Like I’ve said, BOOST is a revolution in footwear cushioning; it releases more spring and energy into your run than any other foam cushioning material in the industry. It does not absorb force, instead it rebounds energy from the foot strike. This means more speed, more distance and more comfort. The distinctive BOOST material is made up of unique energy storing capsules, a bit like memory foam, which hold and return the energy other midsoles lose. The material can withstand higher and lower temperature extremes so doesn’t disintegrate the way normal EVA does, meaning that you get more miles out of the shoe.
Putting the shoe on, I was immediately impressed at how comfy it was. The sole felt soft and spongy, even though it was claiming not to be and the actual fit of the shoe felt nice and snug thanks to the ‘Techfit’ upper.
The Techfit upper is a seem free lycra type material rather than the usual mesh material used in most trainers. The advantage of it being seem free is there is less likelihood of developing blisters. The flexibility of the material is great as it allows the foot to swell which will happen if you are running a marathon.
My first run in the shoes was an 11 mile tempo session on the track. This was literally a case of taking the shoe out of the box and putting it straight through its paces. A bit risky I know and not something I would normally do but I was excited to try these bad boys out and as I was running on the track so if I had any problems with them I could change back into my other shoes.
Next part of the session was some 1k reps at 10k pace and some 400m reps at 5k pace. Even when running these faster speeds the shoes were great. I often feel sluggish trying to run fast in mileage trainers but these were completely different and confirmed my first impression of it being a good lighter weight shoe. I finished the session with another 4 mile marathon paced tempo and then switched back to my Glides for my warm down.
There was a noticeable difference in the feel between the BOOST and the Glides. The Glides all of a sudden felt heavy (they usually feel quite lightweight for a mileage shoe) and less responsive. They still felt comfy but they didn’t have the same ‘slipper feel’ as the BOOST.
Since this session I have worn the shoes quite a bit both running and just walking about at work etc and I have loved them. Personally I am going to be wearing the BOOST for my marathon paced runs and shorter recovery runs but keeping to my Glides for my long and medium runs. I have had a lot of questions and enquiries about them at work and it seems that the general running population are intrigued by them and keen to try them out.
The shoes are now available to buy with a RRP of £110. At the minute it is only the Energy BOOST available but there will be an Adistar BOOST range and, the one I’m most excited about, the Adios BOOST available within the coming months. Again I want to point out that however much I love this shoe it will not make me or anyone else a faster runner just by wearing it. It will, however, help to give us an added ‘BOOST’ to our training and racing, giving us a better energy return and aiding recovery and that along with hard training will help us to run faster!