Good morning Runneantes!
And after Gorka Sedano...it was my turn to analyze some shoes, or to make it sound cooler, to do a review! Uff, when Gorka Cabañas proposed it to me, I got a knot in my stomach. I'm not going to deceive you...it's my turn to talk about the New Balane Summit Q.O.M, the Queen Of The Mountain!
I was very nervous, as I've told you more than once, I'm just a little running skinny girl, who until now had bought running shoes more for aesthetics than for technical features.
But well, I took a deep breath, I remembered that Sedano and he trust me... and I got down to work.
So this post is a challenge for me... believe me, a great challenge.
My partner of Runnea Women Team Navarra, Leticia Acereda, from the blog Entre Cordones de MundoTraining sent them to me on a Wednesday afternoon; she had already warned me that they were for trail running, so they were a plus when writing my first review, since I'm more of an asphalt runner. They were New Balance Summit Q.O.M...and instantly, I was already meeting with "Navarrito" my "personal sports photographer" (Ha,ha,ha!!!!) the next day to test them in the Barranco del Rey area.
First impressions: Aesthetics and style of the New Balance Summit QOM.
As usual with me: when I opened the red box...the first thing I noticed was the aesthetics; satisfying love at first sight!!!! They were blue and a metallic grey color that I loved.
So first I will tell you my impressions about their aesthetics.
The sneaker has its base in a deep blue, as well as the upper cut lattice. It is completed with a dark grey collar. The entire shoe itself plays with shades of metallic grays and blues.
The laces are distributed through seven eyelets. They are round, double braided in marbled gray. Being round ensures extra support on the upper part of the foot. The logo is printed in metallic gray with a black border. And on the tongue, we have a sticker in dark gray with the name in metallic gray.
All the reinforcements of the sneakers are blue, so we get a very intense blue...perfect to remember the summer days now that winter has arrived so suddenly!!!!!
The lower and upper midsole, follows the line of blues and grays in different shades.
And finally, we look at the sole and its details. It is in its entirety gray; playing with light and dark tone. Highlighting the Vibramlogo in a bright yellow.
The New Balance Summit QOM, in action: Features and performance.
Thursday afternoon arrived, I put on my Runnea gear, grabbed a ponytail (so characteristic in my day to day life), painted up and went to pick up Carlos. We decided to go looking for a mountain, since being a Women's Trail Running model required that kind of terrain.
As I said before, I'm more of a "physique" buyer than for their technical characteristics, but as soon as I picked them up to put them on, I noticed their lightness, they only weigh 260 grams, as well as their fit to my foot. I felt the comfort of the multidirectional Vibram sole. The Vibramsole has a double function, it is in charge of providing multidirectional traction in our footprint and at the same time ensuring maximum contact with the surface.
We went straight to Funes, to the area of the Barranco del Rey, which with a drop of 392 meters, is the perfect place from which to see the confluence of the Arga and Aragon rivers and then three kilometers down to flow into the Ebro, in the village of Milagro. Perfect place full of vegetation, paths and trails to take pictures and to test in situ everything that the shoe could offer me.
We started jogging on asphalt on the road that goes up to the ravine area. There I could realize its cushioning, its lightness, its stability.
The New Balance Summit Q.O.M are made with a ROCKSTOP plate in the sole and a reinforced toe cap called Toe Protect, perfect for protection against sharp rocks that we can find in our mountain route.
Resistance, safety and protection
The ROCKSTOP plate will protect us from the impact of rocks, as it is a flexible protective layer that helps to disperse the energy of the impacts of our feet.
So, having warmed up a bit, we set out to hit the trails in search of more sensations, more responses. The grip was total. I climbed, jumped, descended and ran on narrow, rocky trails; also through undergrowth. It even let me climb a tree!!!! The flexibility and grip on the ground that they offered me had not been experienced before.
This New Balance model is built on a synthetic structured support with a breathable mesh in the midfoot area, thus achieving a lightweight design but with the security of the toe cap reinforced with Toe Protect.
The Gore-Tex® fabric used in this construction guarantees a water-resistant and highly durable shoe.
Now that the cold and the water are coming, I'm sure I'll give a good account of these features... because I always end up with my feet covered!
Continuing with its technical description, I have to say that the upper midfoot has a clearance of 8 mm which will provide comfort in the toe area...and health for our long-suffering toenails!
This toe cap allowed me to run at fast paces with confidence and security between bushes and roots and fallen tree branches. I almost did my Academy Win training session to take these photos.
Well, that 'confidence' when running through the brush is a relative way of speaking...because you know about my insectophobia...ha,ha,ha,ha!!!! Bugs out, please!!!!!
One of the things I fear the most when I go running, is hurting my feet and especially my toes, well, any part of my body! I'm afraid of breaking my teeth!!! (I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat...I admit it).
Someone once told me that you are not a good "runner" until you have fallen to the ground...and I still haven't touched the ground!!!!! Ha,ha,ha,ha!
Why choose the New Balance Summit QOM?
And you know when I really knew what I had put on my feet? The next day, when I had to do the scheduled training at Academy Win with my Asics shoes, the ones I had bought for aesthetics, for being pink. That's the truth. I realized that the shoes I use in my workouts don't have the cushioning, the flexibility...I didn't feel those sensations that I experienced the day before when I put on the New Balance Q.O.M. shoes.
I realized, I think for the first time, that my foot suffers with the impact of the asphalt, something that in the mountains running between rocks and undergrowth with the New Balance I had not felt.
So I promise to look for shoes (for asphalt) that assure me something more than aesthetics. Gorkas, can you help me to find a model that fits my expectations? ;-)
Summary and rating of the New Balance Summit QOM
My summary to end this review would be the following:
- The New Balance Summit Q.O.M. is suitable for daily training on asphalt or in the mountains.
- You are assured of cushioning and flexibility in a trail shoe perfectly suited for all levels of running intensity.
- Stability in the tread.
My score in the following references would be:
- Flexibility 9
- Lightweight 9
- Cushioning 9
- Stability 9
- Grip 8.
Well runners, I hope I have helped you a little bit with the description and the sensations that these New Balance Summit Q.O.M. have given me. I am an open book...so I am waiting for your comments and/or opinions through the social networks...or face to face contact, if you meet me in Marcilla, Peralta...or any town in the Navarra's riverside!!!
I leave you with this stunning photo taken by Navarrito where you can appreciate the beauty of the Barranco del Rey and that Gorka Cabañas posted on social networks that a very inspiring phrase that said:
"You can go very far...Shall we start the way together?"
