SportsShoes Blog

During my extended period of ‘rest’ while trying to recover from Plantar Fasciitis, all my dog walking, jogging and occasional running has been done in my Walsh Spirit Peak shoes. I’ve had them now for around 3 months and used them on a wide variety of surfaces from road to moorland to alpine trails, so here’s my review.

Walsh, until the ‘Spirits’ came along, were known purely for their fell running shoes and over the past few decades the PB trainers and racers have been undisputed market leaders. There have been a few other contenders who’ve tried their hand at making fell shoes but none really came close to Walsh until the guys from Inov8 took a look over the fence into Walsh’s garden and decided to mix things up a bit.

A quick check of the feet of competitors at any fell race just five years ago would have left you thinking that there was only one shoe to use – Walsh - but now the scene is very different. The increase in popularity of off road running has understandably not gone unnoticed by shoe manufacturers and there are now quite a number of excellent shoes from different manufacturers aimed squarely at fell runners.

Another recent trend in recent years has been the use of trail shoes rather than pure fell shoes in many UK races – particularly those over extended distances where competitors care more about comfort and cushioning than outright grip. Here the guys at Inov8 were cleaning up as they had some very capable trail shoes to compliment their out and out fell racing shoes.

Had Walsh continued to stick solely with fell shoes, they would have risked becoming extinct, they needed to react to their competitors and the changing needs of their customers – and that’s exactly what they’ve done with the excellent Spirit Peak and Spirit Lite trail shoes.

Mine are the Peaks which are almost identical in design to the Lite albeit a little heavier (no surpise there I guess) due to the addition of a little more cushioning and a heel counter to prevent over-pronation (fairly unusual in an off-road shoe).

The first thing I noticed when I got them out of the box were the words ‘made in China’ on the size label – a shame I thought as Walsh have always marketed themselves as not only a British company but a ‘made in Bolton’ company. However, having thought about it, shoes are no different to any other mass produced product, if you want the best and most efficient manufacturing technologies, I’m afraid you simply won’t find them in England – you must look to the East.

On closer inspection, the quality of manufacture is excellent – there’s not a stitch out of place, no glue where it shouldn’t be and all the pieces are exactly the same size and perfectly aligned – I’m sure Norman Walsh and his needle and thread could not have done better!!

The fit of the shoes is excellent and the closure via some fairly standard looking laces and eyelets is solid and instils confidence. Walsh have added a double last eyelet that gives the option of doing some fancy knot work to prevent laces coming loose but personally I think all this is a bit of marketing hype and have never had a problem with good old conventional lacing and a double tied bow.

The mid-sole, at least visually, appears to feature a fairly significant amount of cushioning but thankfully when in use they do not feel too soft and spongy which can make a shoe and its wearer feel totally disconnected to the ground.

The ‘pyragrip’ outer sole has a very simple looking tread pattern featuring large chopped off pyramid shaped squares across the whole of the underside. These are just deep enough to give good grip off road whilst remaining stable enough to be used on hard surfaces. The rubber compound is soft enough to give reasonable traction on most surfaces including wet rock but would not be what I would class as ‘sticky rubber’ so hopefully premature wear shouldn’t be an issue.

The upper on the Spirits is what I would class as a fairly ‘closed’ design with very few access points for water, mud, grit or small stones. This is great for keeping the feet dry in damp / moderate weather but personally I prefer a more ‘open’ design that allows more circulation of air and moisture.

The mild heel counter, which is there to prevent over pronation, appears to work well as the shoes offer a very smooth and stable ride without feeling like you have two blocks of wood nailed to the insides of your feet. As a neutral shoe wearer I was quite concerned about this feature but now I’ve used them I genuinely think it’s a positive feature not a negative.

Overall I think Walsh have done a great job with their first attempt at a modern day trail shoe. For me the styling could be better (they need to take some inspiration from the guys at Salomon) and I would prefer a lighter more breathable material for the upper. Having said that, they pass the ultimate test as you don’t think about them when you’re wearing them. A good shoe just does its job well without being noticed.

I think they’d be very happy in a race like Ben Nevis, long Lakeland runs such as Borrowdale, Langdale or Wasdale where comfy ‘rock capable’ shoes are needed or pounding out the miles in the Hobble or the Fellsman but for short, fast and steep races I’d leave them at home and dig out some Walsh PBs.

At last I think I can feel some improvement in my foot…..

My plantar fascitis came on in the middle of May and I’ve not been able to run more than about 3 miles since - that’s by far the longest lay off I’ve had for over 10 years.

To be honest after 10 years of ever increasing distances and difficulties, I guess I was due an injury so can’t complain too much, but that doesn’t stop it being mega frustrating.

My MRI scan showed an inflamed fascia and damage to my achilles tendon (which I had no idea about). When I asked my doctor friend about my achilles he just said that’s what I should expect after running so far and being so old! Gee thanks Phil.

Anyway, my months of enforced rest and patience seem to be paying off as I’ve done a few 3 mile runs over the past few weeks with very little pain.

However, I’m going to be sensible about this and not do what a lot of folk do and try and come back too soon. I’ve told the Ben Nevis race committee that I can’t make the race - the first time I’ve missed this classic for quite a few years - and I’m concentrating all my efforts into getting bike fit for the 3 peaks cyclo cross in September. I’ve set myself a challenge of riding at least 100 miles a week over the next 4 weeks then resting down for the week before the race.

Once the cross race has been and gone my plan is to try and ease back into running in the last quarter of the year and hopefully be able to get back to full training in January.

Despite all this, me and my long distance pals have still been throwing around some ideas for projects in 2011. The table is creaking with suggestions at the minute some of which include The Bob Graham Round, climbing Mont Blanc, The West Highland Way, The Cuillin Ridge on Skye and even the GR20 trail in Corsica. Add to that the Fred Whitton and Dales Etap bike sportives and next year could be quite busy!!

I was really pleased to read Jamie’s new blog and sincerely hope he manages to battle through the first few weeks of ‘why the hell am I doing this’ to reach the point where suddenly you realise ‘ahhh it all makes sense’.

Not sure about his technology approach though - to me there’s only one thing you need to be a good athlete - a postive mental attiutde.

Wow it’s late - better go get some sleep I’m cycling to work in the morning.

… to my first post in a new blog aimed at total novices by a total novice. Allow me to introduce myself and explain what this blog will be about.

My name is Jamie Lovelock and I’m a Senior Developer at Sportsshoes.com. I work on the computer systems that power the ins and outs of everything we do here. If you’ve ever ordered anything then that order will have passed though my work, and together with the rest of the tech team, we work tirelessly to ensure you have the best experience possible at sportsshoes.com. I’m a geek, loud and proud. My sporting credentials are meek to say the least. I’ve always felt sport should be watched on tv, not partaken in, but I did use to play rugby for my local team. I’m embarrassed to say that was ten years ago and as I fast approach the big three O, I’ve decided to get myself in shape.

As you’ll soon notice from the coming blogs, I love tech in all its forms and I aim to use it in every way possible to aid me on this new adventure. I won’t be doing product reviews as such, but I will be passing on my experiences with the kit that I come into contact with.

So, where am I right now? Well, I started 5 runs ago. I’m not sure what kick started it all, maybe the sporting atmosphere in the office, maybe the fear of hitting 30 and not being able to run for further than 20 yards, who knows but what ever started me off, I’m hooked now.

I found an app for the iPhone called Couch to 5K. It aims to do just that. Get you from your couch to being able to run 5k in 9 weeks! Daunting to say the least. The way it sets out achieving this impossible feat is simple enough. 3 runs a week, with the difficulty increasing every week as your body gets use to moving again. I’m about the complete week 2 and it really is working.

Week 1

The first run starts off with a 5 minute warm up. It recommends stretching and then walking / jogging. I’ve found just a good brisk walk to be ample. After the 5 minutes are up, the friendly voice instructs you to start running for 60 seconds. There is no pace at which to run so you just choose whatever feels comfortable. For me, its a steady jog. Then, after the 60 seconds have passed you are instructed to walk for 90 seconds. The first time I did it, the 90 seconds couldn’t have come soon enough! You repeat this run, walk, run walk for 20 minutes and then have a 5 minute cool down. Now, it sounds really easy and I’m sure if you’ve ever run for more than 50 yards then it is, but if like me (and if you’re still reading this then I hope you’re like me) you haven’t run before its hard work! Just getting the courage to go outside and pit yourself against dog walks, sinister teens and the elements is a challenge in its own right so completing the first run is a great achievement. Stretching out after the run is a must. I was really sore the first few times as my muscles rebelled, rudely awoken from their 10 year slumber. Stretching will really help ease those aches and allow you to continue a few days later.

My second and third runs were a couple of days apart and were the same as the first one.

Now for more tech.

As I’ve said, I’m using my iPhone with Couch to 5K but one of the great things about the new iPhone 4 is the multitasking. In the background, I use a program called ‘Jogger‘ to record my run via GPS and calculate distance, calories burnt etc. It runs at the same time as Couch to 5K and doesn’t get in the way at all. Its great to see the route I’ve taken and I’m really happy when I see that I’m covering 2 miles per run. To me, that’s a long way! I’ll talk about some of the other items of tech that I have, and some of the other programs available for smartphones and ipods in the coming blogs.

As I start to wrap this up for today, I can’t fail to mention the most important item of tech that I have used so far. Unsurprisingly, they are my running shoes.

I’ve tried running in the past and I’ve gotten nowhere. I finally know why! The last time I tried, I just had on a bog standard pair of trainers. Nothing special. Tennis shoes I think they were. What I do know is that there weren’t made for running. I had to stop after no time at all because my joints were killing. I’m a big man, heavy, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when I heard that running puts 3 times your weight through your joints. Working in sportsshoes HQ, I have advice on tap so I was recommended a pair of Saucony Triumph 6 and they are great! So comfortable, and I can honestly say I’ve had no joint pain what so ever since I started. They make the world of difference and I urge you to try a pair of proper running shoes for yourself. There is every bit as much tech in them as is in the software used on the iPhone.

Right, I think that’ll do for now. I hope you’ve found this interesting. I want to try out some new apps including miCoach from Adidas so check back soon to see how your normal joe bloggs gets on with it all.

Jamie.

Follow my progress on twitter @runwalkrunwalk.