Singapore Marathon here I come!!!

Collection of the StanChart Singapore Marathon kit started yesterday. Like the previous years, I expected a huge human jam during the first day. Somehow a friend managed to convince me to go with her during lunch time against my better judgement :( She said last year when she collected the kit there was no traffic!

As expected, when we reached there, there were about 20 lines of people in front of us! Each line with about 15 people in the queue!! I quickly chastised her for it...

After 15mins in the queue, we moved 2 lines.... We decided to give up and go for lunch instead. During lunch I told her that my experience is that the human traffic actually dies down in the evening.

After work, the first thing I did was to quickly rush to Suntec Convention Centre to collect the kit again and hopefully avoid the evening crowd. I must say I got lucky, the journey there was pretty smooth and I got there about 6.25pm. Even luckier, there were only about 4 lines of queue. The queue was fast moving and before I knew it, I got my kit... I'm a happy man!

Review: Asics Gel Nimbus 9, on cloud 9?

Review: Asics Gel Nimbus 9, on cloud 9?
The Gel Nimbus series is Asic's premium range of running shoes in the cushioning category. As the word Nimbus, which is defined by http://www.dictionary.com/ as "a shining cloud sometimes surrounding a deity when on earth" suggest, the shoe is ostensibly able to provide one with a feeling of being on clouds. In other words, great cushioning! The Gel Nimbus has always been touted as a great cushioning shoes by serious athletes and in the runners' circle. The 9th generation of the Gel Nimbus also received the Editor's Choice award by Runner's World not so long ago.

So when the Gel Nimbus hits the local shores about 2 months ago, I went out to get a good look at the shoes. The shoes certainly looked beautifully designed and featured with perhaps the most amount of visible gel compared to all previous Nimbus. Suffice to say that I was sold just on designed alone. Here's my review of the Gel Nimbus 9.

Weight 4/5
The Gel Nimbus 9 is built lighter than other shoes in Asics' cushioning range, i.e. Landreth and Cumulus. Out of the box, the weight is pretty decent. However, it is not a light shoe and there are certainly shoes from other manufacturers in the cushioning range that are lighter. Its upper had quite a number of overlays, providing a magnificent visual treat. As mentioned earlier, the Gel Nimbus is beautiful to look at. Of course, it being in my favourite colourway, i.e. red, silver and black, helps too. The downside of the visual treat is that the shoes are not very breathable. In fact, it actually felt a little hot after about 5km or so running in the shoes.

Cushioning, Stability, Responsiveness 4/5

The Gel Nimbus has perhaps one of the most technologies from Asics built into it. Just on the midsole alone, it featured the "Solyte" foam, Impact Guidance System or "IGS" that guides the foot from heel strike to toe-off, Space Trusstic System providing mid-foot and torsional support, Dynamic Cradle providing support and guiding the foot for efficient toe off, and of course generous application of Gel in both forefoot and rearfoot. Whew, what a mouthful...

My experience with the shoes is that the shoes provide decent cushioning. However, with all those above-mentioned technologies built into the shoes, the cushioning is somewhat a little below my expectation. The shoes also offered only decent stability and responsiveness. Given that this is Asics top of the range cushioning shoe, I was rather disappointed by the cushioning, stability and responsiveness.

Fit, flexibility, traction 3.5/5

The fit of the Gel Nimbus is true to size and good. Once again, Asics deployed a gamut of technologies to ensure that the fit and flexibility is good. In this department, Asics incorporated Biomorphic Fit in high buckling areas to reduce the effect of material bunching that can cause discomfort and blistering. There's also the Personal Heel Fit or "PHF", which is a layer of high-density or memory foam which wraps around the heel and archilles tendon.

Now in theory, the PHF is supposed to decrease slippage in the heel whilst increasing comfort and fit. However in reality, I found the fit of the shoes a lot left to be desired. Somehow, I was never able to get a nice snug fit in the heel area. And although the shoes never felt like falling out during the run, the feeling of the shoes being unable to provide a lock-down feel is rather annoying.

Traction of the shoes are very good here. Asics uses its signature Ahar material which provides good grip.

Durability 5/5

After taking the Gel Nimbus 9 for about 90km (with the longest run being 25km), I can savely say that the shoes felt the same as the time I took it for the first run. In other words, the shoes don't require any break-in. Ironically, I had hoped that the shoes' cushioning and fit (particularly in the heel) could have improved. Having said that, it also means that the shoes are highly durable. In particular, the out-sole showed minimum wear. I am confident that this shoe can last in excess of 800km for me.

Overall 4.125/5
Like my last review (the Adidas MegaBounce+), the Asics Gel Nimbus 9 does not quite live up to its billing as a top cushioining shoe for me. The cushioning and fit was sadly disappointing and I have certainly had other much better cushioining shoes with better fit at a cheaper price!! The breathability of the shoes is also an issue to me. Having said that, the durability of the Gel Nimbus 9 is unbelieveable. And that may be the only consolation for shelling S$190 for the shoes.

Disclaimer: The opinion rendered is strictly my own, based on my personal experience whilst running in the shoes. It is not intended to act as any technical or professional advice. Please do not rely or infer on this when deciding which shoes to buy as every runner's profile is different.

Review: Adidas MegaBounce+, bounce bounce bounce

Review: Adidas MegaBounce+, bounce bounce bounce
Not so long ago, Adidas came up with a new product range called the A3 series. Unlike the Supernovas, Adistars and Adizeros, the midsole of the A3 series is molded and fabricated entirely from Thermo-Plastic Urethane (TPU), no foam, no eva, just plastic. In a sense, it is sort of like Adidas' answer to Nike's shox technology.

Being skeptical about how a shoe with hard plastic as midsole will perform, I tested its latest model, the MegaBounce+, touted to be the model that provides the maximum bounce amongst the A3 series, and is pleasantly surprised and impressed by it. Here's my review on the Adidas MegaBounce+...

Weight 3.5/5
Out of the box, the weight is surprisingly descent despite the generous employment of plastics. Having said that, it cannot be compared against shoes in the light weight category of course. Its upper had few overlays and is highly breathable. The cutting of the shoe is well-designed, providing a snug feel in the heel. The shoes came with 2 removable in-soles, which sort of add to the overall aura of this new technology! From the design of the shoes, I will put it in the stability cushioning range.

Cushioning, Stability, Responsiveness 4/5
The MegaBounce features a TPU (A3) midsole that runs the entire length of the shoes. At the forefoot area, Adidas also employed adiprene+ foam to improve cushioning. Being molded from plastics, the shoes is understandably stable. The cushioning comes from 2 factors. No. 1, the construction or structure of the A3 and No. 2, the 2 different types of in-soles supplied with the shoes.

The TPU is molded in the shape of a ball which compresses at impact and "bounces" back to provide cushioning and energy return. The MegaBounce+ also came with 2 in-soles, one orange and one blue. The material or composition of foam used for the in-soles appeared to be different, as one is called "DuraCushion" while the other is called "MegaCushion". From the name, it would suggest that DuraCushion would provide a firmer ride while MegaCushion will provide a much more cushy ride.

The A3 technology, coupled with the interchangeable in-soles, certainly sounds wonderful theorically. Practically however, I'm unable to feel any difference between the 2 in-soles during my runs. The cushioning is also much firmer and does not offer a lot of "bounce"! Having said that, the shoe is very responsive and heel-to-toe transition is excellent.

Fit, flexibility, traction 4/5
The fit of the MegaBounce+ is true to size and generally good with the heel providing a snug fit. My only contention is that the toebox is a little narrow. Whilst I can wriggle my toes freely, the width of the shoes is an issue to me. Taking it for a short 6km run, the shoe does its task commendingly. Push it beyond 12km and I will start to feel a little pain from abrasion at the lateral side of my last toes. To get around this, I have switched to thinner socks at the expense of cushioning which thicker socks usually provide. The shoe is understandably stiff given its thick TPU midsoles. Traction of the shoes are very good. Here, Adidas uses its signature Adiwear material. The grip of the shoe is good on concrete and asphalt.

Durability 3.5/5
After about 80km, the upper holds up commendingly and still looked in good condition. The outsole, which is made of Adiwear material, however is very thin and alreay looked to be wearing off quite a fair bit at the heel. In my opinion, the Megabounce+ is not suitable as a long distance running shoe should durability be a concern. If it is used as a training shoe for long distance running, the outsole will wear out very fast. In my case, as I have an issue with the narrow toe-box, it is now more of a mid-distance shoe (< 10km) as well as a "fashion" shoe to me. Hence, the outsole should last a little longer.

Overall 3.75/5

The MegaBounce+ does not quite live up to its billing as a shoe that provides great cushioning. The 2 in-soles supplied appear more gimicky than useful. Having said that, the MegaBounce is still a very decent shoe, which is very well-built and looked very futuristic. The shoe is perfectly capable of handling mid-distance running but certainly not a speedwork trainer and in my case, not suitable for long distance running due to its narrow toe-box.

Disclaimer: The opinion rendered is strictly my own, based on my personal experience whilst running in the shoes. It is not intended to act as any technical or professional advice. Please do not rely or infer on this when deciding which shoes to buy as every runner's profile is different.