NB = New Balance and Not Bad

I’ll never set the world on fire as a shoe reviewer. When I read things like “stability-to-weight ratio” and “carbon midfoot bridge” I immediately book a ticket to Catatonia. I know there are plenty of running shoe fanboys (and gals) out there who examine each “update” to their favorites as if it were something other than an effort to sell more shoes. I have only one requirement for running shoes: injury prevention.

It’s through painful experience that we learn the consequences of choosing the wrong shoe. Shin splints, knee pain, blisters and runner’s toe follow as surely as night follows day.

I’m tall and thin, but I overpronate like someone twice my weight. This simplifies my shoe purchasing immensely. I look for a motion control shoe that neutralizes my pronation without making me run like Herman Munster. That’s why I quickly ditched my first attempt: The Brooks Beast.

I’ve experimented over the years, but always returned to the Asics Gel Foundation. I can mash down the post (the firm material along the instep) in a couple of hundred miles, so I have to keep an eye on wear, but they get the job done.

The good folks at New Balance Harrisburg let me try out a pair of New Balance 1123s, their new top-of-the-line motion control shoe. After a couple of weeks of use, I was surprised to see that a shoe with a substantially different design gave me just as comfortable a ride as the Asics.

Take a look at the soles of the Asics, particularly the shape.

Now look at the soles of the NB 1123s.

While the Asics shoe is more “hourglass” shaped and runs the arch all the way to the outside of the shoe, the New Balance shoe looks like a slipper (or a flat foot) on the outside, and all the construction is inside. Paradoxically, the New Balance shoe is snugger than the Asics along the whole foot. I can feel the inside post along the entire instep, and there’s no sliding along the outside of the foot.

I was concerned that the snug fit might lead to some problems after feet swelling on long runs, but they worked just as well as the Asics. They took a beating over asphalt and trail without a complaint. They may have been even more comfortable than the Asics.

The downside is that the 1123s didn’t have the flexibility of the Asics, and felt more “land and bounce” than “easy roll” while doing speedwork. Also, one would think that with the extra area impacting the ground, they would offer more traction on wet streets, but after a downpour they required some ginger stepping.

All in all, a worthy alternative to the other motion control shoes out there. Maybe the best of both worlds would be to use the 1123s for long runs and heavy mileage, and the Asics or similar, lighter shoe for speedwork and short races.