Two and a half months ago I received my Newton MV2 running shoes. These screamers are engineered to be the lightest and most efficient Natural Running shoe using Newton's second-generation Action/Reaction Technology. This technology has numerous patents to prevent other manufacturers from simply copying their designs, and having run in Newton shoes for three years I encourage you go to a good specialty running store to learn about them, then to give them a good run.These MV2's have a truly flat profile, which encourages a quick high cadence gait. Recognizing that many runners, like myself, are transitioning to the MV2's from running shoes with a slightly higher heel-to-toe drop, Newton supplies these shoes with optional 3 mm heel inserts. Feeling my calf to be a bit tight after an initial set of runs, I've decided to use the inserts, as they don't add anything to their super light weight. Combined with Newton's action-reaction technology on the soles of the shoe near where the metatarsal's strike, they result from my experience in a performance boost of 15 to 30 seconds per mile.
These MV2's are truly neutral, which I am completely comfortable wearing for distances of a half-marathon or less. My theory is that we stretch our training and racing distances, our form increasingly degrades, and thus our best marathon training and racing shoe has a bit more substance than the MV2 - such as Newton's Performance Trainer in which I ran the Houston Marathon. To confirm my suspicion I've experimented via wearing these MV2's over varying lengths, including for a 20-mile long runs leading up to Houston. As expected, I found that the MV2's perform best for me with distances of 16 miles or less.
Consequently, now that the Houston Marathon is over, and my next races are much shorter (the Rodeo Run 10K and the Texas Independence Relay) this morning after two weeks of a self-enforced rest I laced-up my MV2's, and took them for a good run. Concentrating on good running form via maintaining a rapid cadence gait with a slight forward lean from the ankles, these shoes rocked!
I recommend that you get the MV2's in a half to a full size larger than your normal running shoe length. Also, I found the MV2's are a bit snug on my normal width versus my other running shoes, the solution to which is simple: lace up the MV2's a bit loose. Doing so won't affect the good feel of the shoe, and any feeling of excessive tightness will be gone.
In any case, as the best specialty running stores have knowledgeable sales people and should you need it (which I haven't) a generous return policy, my advice is to learn as much as you can, then try out all of the shoes - including from other manufacturers. Choose a running shoe that fits best for you while you are running. DON'T t simply gauge comfort from walking around the store in your running shoe, particularly for shoes such as a Newton with their Action-Reaction studs which don't feel completely right until you begin running on them!
Embedded below are four YouTube videos in which Newton's co-founder and CTO Danny Abshire discusses the MV2's: technology, initial fit (buy a half-size larger), adaptation from other running shoes, and some helpful form drills:
