So this review is marked by one of the worst mistakes a photographer can make. Losing the unboxing photos (or in this case deleted).
However, I’m getting ahead of myself. I love new stuff and really love to review stuff. But, I’m not an “official” reviewer, so I either get something way after it releases or never at all depending if I can even afford it. So, after Nike Running followed me on Twitter out of the blue, I was curious what was going on. After all, they only follow a handful of people.
Well, they DMed asking for an email. I naturally shot my email over and waited for a response. They responded by asking for my address and my shoe size. They wanted me to try out their new shoe called the Nike Flyknit. I sent over the information and waited to get something in the mail.
A few days later, a medium-sized box showed up. Inside was a surprise- a pair of shoes (that was expected) and a Nike+ GPS watch (which was not expected). As an avid Nike+ user since 2007, I was really jazzed to get my hands on that piece of tech. They gave me the watch to measure how the shoes changed/improved my running (which was a brilliant idea).
The Flyknit shoes are something! They are by far the lightest shoes I’ve ever had/ran in and the one piece knit upper is super breathable and honestly feels like a slipper on the foot (which is a good thing). Definitely the coolest construction on a shoe that I have seen ever- the upper is literally knit as one piece (excluding the tongue of the shoe) with static fibers. There are no seams that could cause chafing or blisters.
They run underfoot well too. I am coming from some Ascis that have a ton of gel cushioning but also weigh a bit more. I noticed the difference in cushioning (I run with hard plastic arch supports) and it took some time for me to get used to the shoes- roughly 20 miles. Time will tell if I will overload the cushioning and need to switch. The very thin tread underfoot worries me as well as I am a heel striker that wear all my shoes in the heel first. (Clearly, I’m a unusual use case here)
The Nike+ GPS watch is a great bonus and is the best tracking device for running I own. It has fixed my biggest gripe with the Nike+ system- since the sensor only measures footfalls and not elevation, it can track distance incorrectly. But when you pair it with a GPS sensor, that issue disappears and actually makes the pace measure more accurate since you being tracked above and below. (You have to be running with the Nike+ shoe sensor for that to happen) Add the fact you can view your route on a map makes it a no-brainer running watch.
My favorite part of this gift from Nike was how it helped me re-energize my weight loss and fitness goals. As I mentioned before, I have used Nike+ to keep track of (almost all) of my running since 2007. Even when I was working for a competitor, I was still using Nike+ to track my runs. Using this technology keeps me on track and on pace for my training goals and helps me monitor my progress towards those goals. Plus, like any new tech, I want to *use* it!
I will be wearing the crap out of these shoes and GPS unit over the next few months as I train. I will be sure to keep you updated on how the shoes are holding up and how my runs have changed! Thank you, Nike!
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