Amanda Brooks's Blog, page 33

11 Best Fall Half Marathons In The US

Looking or a Fall half marathon to test yourself? Potentially snag that new personal best. Good news, we’re going to help narrow down the list of possibilities!

Source: @leahballlifts

The US has two big race seasons, spring and Fall. The Chicago Marathon and NYC marathon get a lot of the attention in the Fall, but oh boy are there some other super fun race experiences to be had.

Late September until Thanksgiving, means much of the US enjoying brisk, mild weather and the trees putting on their go...

Saucony Endorphin Trainer Review | 4:30 Marathon Shoe

You read that right, there’s an entirely new shoe in the Endorphin line up. Not really a surprise when they’ve found such massive success with the shoes that they’d want to expand on it. But the question becomes do we need it? Here’s our Saucony Endorphin Trainer review to give you the scoop.

Saucony has really catapulted forward in recent years with the introduction of their Endorphin line up. So it’s a no brainer to keep adding to the series…or is it?

There are a lot of mixed thoughts on this...

Merrell Nova 4 Review | Continues To Gain Traction

The Merrell Nova 4 is the brand’s best-selling trail shoe, and I set out to find out why. When a brand reaches a fourth iteration of a product, it’s a sign they’ve got something worth keeping around.

Of course, each new version can come with changes that might alienate some users or attract new ones. I’m one of the new ones.

As someone who’s never tried a Merrell running shoe before, I was excited to test one that has been in production for a while—hopefully, meaning it’s been fine-tuned over t...

Running Affirmations to Survive Tough Runs and Race Day

Teach a runner a quote and he’s set for the next workout. Teach a runner the tools to create positive running affirmations specific to their situation and they’ll eat for life. Wait, I think I’m mixing metaphors. It’s true though, right?

You pull up your Instagram, there’s an amazing quote that fires you up and reminds you that you CAN do this.

You start running and within minutes that fire has been dowsed with a fire hose of reality…this shat is hard.

Complete and utter system meltdown and tha...

Are Max Cushioned Shoes Bad For Us?

Our team of testers has been reviewing shoe after shoe with higher stack heights and even more cushion. So it’s no secret that max cushioned running shoes are truly having a moment right now. But the question on many minds is are max cushioned running shoes bad for us?

While we’ve been having a lot of fun with the max cushion, we wanted to know what does the data say? Is all that cushion hurting us? Changing our stride? Or giving us some extra impact protection? Keeping our legs fresher??

We we...

10 Best Trail Running Shoes

Our team of testers has been busy helping to find the best trail running shoes. Which is to say that what I’m recommending here for fit, features and function goes well beyond my own testing!

Unlike their road-running counterparts, these shoes are purpose-built to withstand the unpredictable terrains, offering features like enhanced traction, stability, and durability.

Trail runners know there is nothing like that time outdoors, so long as you’re wearing the right shoe that doesn’t leave you wi...

On Cloudmonster Review | Does it Live Up to The Hype?

Over the last 10+ years, I have run in a bunch of On Cloud shoes and always come away with the feeling that what they labeled as “cushioned” was not. That’s changed with the Cloudmonster.

As you know I’m always honest in my running shoe reviews with what I like, dislike and what might work for you that wasn’t a fit for me! Which is why when someone asks about On Running shoes I’ve always said I think they’re good, but their everyday run shoes didn’t feel great to my foot.

Now I’ve been putting m...

Brooks Glycerin 22 Review | Holding Course

The Brooks Glycerin line is known for its stability and comfort; something I’ve come to know and trust. The new Glycerin 22 shoe is no exception. The latest model offers new DNA Tuned, the next generation of nitrogen-infused foam AND enhanced double jacquard air mesh upper. Sound like a lot of jargon? Let’s break it down!

When I first tried on the Brooks Glycerin 22, the first thing I noticed was the cushioning.

I ran my previous marathon in the Glycerin 20, and my feet felt great (well, as gre...

Puma ForeverRun Nitro 2 Review | Bouncing In to Stability

Puma first introduced the ForeverRun Nitro to the world last year and runners were just gushing over it. The big question is, will the Puma ForeverRun Nitro 2 still be a top choice for a lightweight stability trainer?

I’ve been a fan of a couple of Puma models in the past, so I was looking forward to trying these. At just over 10oz, the Puma ForeverRun Nitro 2 is a max cushioned trainer without being too heavy which appealed to me.

In general, I’m not a stability shoe gal, so my expectations fo...

WalkingPad X21 Review | Small Spaces Treadmill

Living in an apartment, want to workout, but have no space for a clunky treadmill and certainly couldn’t get away with the noise? Testing the WalkingPad X21 has us thinking we may have a solution for you!Listen, you know we’ve tested a lot of running treadmills. So we aren’t going to pretend like this is the same as a big sturdy NordicTrack 1750 with a big screen of workouts and a deck for pounding out long runs.

But this is absolutely an option when that’s not really what you even need!

Maybe y...