Am reviewing the NEW Reebok ZigTech shoes which claims to reduce wear and tear in key leg muscles.

When I first picked up the shoes, first thoughts were “Wow, I’m loving the colour!”. I’m quite tired of the usual white runners with small highlights of colours. I was ready for something unusual. The second thought was, “Mel would love these purple shoes!”. True enough when I tweeted about it, Mel was the first few to @reply.

Reebok has been bubbling under other major sport shoe brands, and I sometimes wonder if it’s really because of the quality or just brand perception. I’m quite brand loyal, but it’s good to see what’s out there too.

The Shoe:

So these ZigTech shoes are Reebok’s most advance running and training show to date. It’s designed to “conserve and return energy back to the runner”. .

The unique zig-zag shaped sole absorbs the impact of heel strike. The technology results in up to 20% less wear and tear on key leg muscles, shins and hamstrings

I’m a perfect candidate for shoe tests and reviews, because I currently have 2 bad knees. With Chondromalacia patella and Tendonitis caused by either over-pronation of the feet and impact sports like running. So I’m always on the look out for shoes that support my arches or in this case reduces impact on the knees.

Verdict:

To be honest, I was unconvinced. Again, perception. If it’s not a adidas, Nike or Asics, it can’t be good for me right? Well…I’ve been wearing it to the gym lately and skeptical as I was at first, it seemed pretty good on my knees so far. The only thing that I would have liked is more support for my arches.

But it’s definitely got a 10/10 in the looks department. I like the combination of the faux leather and polkadots on the shoe. It’s a multi-purpose shoe for gym, court or track, so not just a running shoe.

Been loving the splashes of colours I’ve been adding to my wardrobe lately, and this shoe has been a great addition.

Regular retail price: S$149
Available at Stadium, Royal Sporting House stores, Sports Station and selected authorised dealers.

Did a little Googling to find some additional multimedia on the shoe.

ZigTech microsite <– microsite is pretty cool I must say. Wasn’t expecting it to be so interactive and fun! Try the game

Time to get myself back into shape!

Have been approached by a fitness club to partake in a bloggers fitness challenge. Will be updating you on my progress after my first session.

Went for a slow run this morning down the canal jogging track and there were two ladies wearing the same top as me. I guess it just comes to show that the adidas team did a good job on choosing the right colour and cut for last year’s Standard Chartered Marathon.

Of all the running event tees, this was my favourite too.

On a side note, I missed the deadline to sign up for the Sundown Marathon this year If you know somebody who might be pulling out of the Women’s 10k run, please drop me a message.

I’m back at 21 blog drafts again, time to go mad on postings this week.

Post race debrief: Woke up before the break of dawn to get myself together. Decked out fully in my adidas, we headed to the run start at the Padang. I didn’t have time for breakkie, so I just grabbed a pao from the gas station. I arranged to meet Mel at the adidas tent, and for a moment, I thought she bailed on me (Oh Noz, no run buddy!), but alas she arrived with husband in tow.

I didn’t bring my camera that day, so we had to rely heavily on Randall for pics (Thank you! Thank you!).

Getting ready for the run. This time, I opted for 3/4 tights instead of the shorts. It’s not really as warm as you think, the material is pretty thin. It also minimises the jiggles

Bumped into Janice too. Adidas shot!

Looking fresh, distance covered 0km.

And of course, with us three together, we had to take the mandatory DTAG shot.

DTAG!! Adidas arranged for free photos, which was a nice touch. You can collect your picture at the end of the race, which was good for people like me who forgot their cameras. This one is definitely going into my favourites for the day.

And AGAIN!!

When it was time to congregate at the start line, we took a slow walk over, so we ended up at the back of the crowd. Randall had trouble finding us in the sea of women, so three of us started jumping up and down to get their attention.

Where’s wally?

So the run was ok, I wasn’t really pushing as hard as last year. Last year, I ran with Melody throughout, so this year was no different. We start together, we finish together.

We ran alongside each other for the first few kilometres, but then her heavy breakfast hit her real hard mid-way so we walked. She kept urging me to carry on, but I insisted. For me, it’s not a race, it’s a run. And it’s also about good company.

Still looking fresh. Distance covered: 10km

Post run shot.

I may not have finished with a PB, but at least I finished it together with a friend

The longest 84km of my life.

We were support cyclists for the Adidas Sundown marathon, the last time were doing this, it was for the 70.3 half ironman last year.

My day started really early, Wayne and I were running errands in town, so I’m surprised I managed to stay awake all the way till 7:30am the next morning.

Adidas lighting the way for runners

We rushed to pack and load the bikes at 7pm and headed towards Changi Village to report for ‘duty’ at 8pm. Wore my ‘Race Official’ bib, whistle, walkie talkie and I was good to go.

Wild boar William and Wild boar Wayne
Initially, I was assigned to lead the marathon category (42km), but we had someone pull out. So I had to bike the Ultra-marathon category (84km) instead.

DirTraction Crew
I’m not too fussed, how bad can it be right? It’s just going to be double the distance?!

And there they go
Well how wrong was I!?! After 42km, my bum was starting to numb and hurt from all that sitting down. It came to a point where I had to stand and cycle for awhile just to get the blood flowing.

And because we were cycling at running pace… no disrespect to the runners, but it felt sooo loonnggg.

Jeanette and me at the finish line

9 hours 14mins and 36 seconds later… Ladies 1st position crossed the finish line. My job was done. Congratulations Jeanette!

When we were driving home, it started to piss down really heavily. We felt so sorry for all those runners still on route, they must have been drenched, cold and tired.

You know what’s the best part? Going home, taking a HOT shower, turning on the air con, having a piece of toast, and climbing into cold bed sheets exhausted.

I did my first 10km last year at the Great Eastern Women run, and I still remember how torturous 10k felt. I did zero training (not that its a good thing), but I thought it was pretty awesome that I still managed a decent time. But I don’t think I want to go through that struggle again. This year, I’m not going to make the same mistake.

Great Eastern Women 10k 2008 will back on Sunday, 26 October 2008.

So I got back to jogging. Oh lordie… I hope my knees hold up!