Everyone at Newton Running wants to make sure you love your shoes. If you have questions, concerns or thoughts about your Newton shoes, we are here for you.
When you call us, you will talk to a real live Newton Running expert – maybe even our Cofounder, Danny Abshire. We're prepared to offer you not just the best shoes, but the best customer support anywhere.
We can help you right here.
Please use the ShoeFitr application (located on each shoe page) in order to help with an accurate size estimate.
The ideal fit with Newton shoes is with the bones of the ball of your feet directly over the center of the raised lugs on the outsole of the shoes.
This alignment typically offers a thumb's distance of space in front of the longest toe to the end of the shoes.
Universal posting is the denser, more-supportive midsole foam located along the medial (inside) and lateral (outside) edges of our shoes. This runs from just forward of the heel to the ball of the foot, and reduces pronation and supination. Pronation/supination is the foot's propensity to roll in or out as you load your foot.
Because of its posting on both the medial and lateral sides, Universal posting also accommodates a neutral gait type.
Newton Running shoes wear like car tires: from the outside in. Like wear on car tires, shoe wear is a result of friction: the shoe sliding along the ground during your gait cycle. This is like a car skidding to a halt or spinning its wheels taking off from a stoplight. When you run, this may be so slight you can’t hear it, but the wear on your shoes shows where you are creating friction. If the heel of your shoe shows wear, you are braking on the foot strike. This is inefficient and you should work on your form. Make sure you maintain good posture and position (lean from your ankle; don’t bend at your waist).
As the wear on your lugs accumulates, you will see that the front third wears significantly more than the rear two-thirds. This is totally normal and to be anticipated. Ideally, the lugs will wear evenly, from one side to the other.
If you have excessive wear on the front of the shoe (under your toes), you are toeing off too hard at the end of the foot strike and pushing harder off the ground than need be. This is also inefficient and indicates that you are not utilizing the benefits of the shoe’s midfoot technology.
It is not uncommon that some runners will burn off the outside (lateral) lug. This doesn’t mean you are supinating – in fact, most runners with this wear pattern are pronating. It indicates you are hitting the ground to the outside of your foot with a slight stabbing motion. To correct this, try to bring your foot back toward you as it strikes the ground.
Retire your shoes when any part of the shoe is worn down unevenly close to the surrounding material. An example would be one side of the lugs under the ball of the foot is worn down level to the outer part of the outsole. If you wear the shoe evenly, it will continue to perform even if you wear down all of the rubber lugs. This is because the Action/ReactionTM technology continues to work regardless of wear.
The number of miles you can get from a pair of Newton Running shoes depends on many factors – the most important of which is the efficiency of your gait. In most cases, you will get the same type of mileage out of your Newton Running shoes that you have had in traditional running shoes.
If you don't track your mileage, you can base your need for new Newton Running shoes on how they feel – when you feel like your Newton shoes are no longer giving you the same "pop" they once were, it's time for a replacement.
If this is your first pair of Newton Running shoes, spend time to adapt. You may need to strengthen muscles and tendons to adjust to any changes in your running form. This could take some time, so be patient!
As you are adjusting to your Newton Running shoes, you can rotate with your traditional running shoes so that you maintain mileage and fitness. Use your Newton Running shoes only for 10-15 minutes at a time. You will find that the more you adjust to the midfoot foot strike and strengthen your lower legs and feet, the more inclined you'll be to start running longer in your Newton Running shoes.
There are several reasons your calves may be sore, the most common of which is running too much, too fast, too soon and not allowing time for your body to recover and strengthen. A midfoot foot strike engages the calf, Achilles tendon and plantar fascia (connective tissue behind your leg and under your foot). If you are adjusting too fast, pushing off the ground too hard, not allowing your heel to settle fully to the ground or trying to reach the ground by pointing your toe down at foot strike, you may experience calf tenderness. Take time to learn proper running form and adjust slowly.
Adjusting to your Newton Running shoes will depend on many factors. If you are a very efficient runner with excellent form, the transition may be very short. If you have embedded heel-striking habits and/or have been wearing a large, built up shoe, your transition can take much longer. Don’t be concerned if it seems to be taking forever; learning to modify your foot strike takes time, but it is worth the effort!
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Absolutely! Many distance athletes wear Newton Running shoes, including champion athletes like Pam Reid (winner of the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon) and multiple World Champion Ironman triathlete Craig Alexander.
Newton Running shoes are designed to be your full-time training and racing shoes. While you can switch back and forth, we find that the change in shoe geometry never allows the athlete's body to adapt to either foot strike sufficiently.
Not necessarily. Many people train and/or race in either shoe. Highly efficient runners often choose to race and train in their Lightweight Trainers.
Walking around your house with bare feet is a good start. Once you are comfortable walking around the house in bare feet, start walking around the yard, and then try a short jog around a grass or synthetic track. Make sure you do this gradually.
Calf raises, single-leg squats, balance drills with bare feet and gym work will all help strengthen and condition your lower legs and feet.