After looking into both my training and diet, now here’s a look on my shoe of choice for the Nike+ Human Race 10K, the Nike LunarTrainer+.
The Nike LunarTrainer+...
I am a fan of Nike’s apparel but I have to admit that I didn’t pretty fancy their running shoes during the early century due to their durability and comfort issues though they are really nice in design. But everything’s change now and I “swallowed” the words I have once said. First, there was the Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 3, and then on 5 August 2008 recently, I was introduced to the Nike LunarTrainer+ and Nike LunaRacer+. Be prepare to be blown away by my following review on the LunarTrainer+.
A view from the outer side...
The Nike LunarTrainer+ was a heavily researched shoe that took 4 long years before the final product was made available. The concept isn’t entirely new but it was a major revolution from Bill Bowerman’s original 1972 “Moon Shoe”. Therefore, one can say that the LunarTrainer+ actually took more than 30 years to be made.
The original "Moon Shoe"...
The Nike LunarTrainer+ is categorized as a performance training shoe and weights at only 240 grams, making it on par with certain racing shoes out there. A cushioning system like the Vomero+3 with the flexibility of the Nike Free, it’s designed as a neutral cushioning shoe and will be suitable for mild-pronators to supinators. And yes, its Nike+ enabled. At first glimpse, it will give the wearer the impression of how pure this shoe is. The white breathable air mesh is simply so white in colour that one can easily mistake it for a school shoe if it wasn’t for the lime green outsole. Reflectives were places just above the outsole and also at the front of the air-mesh on the toe-box, giving an impression that the shoe is hovering on air.
The breathable air mesh. Notice the reflectives...
The design is pretty weird when viewing it from the top and rear due to the wide outsole. But it’s design of the outsole that makes this shoe so special. As mentioned earlier, it is based on the original “Moon Shoe” which the running tread is actually shaped like a waffle iron as it resembles the footprints left by astronauts on the moon. While in this particular design, each waffle or tread contains the LunarLite foam, a revolutionary cushioning system developed by the aerospace industry, which gives the shoe its name. However as this foam can’t be expose to air, water or even sunlight, it was encapsulated in a phylite carrier which makes up the design of the waffle iron tread. And to maximize the shoe’s lifespan, carbon rubber was placed in high wear areas. It’s highly visible as those areas are black in colour. And there you have it, a brief description to give you an idea on how the LunarTrainer+ was designed.
A view from the top...
And from the rear. Notice how wide the outsoles are...
Next, how did it feel? Upon slipping both my feet into it for the first time, I can’t help to say but the shoe actually “molded” around it. And being built seamlessly which prevents any irritations from stitchings, it fits perfectly and my feet didn’t move around too much in it. The only problem I had was an issue with the width which later became history. The toe box was good and my toes had sufficient moving and breathing space. Ventilation was good and I can feel air coming through the air mesh in an air-conditioned room. The shoe’s tongue has no padding in it and was just as thick as a regular comic book. Though not a one piece construction like the Vomero+ 3, it didn’t move around at all throughout my runs. And that was good enough to give enough protection in preventing hotspots on my upper feet even though using the most common criss cross lacing method. Next, the very thin or almost no-feel collar and heel counter. It has almost the same thickness as the shoe’s tongue and there weren’t any padding in it not to mention memory foam on the collar like most other shoes have especially in trainers. Though it did not cause any irritation on my Achilles heel, I must advise that one try it out first before deciding to wear “low” socks. An ankle length sock will be a better option here.
The very thin but yet protective shoe tongue...
A glimpse on the inside and also the thin collar...
Now, to the performance. The shoe’s width issue which I mentioned earlier was totally gone as I started running. Somehow and someway, I tend not to feel the slight tightness I felt upon slipping it on my feet. Now to the highlight. The cushioning by the LunarLite foam was soft but not as soft as those found on the Vomero+ 3. And besides being just soft to my liking, it offers the bounce too which I certainly welcome as it produces a more effective toe-off. And due to this, less energy is needed to propel every stride. And yes, the flexibility of the shoe is only second to those on the Nike Frees therefore plyometrics is easily done on the LunarTrainer+. However, some feedbacks I received are that the response wasn’t really as expected to be. I’m not really sure on this as it worked perfectly and effectively for me. The first thing that came into my mind was that the LunarTrainer+ will only show its full potential should the wearer be light weight. For those heavier probably more than 70KG or so, it may help absorb the 2.5X body weight impact on the knees especially, but sacrifice on the responsiveness. Just my assumption though.
I had tried various way of landing and it offer superb cushioning even if I land on the forefoot, though that will probably hasten up the wear rate. And talking about wear rate, I doubt this shoe will last till 400KM although it’s a trainer. Next, it looks that the shoe does not offer any support at all. But this is untrue as Nike has it all hidden. Though the outsole is as flat as it looks, arch support was there, well hidden within the outsole although very mild. And there is actually a virtual post located just around where the LunarLite word is.
A virtual post is well hidden within the LunarLite word...
Traction was pretty good on tarmac but it dropped significantly when the surface is wet. It too wasn’t able to grip properly on sandy and synthetic surfaces probably due to the waffle tread. However, when the condition is right, the waffle tread and the width of the outsole actually offers great stability. And the good thing about the waffle tread is that small rocks don’t get stuck in between treads which may cause drag. I have taken it to a half marathon and a 10KM race. The half marathon was done on an easy pace while for the 10KM race, it brought me to a new personal best even when running for almost an easy pace throughout 80% of the race. And not to mention that there was hardly any fatigue on my legs too after both races. True to their tagline of saying “Your legs will last longer” with the Lunars.
The waffle tread. Notice the resemblance to a waffle iron...
There is no one runner that is fully satisfied with their shoes as there isn’t a perfect one. And it’s up to the sports company to actually listen to the feedback received. Nike has done this and has taken the “Moon Shoe” concept in creating the LunarTrainer+ a shoe which not only I give double thumbs up, but also 2 halluxs up! Now, just imagine the LunaRacer+, the racing version which instead uses Flywire for its upper body and also a slightly different waffle tread design. The Nike LunarTrainer+ will be retailed at a recommended price of RM389 while the Nike LunaRacer+ at RM439 which will be made available shortly in October 2008.
Before wrapping up this amazing review, my many thanks to those at Nike Malaysia for presenting me with truly an amazing experience with a superb shoe.
Comfort: 8/10
Cushioning: 9/10
Design: 8/10
Flexibility: 8.5/10
Weight: 9/10
Overall: 8.5/10
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