I love trying new stuff so when these came along, with the different looking soles, I got straight into them and took them for a spin.
First impressions of the shoe were very positive. I thought the design of the shoe was very neat, they are a Swiss design so wouldn’t expect anything less. The “clouds” are the main stand out difference with how these look to other brands, and I kind of liked the idea of them.
“the highly adaptive rubber Cloud elements cushion both vertical and horizontal forces for a soft landing and start getting you ready to move forward.”
“CloudTec® is the first system to offer cushioning only during the landing phase (when you actually need it). As soon as you strike the ground, the Cloud elements lock firm to form a solid foundation for natural, powerful propulsion. Prepare for take-off.”
Putting them on is when things started to change. I loved the room for my toes and the feel of the upper around my foot was comfortable. Then I stood up and instantly felt the clouds under my instep. This did feel strange and I felt like I was rocking forward a bit, this is explained by the Speedboard.
“Together with the Cloud elements, the engineered structure of On Speedboards supports the natural rolling motion of your foot. From landing to push-off and onto the next stride, each promotes an active running sensation”
So to my first run on the road, it didn’t start great. As soon as I set off I could feel the back section of the “pods” under my feet and I didn’t like it. I was very tempted to stop and go home. I carried on to complete 4 miles and was pleased I did. I could still feel the “pods” under the back of my feet but only when I was thinking about it. I was also trying to see if I noticed the rocker pushing me forward. Too much thinking was going on for that run.
The next run went better. I just went out to run 6 miles and try not to think about what was going on with my feet. I liked the room my toes had and felt like I was running well.
The following run was 14 miles and it went really well. I liked the feel of the shoe slightly pushing me forward and it did feel like my feet were pushing off the ground, due to the “pods”, rather than sinking into foam cushioning.
Since the 14 mile run I have gone out in them a few times and I really like them. I feel I am running well in them, my body feels more upright and the contact with the ground feels quick. I also have hallux rigidus (stiffness in the big toe joint limiting its movement), so my doctor has told me, and I feel this shoe does give it support so I don’t get the pain I do in other shoes. It might have something to do with the Speedboard in the shoe.
These have now become my go to shoe for training runs that are run at a steady or easy pace. I think I would like a bit of a lighter shoe to run the quicker stuff, but I am more than happy with these for everyday runs.
I couldn’t wear these as an everyday shoe given that I can feel the “pods” all the time when walking or standing, but these shoes are for running and I think I’ll be happy running in these for my marathon training runs.
All quotes are taken from the On website www.on-running.com
