Thursday, February 26, 2009

ADIDAS SUPERNOVA GLIDE (W) - REVIEW



Just one week prior to the GE30K, I picked a pair of Adidas Supernova Glide W from Adidas Malaysia. I was way far behind in training and definitely not fit enough to run that 30km. Determined to hit the road despite lacking in training, I really need a pair of shoes with not only good, but excelllent cushioning. The very next day, I slipped into this new pair of shoes and hit the track at Kg Pandan Sports Complex and ran 4km. Then ran another 5km a day later and am ready for the BIG DAY! My first attempt for 30k which will determine if I should or able to take on the 42km in the coming KL Marathon.


My target was to finish the race comfortably within 4 hours without putting any stress on my knee. My first 10km was within target but the many hill slopes from then on really put me to the test. It was after the 15km mark that my self-esteem began to run low as the road ahead became tougher. It was then that I began to appreciate and truly thankful for choosing the Adidas Supernova Glide instead of the racer.

What I like about the shoe?

The wide fore-front of the shoe allow plenty of space for the toes to 'move' - ample of 'breathing space'. The softness of the material gave that 'naked' feeling as I slipped into the shoe. I particularly like the cushioning which gave a sense of bounciness with each step thus reduce the impact on my knee.

After the 22km mark, I began to feel a slight pain on my left knee and finished the race at walking pace and ran 100m in between to catch up with time. Am glad that the cushioning of the shoes helped to elevate almost half the weight of my body and reduce the impact on my knee.

This shoe will make an excellent companion in my coming KL-Maran 204km Walk in April 4 - 7, 2009 and be truly put to test!

So, is there anything that I don't like about it?

Yes. The WEIGHT.
If only the shoe can be lighter by 50% (sorry, I don't really know what's the weight but compared to my Saucony Fastwitch 2, this Supernova Glide is definitely heavy), it will be perfect for a 'heavyweight' and not so fast runner like me.

The last race with this pair was the City Day Run 2009. In total, I completed close to 70km within 5 weeks. Unless I can find a better cushioning pair, this will be the shoes for any race above 20km.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice review... boost my confident to get one for myself soon :)

Lonnie said...

I just got this shoe myself and have only logged about 20 miles in them so far. They are noticeably more snug then the New Balance 441s they are replacing. I also notice more stress on my knees but I'm going to give them some time to break in and see if they improve in that department.