New Balance 1080v3 Review

So, I waited until I retired these to do a review.  This isn't a comprehensive review, but it does cover my overall impressions and comparisons about this particular shoe.

I keep trying to have a couple of different brands in my rotation, and New Balance is, mostly, US made so I was feeling very patriotic and bought these on my last trip to Roadrunner Sports. I also have another pair of New Balance 1400s in my rotation, more on those another time.

First off, on the my initial treadmill run at the store I noticed that the shoe had great cushioning, comparable to what I expect from my Brooks Glycerin, and even better than I experienced with the Asics Gel Nimbus 13, at first blush that is.  I really need the cushioning as I primarily run on pavement, so my shoes take quite a bit of abuse and without significant cushioning, so would my joints.

I have been running in my Brooks Glycerin 9s for some time now, and they have been my absolute favorites, easily beating out Nike & Asics.

These shoes have decent ventilation, and remain comfortable throughout my regular 3-5 mile runs.  I didn't use them for anything longer. The mesh upper breathes well, though not as well as Brooks, but still it's fine.

They also have a decent heel drop, which is important for me as it helps with my arch support and weak ankles.  Not too high, but just enough for the support I need.

On the treadmill, they were amazing and the midsole was both comfortably cushioned and responsive. On pavement, well, a bit less so, but the cushioning was great and absorbed a good amount of the shock from running on pavement.

No heel slippage for me on these, so no need for the runner's knot I had to use for my Asics. A small thing, but a welcome change. The laces are a bit long, so that does require a double know just to keep from tripping over them down the road.

The insole is comfortable enough and the shoe is sufficiently supportive that I can run with or without my orthotics for the first few miles, but that required a change later on.

Honestly I really wanted to love these shoes. I love the company's commitment to domestic products and I like a lot of things about them. However, they just don't stand up to my mileage test.

For the first 200 miles, they were just great! The cushioning remained strong and I had no complaints.   From 200-300 miles, things started to slowly feel different. The cushioning was there, but not great. As an older runner, who primarily runs on pavement, I tend to notice this fairly quickly. Still, they held up well all the way to 300 miles. That said, in a neutral plus shoe, I have a commitment to getting 500 miles...I'm determined that way.

At 350 miles I had to make some changes, and replaced out my orthotics with the standard insole, which honestly made a difference for the next 50 or so miles. I added a sports gel insert to ride above that to get from 400-500 miles. I was committed to getting the 500 miles, and it can be done, I just had to be a bit more creative.

Honestly, 500 miles is hard for any shoe, especially if you primarily run on concrete.  Still, I can get there easier with Brooks than any other shoe I've tried so far.

When all is said and done, The New Balance 1080v3 is a fine shoe. The cushioning and support is good, and it holds up just fine all the way to 350 miles. After that, if you have a commitment to getting up to 500 miles, you will need to be creative about it. All in all I like them better than Asics (even though I got to 400 before having to get creative with them) but not better than Brooks.

Can't wait to test out the Glycerin 11s and , oh I don't know, maybe some Saucony or Newtons on the next round...

Rebranding Progress

Thanks everyone for sticking with us during this rebranding process! Wired Coast, and you can read about it here, will now have it's own blog and this one will return to our original focus that involves Micro-Enterprise Support, Legal, Non-Profits, and Health & Fitness. Wow, that's more than enough for one little blog!

To help you navigate, this main page will have all of your Health & Fitness related posts, as well as wonderful posts from some of our guest authors!

The pages listed include our Non Profit Division and Legal Division. You will find specific posts related to those divisions over there. Micro-Enterprise will be featured here until it needs it's own page.

Thanks again for all your patience as we continue to grow!

New Directions

From these last few posts, you can see I'm slowly rolling out my latest venture, Wired Coast.

Wired Coast offers unique upcycled and repurposed items, starting with jewelry, that includes wire wrapped beach stones, wire wrapped seashells, wine cork jewelry, and uniquely fabulous creations from Nespresso capsules.

Products are rolled out slowly, and will be announced on our social media sites prior to being listed on Etsy. You can shop the Etsy site from the sidebar or the link below. Additional products are rolled out on the Square Store (link below) as well.

Like Wired Coast on Facebook for updates and contests.
Check out Instagram for a like & share contest to win a free wine cork keychain.
Get real-time updates on new product listings on Twitter
Surf around the always fabulous Pinterest for listings and a peek into what inspires me
Check out our ever-developing Website & sign up for our newsletter for exclusive specials & coupon codes.
Go see items exclusive to the Square Store, which also includes inventory close out and resale items.
And of course, our main storefront is right here on Etsy

Consulting Services and Micro-Enterprise support are still offered over at Partnership for Change, and please contact me there for consulting services or partnership opportunities.