Review: New Balance 738 Cushioning Shoes

When I started feeling some pains on my left knee, I always suspected the shoes I was using as the culprit. Since the day I started running back in 2008, I have always worn the same pair of shoes, a New Balance 846. I bought this shoes not knowing what overpronation, underpronation and neutral shoes were. When the sales staff who assisted me showed me the shoes, I tried it out and liked its highly cushioned soles, then bought it.

My NB 846 had logged more than 1,000kms since. It was on my feet in all of my marathons, duathlons and triathlon in late 2008 to the whole year 2009. No wonder it got so overused that during my first run in 2010, it started complaining and bashing my left knee. I should have noticed it, but didn't, my 846 was already arched upward when not in use which meant it was already up for retirement. The spendthrift in me just didn't want to shell out precious moolahs for a new pair, until my left knee started knocking on my pockets.

Early this month, I did what I was supposed to have done many months back: visit SecondWind running store and have my gait analysis and take home a new pair of running shoes.

It came as a no-surprise that I am an underpronator. I always messed the outer soles of my shoes, whether for work or run, first. My feet weren't rolling in, or pronating properly, everytime I run resulting to an uneven wearing out of the soles of my shoes.

What came as a surprise was the design of the NB846 I used for more than a year. I thought, and like what the sales staff who sold it to me told me, it was a "neutral" pair of shoes, which should have been okay for underpronators like me as it was cushioned very well. IT WASN'T! The NB846 is designed for moderate overpronation and stability, the exact opposite of what I was! No wonder it almost blasted my kneecaps away!

Neville, Secondwind's manager, suggested I try out cushioning shoes for my feet. It made sense when he told me that underpronators should use well cushioned shoes, especially on the outer soles, to support my weight properly when I run. He had me gone through gait analysis and confirmed my undepronation.

There were several "cushioning" shoes to select from, but I was on a budget. Knowing New Balance makes great, affordable shoes, I bought an NB 738. I got my new pair of shoes on a Wednesday, and couldn't wait to test it the following morning.

Thursday, Jan.14, 5:00 a.m.: I ran with my the NB738 around our village for 8kms. The shoes felt great. The cushion was a relief to my feet and it held my left knee intact during the whole run. It must have worked, though I was skeptical because it was just a short run.

Saturday, Jan. 16 @ 6:a.m.: I had a planned 20K run in preparation for the Condura 42K marathon. The first time I ran more than 15K this month was in January 2, and thats when I thought my knee shattered at the 18K mark. If I survive after the 18K, then the shoes probably work.

My plan pace was 6:30, but completed the first 10K in 55mins for a 5:30 pace. I slowed down a bit to make sure I wasn't over-exerting and ran at 6:15 throughout the remainder of the run.

Reaching the 18K mark, I wasn't a bit sore on my left knee. I was running a lot faster than when I ran last Jan. 2 but wasn't feeling any pain at all.

My ghost haunted me on the 19K mark though. There was already a bit of soreness on my left knee but it was tolerable. At 20K, I decided to stop and not push further. Though I completed my run, running more than 20K that day was at the back of my mind.

I completed my 20K training run in 1:58, averaging 5:45/km.

At home, my left knee was sore but I could walk up and down the stairs without problems. By noontime, I was pain free without taking analgesics or any pain medication.

I was happy with my new shoes.

New Balance 738 specs:

ABZORB®: Cushioning provides exceptional forefoot and heel shock absorption.

ABZORB FL®: An added layer of Abzorb that runs from heel to toe.
ACTEVA™ Lite: Lower density of cellular foam structure increases resistance to compression set.
Blown Rubber Outsole: Provides a lightweight cushioned ride.
Synthetic/Mesh Upper: provides light weight comfort and support.
Stability Web™: Provides midfoot support and torsional stability while reducing weight.
Dual Density Collar: uses both a softer density foam against the foot for cushioning, and a firmer density foam for support.
Lighting Dry™ Liner: keeps your feet dry and comfortable as you train.
Non Marking Sole: All New Balance have non-marking soles.
Sure Lace™: secure shoe laces provide added midfoot support and keep the shoe snug around the foot.
360° Reflectivity: for added safety.
Shoe Weight: 295 grams (10.4 oz)

New Balance 738 may not be the best cushioning shoes out there, but it is definitely one of the most affordable. The price, though, comes only second to what it offers, this model ROCKS!

The 738 is very stable. Not once during my runs did I feel losing my feet's balance, and I could feel the cushioning working as the cement road I was running felt more like asphalts. The "shock" on my heel and forefoot was negligible.

Better cushioning is a bonus to my knees, and the 738 proves this. Though there were some soreness on my left knee after my run, these were not as painful as the pains I felt using my old running shoes and were gone after a few hours.

The Lighting Dry Liner works! My feet felt dry after running close to two hours. The 738 also does not lack in visibility. When I first used it around the village, a running mate commented he saw me from more than a hundred meters away even if it was pitch dark, the reflectors on my shoes were like stars on the road!

Over-all, I am very happy with the NB 738. I can probably be happier with higher priced models but spending more is not happening in the near future.

Thanks, Neville, for the great suggestion!

Deo P.

ITBS: The downside of training

I was running last Jan. 2 when I felt a stinging pain on my left knee. I was scheduled to run 22K in preparation for Condura 42K on Feb. 7 but had to stop at 18.5K due to severe left knee pains.

I tried walking it off but after just a few seconds of relief, it would come back again once I started running. Seeing a futile effort to finish the 22K and resting to fight another day, I thought it was best to stop and make sure I won't do my knees more harm.

Going up the stairs at home was a struggle, more difficult was going down. I wore my knee support to alleviate the pain a bit but it was still there. I walked limping throughout the whole day and just looked forward to my bike ride the following day.

Early morning of Jan. 3, upon waking up, I noticed the pain wasn't there anymore. Funny, I thought, but I was expecting even a bit of the pain to still be there the following day. I prepared for my bike ride and completed a 45K spin at my favorite lap route, Club Manila East in Taytay, Rizal.

I researched when I got home. What was that pain?

Everything I read pointed to one culprit, ITBS or iliotibial band syndrome. Wikipedia describes ITBS as follows:

"The iliotibial tract (iliotibial band) is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of thepelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, moving from behind the femur to the front while walking. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed."

There are several reasons pointed out by the internet on the causes of ITBS, but the most probable reasons for me suffering from it are:

1. Running on pavements;

2. Inadequate warm-up or cool down;

3. Under pronation or bowleggedness.

I have always ran on cemented roads or pavements and it took its toll on my knees. I also do minimal warm ups and cool downs before and after my runs. I guess I'm just too stubborn to do such activities prior to my runs.

I also have been using neutral shoes when in fact, I need under pronation specific shoes. I invested too much on my bike that I thought it wouldn't hurt if I scrimp a little on my running accessories, I was wrong.

But the most glaring reason which I believe contributed to this injury is the weight I gained over the holidays, which is more or less 8 lbs. I had quite a number of long runs already, and these long runs happen when I just feel like running longer than what I normally do. I would run 20Kms on a weekend with no prior runs two weeks earlier, and not suffer from ITBS. I guess my training regimen must be tweaked a bit after this.

I hope and pray that this injury gets out of the way before Condura Marathon on Feb. 7, otherwise I'll be running with knee support. No, DNS is not an option. :-)

Run safe everyone!

Deo P.

New Year, New Goals...

2009 was a banner year for me in terms of being a multi-sport athlete. I have seen and actually felt my endurance getting better and better the longer and more frequent I trained and joined races, whether these were marathons, duathlons and triathlons. My resting heart rate dropped from around 70 to 56, proof of my better physical condition. Though I have yet to go sub-2 hours in a half marathon, I have now consistently averaged 5:45 min/km in runs longer than 5K, and have improved my 5K average from 32mins to 26mins, a shade over my 25 mins, 5:00 min/km target.

A lot of friends and running and cycling buddies have congratulated me for my Camsur 70.3 finish last August 23, 2009. Though I was really happy with that achievement, I believe I could have done better. Looking back, I could have slashed more than 10 minutes off my time in the swim portion of that event. With the scrapping of the swim cut-off time, I thought it was okay to just survive the swim portion and completed it in 1hour, 14mins. My average 2K swim during trainings in pools is 52mins.

I could have done better as well in the run portion. After seeing a teammate cramping up on the last 11K of the run, I decided to stick with him and egg him on, when I still had enough in the tank to run the 21K in 2hours, 30 minutes. Though I am proud of having crossed the finish line with him, I now believe that just making sure he'd finish would have been enough.

2009 was all about joining and finishing. I was new to multi-sports and never gave myself a chance to compete. All I wanted was to finish every race I joined.

2010 will be different.

As evidenced in my last Duathlon back in September 20, 2009, in order for me to compete, I have to get out of my comfort zone. I was always cautious about cramping or "bonking" in a race that I always checked on my pace, my heartrate and over-all physical condition. I was always afraid of not finishing that whenever I feel something going wrong, I would slow down and take it easy just to make sure I'd finish. This will not be the case in 2010.

In 2010, I will compete.

After watching my Ironman videos again, I realized what competing means. Competing separates the "athletes" from the recreational sports people. Competitors give it all, participants are just in there for the heck of it. I now understand why people DNF or bonk in a race, it is the "competition" that drives them to exert effort more than what their bodies could handle. These are the athletes, those who finish with fresh looks are the participants.

With whom am I going to compete?

Myself.

Then, the others.

My competition will be my previous PRs. I will train for races with the end goal of having a better finish than my previous races. In doing this, I hope to move up my age-group's ranking and the over-all rankings as well. I have seen my finishes bring me to the upper half of the finisher's list. Now, it's a matter of breaking into the top 40%.

I will now choose my races more wisely, starting off the year with the Condura Run 42K to have a base time for a full marathon. Then an aquathlon for another base time establishment.

This year will be the first time I'm competing in a race abroad, the Singapore Sprint Series, doing the Sprint Duathlon, a 3K-run, 15K-bike, 3K-run race which may be really short but I'm sure will be really fast. I thank my brother, Russel, for registering me in such event.

The other races I have lined up this year are repeats of what I did last year, with the exception of Subic Int'l Triathlon and the White Rock Triathlon. In all these races, I hope I don't bonk or DNF en route to a better PR finish.

My first multi-sport race wouldn't happen until March 14 this year. But to be in better condition, I started doing the legwork as early as the last week of December 2009. I hope that with my "uplifted" interest in competing, I race all my races in personal record times.

Everything went well in 2009, and I hope everything goes better and faster this year.

Happy new year everyone!

Deo P.