Saturday, February 21, 2009

Brooks Summon Shoe Review, Updated

Two weeks ago I reviewed the brand-new Brooks Summon, comparing it with the Brooks Ghost and Burn. At that time I ran only a short distance in the Summon, but today I ran five miles with them on the indoor track at the club. So far so good. The Summon feels well-cushioned, with a very smooth transition from foot strike to toe-off. There is a slight slapping noise at foot-strike, but only a little more noise than the Burn makes. In my experience, this slap drops off a little as a pair of shoes collects a few meaningful miles. Perhaps they get a little more flexible.

I wish the tread wasn’t the kind that collects pebbles and grains of sand. Otherwise, so far, this is a great pair of shoes. Brooks is bringing out the Launch in July, as a direct replacement for my favorite, the discontinued Burn. I hope it’s as good as the Summon seems to be. Maybe it will even have a good tread.

A few days ago I ran into a guy who appeared knowledgable about Brooks shoes. He said that the Summon is a good shoe with a cost-reduced upper and aimed for more of a mass market than most running shoes, which are intended to be sold at running stores. You might find the Summon at Dick’s Sporting Goods, for example, but at The Runners Edge you would find the Ghost and the Defyance instead. We’ll see if it works out that way. So far, Dick’s doesn’t have it on their website, but Zappos does. The web makes all of that marketing stuff harder.

Splits: 8:56, 8:44, 8:48, 8:41, 8:42, total 43:50, pace 8:46. No pains, no strain. Good run, still recovering from the marathon.


Recent dinnerRecent dinner: No-hormone no-antibiotic free-range beef, organic carrots, mango, pineapple, organic parsnips.

LunchToday's lunch: Taco soup with free-range no-hormone no-antibiotic ground beef & organic vegetables, organic blue-corn chips with flax seeds (Target), avocado, & organic hot peppers.

Today's breakfastToday's breakfast (hungry after snow shoveling): Gluten-free oatmeal with flame raisins & dried cranberries, banana, mango, Dove dark chocolate, organic strawberries, organic blueberries, organic fat-free milk.
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1 comment:

  1. StevePMay 16, 2009 6:29 AM

    Good day Don!

    I am from the province of Quebec, Canada (french speaking as you might guess when you read these lines...).
    I am running with Brooks Burn and was very disappointed to hear that the model is discontinued. I am very sensitive to shoe design and tend to get hurt when the shoe is worn or not fit to my biomechanic.
    I was therefore looking for a replacement. Just like you, I want to stick with Brooks because to they fit so well to my feet! And I found you.. and your review.
    Thanks for this nice review of the Summon. I personally went with Defyance as I was told they were halfway between the Burn and Glycerin. I did not like the Ghost rounded forefoot, which reminds me of Glycerin 6 (a painful experience...!).
    I am looking forward to the Launch model. The T6 seems to be a good alternative for sub half-marathon distance (cf. Brooks shoe advisor). I will probably stick with Defyance for the Sunday long runs and go with Launch or T6 for intervals or tempo runs.

    By the way, thanks for the very nice pictures of your meal! You should open a Bed & Breakfast!

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