Adidas Adios Boost Shoe Review

Ryan's Review
I like lightweight shoes. I have toothpicks for ankles and a frame sometimes described as bird-like, so I appreciate shoes that cut the weight at the end of my slim leg pendulum. I also like shoes in the 8-10mm drop range, but unfortunately for me, most lightweight trail shoes gravitate toward the 4mm drop end. These make my calves explode.

So I tried an experiment with road shoes: Adidas Adizero Adios 2.0. These shoes are 8oz, 10mm drop, with a tough Continental rubber outsole. I loved them. I was running rugged mountain trails in the Golden, CO area and not feeling rock poke. My calves were singing praises. My only issue was the upper. I couldn't lock down my heel without tying the laces really tight, hurting my instep.

Adidas Adios 2.0

Enter the Adidas Adios Boost. Same specs (drop, weight, outsole) as the 2.0, but with two major improvements. First, the midsole: Boost technology does not use EVA foam; instead, it is made of thermoplastic beads that are fused together. This midsole is among the bounciest and most durable I have ever run on. It's like Hoka bounce without the stack height or extra give. Second, the upper has a stiffer lacing system that allows for heel lockdown that is so good I don't even run in my Adios 2.0 any more. It can't compare. 

Adidas Adios Boost. White Ranch Park, Colorado

This is a lightweight road shoe that you can use for running mountain trails. My first run in the Adios Boost was a 23 miler at White Ranch, featuring loads of steep, rocky terrain, cambered, snowy trail, and 4,000+ feet of vert gain. This shoe is up for the task. The next weekend I ran a 25 miler at White Ranch, again. I could bomb down the loose rock with confidence that the outsole and midsole would protect me, despite the fact that this road shoe has no rock plate. They're super snappy on the uphills and I've had some of my fastest mountain training runs in them.

Ride and Fit
The ride is firm on the Adios Boost, and it feels like an 8mm drop, but the claim is 10mm. Two drawbacks for trail running is they're not good in loose, dry rock/sand, and they're ice skates in mud. Compared to the Adios 2.0, they run slightly larger than size (maybe try 1/2 size down). The toe box is standard, and the heel is narrow. The low heel collar lets in a lot of debris, so you might want to use gaiters on dirty trail.

Pedigree
Hal Koerner won Hardrock 100 in Adios 2.0. Chris Vargo won Golden Gate Dirty 30 in Adios 2.0. Patrick Makau set a world record marathon 2:03:38 in Berlin in 2011 in Adios 2.0. Now with the Boost midsole technology -- both springy and durable -- if a touch heavier than EVA foam, this is a superb shoe.

Adios Boost sticking to rock on Beaver Brook Trail

Alaina's Review
Ever since I tried on the Adidas Boost shoes while working at Runners Roost, I couldn't wait to own a pair. The original Boost shoes are super comfy, but they are a lot bulkier than the majority of shoes I run in. When Adidas added the Boost technology to their lightweight Adios, I was sold. 

My first run in them was a 12 mile run on the Colorado trail. When I first put them on I was worried that they wouldn't have enough cushion to protect me from feeling every rock on the trail. I was quickly proven wrong. For how little cushioning there is, I was amazed at how much they protected my feet. I could still feel the ground really well, just not the jabbing rocks that I can sometimes feel in my Salomon Sense Ultra and La Sportiva Vertical K. They were very quick and responsive. I just love how the Boost technology feels.

Pros
Soft, yet springy and responsive
Good ground contact feeling, yet protective on all terrain
They just feel fast

Cons The only cons I have for these shoes are based on how they perform on trails, and obviously they were designed as a road shoe.
Very slippery on light, loose dirt/sand
Not great traction on ice/snow

Ultimate Direction Jenny Ultra Vest Review

I am in love with a hydration pack. I didn't think it was possible- but then the UD Jenny pack came into my life and my shoulders, diaphragm and back are all happy again after every long run. I have been running with the Nathan HPL for the last 2 years. The Nathan pack fits well and doesn't bounce or slosh, but I could never get it to feel secure across my chest without pinching my breath or irritating the crap out of my shoulders/trapezius muscles. I dealt with it though, because the only other options with more than one front buckle were Salomon packs that were out of my price range.

This season, both Nathan and Ultimate Direction have stepped up their game and have introduced quite a few nice packs. At first, I really wanted the Nathan Vapor Shape due to it's amazing storage capacity. However, when trying it on at the store, even the smallest women's size cinched down as much as it would go still left way too much space and would not fit snugly. The sizing chart online even says 31-36 compared to UD XS/S which is 26-38.  I then tried on UD's Jenny pack and it instantly felt right- like a nice hug.

Why I'm in love:
1. The most critical reason for needing a new pack was that I needed to have 2 buckles in front. I realized that the main issue I had with the Nathan pack was that it only had 1 buckle up front and in order for me to make it feel snug and not bounce around, it ended up putting too much pressure on my chest/diaphragm and made it hard to breath. The Jenny pack solves this with 2 buckles, and they are both moveable so I can get them in the optimal position to not restrict my breathing.

2. It comes in 2 sizes, so the XS/S actually fist a small/skinny runner without it having to be cinched as tight as it can go, so I have options to make it tighter or bigger. Measuring my chest around my diaphragm/rib cage is 26.5" and around my "boobs" (ha) is 30". The XS/S fits very well and would fit someone even smaller if need be.

3. The bottle holders on the front counter balance the weight so that the entire pack is evenly distributed across my shoulders, and I never feel like my trapezius muscles are going to explode. With a hydration pack that only has a bladder in back, it seems to put too much pressure on my shoulders/traps and I am always sore by the end of a run. This also adversely affects my breathing. I was nervous at first about water bottles on my chest but I haven't even noticed them. Well- that's not true- I do see them, which reminds me to drink and I've been better hydrated this past month then I have been in a while!

The two bottles up front don't hurt and they remind me to drink!

4. It's pretty :) I don't like overly girl things, so the purple strikes a nice balance of feminine yet non-girly.

5. The flexibility of storage is amazing. There are 4 pockets in front- 2 for water bottles (but they can also hold Gu or a knife if you're scared of mountain lions like I am), a zipper pocket for my phone (fits the iPhone 5s with a case on it), and another velcro pocket that can fit at least 3 Gu's and my chapstick. In the back, there are 2 main pockets. One pocket has bungee cords that can secure a bladder. The other pocket has been perfect for stashing my jacket and gloves, as well as additional food. The amount of stuff I've fit in this pack is amazing, considering how lightweight it is when empty. It also has a key pocket and extra bungees on the outside of the pack in case you want to strap more gear to your back.

6. I love how high up on my back it sits. It almost sits between my shoulder blades it's so high! This again takes the pressure off of my shoulders and makes it easier to breath overall.

It sits in a perfect location on my back. And it matches my shirt AND shoes!

I have now run with this pack for 3 weeks and have no complaints. I even used it while riding my bike! (Well, we rode 12 miles to then go run 12 miles of the Colorado trail)

I have used a bladder in the additional storage pocket on multiple occasions and have been very happy with how it felt. On each of those runs I also counter balanced the bladder by having an additional bottle up front and that seems to help a lot. The only thing to know about using a bladder is that it loads from the side, so there is no easy access to the top of the bladder. The only time I think this would be an issue would be during a race, but it is something to consider.

Right now this is my favorite piece of gear!

Gear Review: Salomon Fellcross 1 Shoe Review

The Salomon Fellcross is inspired by fell running, which is popular in the UK. Essentially, fell running is where you are tasked to run from point A to point B and figure out your own best route there, rather than following a marked trail to the finish. As a fell runner, you will likely run through mud, bogs, and other soggy conditions on your way up and over hills.

Fellcross in their element

The Salomon Fellcross outsole has long, aggressive, multi-directional lugs -- aimed toward your heel in the forefoot and toward your toes in the heel -- that are spaced far apart in order to bite into soft ground and shuck the mucky hanging-on debris. This design is great for runners in wet, squishy, muddy conditions, as well as snow running. The Fellcross are terrific fall, winter, and spring trail shoes when the conditions get messy on the trails. The lugs will grip well in deep, powdery snow and wet, heavy snow better than yak trax or microspikes, which will move around and sometimes come up around the outsole of a shoe while running. If I'm in these conditions, I'll never choose yaktrax or microspikes over Fellcross. However, in frozen conditions, the Fellcross performs terribly. The outsole is made of material that will slip and slide over icy, hard packed snow as well as wet, slick rock. But in 3-4+ inches of snow, they will eat up the conditions marvellously. Also, The outsole wears slowly, so the high cost ($180ish) won't bite you by season's end.

Multi-direction Lugs

Big Lugs

Fellcross are less flexible than the Speedcross and the Hornets, especially in the midfoot. At 4mm drop, they will tax the calves up steep slopes, and without rocker technology, I've found my feet to slap the ground in the forefoot, even when concentrating on my stride. They do not feel light weight, but in the wet, cold, muddy, snowy conditions they are built for -- where you're covered from eyes to toes in heavy cold gear -- weight isn't that much of an issue. 

Lots of traction in the snow

Because of the shape of the inside of the shoe, the medial of my big toes have been chafed and calloused by running in these for longer than 2 hours, and I have a narrow forefoot, so this came as a surprise. 

As for the upper, I like the quicklaces (with garage area for tucking in the excess lace), but the quicklace requires some adjusting to get used to. Often my instep is bruised from over-tightening the laces in order to keep the shoe in place through mud. One huge plus is that the upper is solidly made. I've run in Peregrines in the mud, and the torque between the outsole and upper tears the fabric on the upper of the Peregrine, especially in the inner forefoot, but even after 200+ miles in the Fellcross, that area remains unharmed.

For 14er hiking/running, I often choose these shoes when there is going to be snow or mud, and they never disappoint. They are very warm, which is great when paired with some Smartwool socks, but in the late spring my feet cook in the Fellcross as they don't breathe well. I love the lugs right up front in the toes, especially when ascending 20%+ grade mountains. I feel like I can dig the toes in like crampons.  

Perfect Fellcross conditions

You can't see it- but even Cody and the photographer are wearing Salomon's ;)

In sum, the Fellcross are best in muddy or deep snowy conditions, and worst in icy or hard packed trail or road conditions. They fit true to size (I'm a 10 in most shoes, including Salomon, and true to Fellcross). I'm looking forward to trying the Fellcross 2 which use the Salomon Sense and Ultra endofit technology for better fit, but overall I'm happy with the Fellcross 1 for what they excel at.

Gear Review: Brooks LSD Jacket

An essential article of clothing for every trail runner

Our awesome jackets. And the awesome mountains. The wind was gusting at 30-40mph in this picture- check out my arm!

Within a month of moving to Colorado, I experienced first hand the craziness of mountain weather. In July, I left my house when it was sunny and 70, and by the time I was halfway up North Table Mountain, a storm blasted in, dropping the temps 30 degrees and pelting me with hail. Although the storm was brief, it reminded me that layering is critical out here, as well as leaving the house prepared. Since I didn't own a good lightweight jacket at the time, I started looking around. I remembered that a friend of mine in Michigan used to wear her Brooks LSD jacket on the coldest of our frigid early morning runs, so when I found out the jacket also weighs in at 4.3 ounces (size medium), and packs into its own pocket, I knew this was the one for me.

Jon loves his Brooks LSD jacket as well at 14,000+ feet

The old adage "there is no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices" comes to mind whenever I'm getting ready to head out for a run. The Brooks LSD jacket's lightweight portability gives you something most jackets don't have -- the ability to take it off and stow it away, or to bring it for a run, just in case. With proper layering (something like UnderArmor cold gear), this would even make a great winter jacket, cutting down on the windchill effect while not causing you to overheat. I've worn this jacket in 40mph wind gusts, and wind chill temps in the low 20s, with only a light long sleeve running shirt underneath.

After living here and wearing this jacket for 3 months, I can say that this is the most useful article of clothing I own. Whenever I head out for a run with a storm brewing on the front range, I shove this little jacket into my waist belt, and if the temperature drops or it starts raining I can get it out and put it on without breaking stride.

It packs down so small! In it's own little pocket, too!

My little jacket-pouch inside my Salomon waist belt

On every 14er we've climbed this summer, this was the crucial piece of warm clothing on which I've relied. I often wear a sleeveless tank with shorts or capris, and then when we break treeline I put on my Brooks LSD jacket and stay warm on the summit, even on the windiest days.

I have an additional shirt around my waist, since my jacket is so warm. I'm only wearing a tank top underneath, and it was probably 35 degrees on the summit

This was the coldest hike we've done. Ryan is wearing sweatpants over his running tights. He didn't yet own his jacket, or else he'd be wearing it

Before purchasing this jacket, it's helpful to know that there are no side pockets. The only pocket is the one the jacket packs into. I believe the logic behind this is that if there was more material for pockets, it would no longer be lightweight. Personally, I don't use side pockets while running. I have other ways of carrying my phone, gels, and water that don't jostle as much as they would in a pocket. For my use, the pack-ability and lightweight qualities far outweigh the utility of additional pockets.

The Brooks LSD Jacket is considered water-resistant. I've only worn it in the pouring rain once (when Colorado was flooding) so maybe that weather was a bit extreme, but it only kept water out for about 5 minutes. Despite owning the jacket for over 3 months, I haven't had the opportunity to test it in a light rain. I did not get it to function as a rain jacket, though, because it is almost impossible to have a breathable, yet water proof jacket, since those two qualities are opposites. I choose breathe-ability.

I have also found that due to its superior abilities at stopping the wind, it is quite warm- especially compared to how lightweight the material is. For me, since I heat up really quickly, I don't put it on until the temperature drops below 40, or the wind picks up a lot, because it is just that warm! Ryan can wear it in temps up to 50 degrees, but he is always colder than I am when running in the cold. For reference, when we hiked Bierstadt- everyone else (aside from Ryan and Jon) had on pants and winter jackets, while I was running around in tiny shorts, a tank top, and this jacket.

Everyone else on the mountain thought I was nuts….I was warm!

Hood: The jacket also has a really nice hood that adjusts in the back, so you don't have any strings in your face. The only negative about the entire jacket is that the hood doesn't have a pocket or any way to tuck it away when not in use. Occasionally it will flap around in the wind, but it usually stays in place when just running.

Ryan unwittingly demonstrating the hood of his Brooks Jacket

Sizing: I bought a women's medium (5'6", 110lbs, long legs). I have extremely long arms with a thin frame, and I have only a few running clothes that have sleeves long enough to cover my wrists. The medium actually fits quite well, and is only a little bit baggy, but since the jacket has a waist-cinch, I can adjust it to fit nearly perfectly. On the windiest days, it will occasionally balloon (see the first picture), but I would much rather have it fit over my long sleeve running shirts, and cover my entire torso down to my butt. Until I can find a tailor to make clothes for my freakish body, I've learned how to deal with funky fits.

Ryan (5'10", 135lbs, long torso)  has a men's medium, due to the fact that his torso starts at his ears and ends at his ankles. Happily, it covers his entire torso, and is only slightly baggy. He may have been able to get a small, but I'm still convinced it would've been too short on him.

This snazzy jacket….

…fits into this tiny pouch

And finally, here is the Brooks LSD jacket in use, on an extremely windy day in Rocky Mountain National Park:


Pros:
- Lightweight
- Packs into its own pocket for easy portability
- Great warmth to weight ratio
- Wind resistant
- Great for layering
- It has a hood for additional protection against the elements

Cons:
- The fit is slightly baggy (but this also means it may fit over more clothing in colder weather)
- The hood should either be removable, or have a way to tuck it in
- Probably wouldn't do to well in heavy rain- it is only water resistant

Overall rating: 9.5/10 (If the hood were stow-able, it would be a 10)