Amelia Whitehart March 4, 2021

Hot Retro Jordans online store in 2021 with CarloMaderno? Becoming an elite runner is as much about the reps you crank out in the gym as the miles you rack up on the track. The On Cloud X is designed to push you through a strength workout, but is a great standalone good running shoe in its own right. Billed as the lightest fully-cushioned running shoe in the world (229g for size 8.5), it is much firmer under foot than your average cross trainer, so you may not want to rely on it every day. However, it has the latest CloudTech midsole, accompanied by Zero-Gravity foam, to provide support for those quick changes of direction. The heel is engineered for comfort and support, while the upper is engineered from a highly breathable lightweight mesh. As always with On running shoes, the design and construction is flawless.

I’ve been training in ASICS Speedstars for over five years and can get away with running my longest workouts in them – even up to 22 miles. If you have always worn a more structured shoe then I wouldn’t jump into the Speedstars for 100% of your mileage. Be smart and make the transition gradually since they have neutral pronation control. In other words, there’s no pronation control. Weighing in at 8.9 ounces, the Speedstar is light but not as light as more traditional minimalist shoes like the the Merrell Trail Glove, which weighs only 6.2 ounces. This extra weight comes from a combination of a more supportive upper – more on that later – and a cushioned sole.

High quality running shoes carlomaderno.com 2021 pick: How long will a shoe last, and how do I know when it’s time to get new ones? In general, brands advise that running shoes will last 500 miles or so, but they’re not going to fall apart at that point, so unless there are clear signs of disrepair, there’s no need to move on immediately. Signs to watch out for are when the cushioning starts to feel squishy, rather than firm, and the grip on the sole being eroded. Also if you suddenly start picking up injuries when you haven’t changed your running routine, it could be a sign that your shoes are no longer providing the support needed.

The On Cloud X handily picked up our Editors’ Choice award this year, unseating the exceptional Brooks PureFlow 6 from last year. These are part of On’s Performance running shoe lineup, geared toward high intensity running while the Clouds remain in On’s Active lineup, geared toward cross training. They offer a high degree of comfort through targeted padding along the collar, heel cup, and tongue while generously lining the upper with a smooth, felt-like sock liner. The upper has the right mix of malleability to naturally fit your foot and upper buttressing and structure to dial it in and stabilize your foot for a sprint. Their uniquely designed CloudTec midsole brings them excellent comfort, responsiveness, and stability. They incorporate a hard plastic speedboard that serves as the backstop for the hollow EVA pods, Cloud Elements, which individually flex, support, and spring to bring you a stable ride with pop. Discover a lot more info at carlomaderno.com.

Hot carlomaderno.com 2021 pick: Even after a lot of races and workouts, the Hyper Speeds are still kicking. Once in awhile I’ll even wear them casually (hey, I’m a running nerd). I credit the sole, which isn’t too stiff or too hard. If you’ve ever owned a pair of Saucony Kinvaras, you know that the soft sole deteriorates quickly. I only got about 250 miles on them before they were retired. For those looking for the most minimalist racing shoe on the market, look elsewhere. The Hyper Speed 4 has a substantially raised sole for a racing shoe and weighing in at 6.6 ounces it’s definitely not the lightest.

You might think we’re exaggerating when we call 2018 disastrous, but we’re not. You may not have noticed how bad it was, because you ain’t Kanye and Yeezys aren’t your babies. And maybe because you were too busy drooling over the long and rich Nike X Off-white releases. And TBH that was what 2018 was all about; Off-whites. And it wasn’t until December 2018 that we got a Yeezy worth the pain. Read additional details at carlomaderno.com.