to offer a light and responsive ride
New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v5 Review - A reformulated midsole and post along with very comfortable knit upper makes the Vongo a super pleasing stability trainer for long distances
Skechers MaxRoad 5 Review - Featuring a H-Plate to help stabilize the shoe, the MaxRoad features a fantastic new upper and slightly more structured ride that eats up miles
Asics GT-2000 10 Review - Refinements in the stability mechanics of this long running series from Asics helps give the GT-2000 10 some nice updates that are familiar, but modernized
Enda Lapatet 2 Review - The Kenyan running brand updates their neutral daily trainer with a new upper, adding breathable and some adjustments to fit
On Cloudstratus 2 Review - The Cloudstratus gets closer to clouds in this major update. A new midsole tuning and sustainable upper offers a really enjoyable long run experience for those who like a firmer, but protective ride

Trail
Saucony Endorphin Trail Review - Speedroll meets trails. The Endorphin Trail takes a similar approach from its sibling the Shift, adding an aggressive lug setup to handle long runs in the woods
Hoka One One Zinal Review - Light, nimble, and one of the most fun experiences you'll have running through the woods this year

Racing
Skechers GoRun Speed Freek Review - Completely booting the original Speed Elite, this amps up the Razor model in a big way with a max stack of hyperburst in a very rockered ride

Gear
Aftershokz Aeropex Review - The Aeropex offers bone conduction hearing and a phenomenal fit for everyday runner
Deckers x Lab Ventura (KO-Z Collection) - The Ventura adds a heel wrap to help provide extra security compared to the other more classic flip flop designs. A comfortable, high stack shoe for daily recovery
2021 Summer Split Shorts Review - Find the right summer shorts for your last few weeks of hot weather running (or for some, gearing up for the summer)
Deckers x Lab NVRSTP Running Pack Review - Deckers X Lab brings innovation into its commuter pack, a super versatile bag with tons of pockets and good fit for work life

Features

Guide to Stability Running Shoes
Update to our Carbon Plated Shoe Resource Guide

LATEST VIDEOS AND PODCASTS AT DOCTORS OF RUNNING
Xtep 160x 2.0 Review - Chief Editor Matt Klein visits the latest update to the Chinese brand's super shoe
Do Shoes Cause Injury? -
In this clip from our podcast on Ankle Sprains, we answer a viewer question on whether it's the shoes that's causing them so much grief?

PODCAST
Mailbag, Part 2 (Outsoles, Adios 6, Endorphin Shift 2 and more)
Apple | Anchor

Alphafly to Sky: Our Favorite Carbon Plated Shoes of 2021

Apple | Anchor

Mizuno Wave Rebellion Review
Apple | Anchor

Ankle Sprains 101: Types, Treatment, and Rehab for Runners
Apple | Anchor

IN FOR TESTING
Note: Links provided are Affiliate links to Running Warehouse.
These links help support Doctors of Running if you are interested in making a purchase! Thanks so much.


 

Newton Catalyst | $130
Release: Available now at Newton
 
The Catalyst is a beginner friendly, lightweight neutral trainer with a forefoot XPS plate to help propel runners for fast workouts. A highly open mesh upper adds tons of breathability while the combination of the plate and lugs helps really send the runner forward for tempo and intervals.


Newton Gravity+ | $190
Release: Available now at Running Warehouse

Featuring a new NRG foam, sustainable materials, and XPS plate to bring Newton into the plated game, the Gravity+ is their long distance racer that helped win Badwater 135. Combining a plate with their signature lugs, the shoe propels runners forward with ease while the new foam adds a layer softness to the brand.


Brooks Cascadia 16 | $129.95
Release: Available now at Running Warehouse

The legacy trail running shoe from Brooks hits its 16 edition in a sleek bumblebee yellow. The shoe amps up comfort with 2mm of DNA Loft v2 foam, a rock plate for protection, grooves for flexibility, and somehow manages to still shed some weight from its predecessor while doing all of this.
 

Topo ST 4
Release: September 2021

Topo has worked on modernizing it's brand this year, but managed to also preserve a few shoes for those who aren't read for the high stacked movement. The ST is a minimalist shoe with the signature wide fit that the brand specializes in. Light and nimble, it's for those who want tons of road feel and a focus on comfort in fit.
 


Reebok Floatride Adventure | $110
Release: Available now at Reebok

Taking the Floatride Energy 3 platform we know well, the Floatride Adventure is a road to trail shoe that adds some reinforcement to the upper to help tackle some light trailwork. The platform is as fun as ever, and at an affordable price it's a nice option for those who want to tackle some lightweight dirt and gravel trails on their daily runs.



Saucony Endorphin Speed 2, Runshield Edition
Release: September 2021

The Endorphin Speed has become a well-beloved series for the brand. The Runshield offers a new upper update, adding some water resistance along with a new outsole for better, softer performance on icy paths.
   

SCIENCE FRIDAY ROUND-UP

Graphic from our Science Friday on Shoe Rotation
Each Friday on our Instagram and Facebook we are excited to be sharing different discussions on shoe science between our team members and down the line with members of the running community.


COMING SOON

Next month we hit a ton of variety as we tackle some of the quieter brands during the running shoe offseason. We also are excited to dig into more injury related podcasts as we talk more and more about the ways we can work on recovering from various injuries ahead of marathon season. Stay tuned!

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Interested in purchasing any shoes reviewed here? Visit the links below and shop with Fleet Feet or Running Warehouse! Using the links below or in the Round Up to shop helps support the work at Doctors of Running. Thanks so much!








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