Casper の Guest Blogger,  Reviews,  Running Events - #GerzKeepRunning,  Travel

My running journey with Asics Nimbus series. My favourite shoes all these while!

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My running journey with Asics Nimbus series.

Hi everyone, my name is Casper! Few people knew me by this name. Office colleagues called me “Boon Hee”, army friends call me by my surname “Cat”… but by right should be “Kat” (pronounced as “Card” or “Cut”).

Anyway, if you do not know me, I am Gerlyn’s hubby. Ok, enough talk… let start with something that I owe Gerlyn for quite some time.

How do I begin with? Ok, maybe I can share about my interests which lead to choosing and buying a pair of good shoes called Nimbus!

So you may ask… what so special about this shoes? Make you run faster? Protect your feets? Light weight? Blar blar blar…

 

Ok.. the story goes like this…

Once upon a time… (actually is about 3 years plus ago) , I have chosen a new lifestyle of wanting to explore life, and living life to the fullest… I want to try something different. YOLO spirit!

First of all, I try out cycling… followed by roller-blading.. and then kayaking and snorkelling…

Then I have finally choose running…

People will ask “are you sure you can run? You can barely pass your IPPT!”

Well, there is a will, there is a way.

Ignoring people negative comments and conquering my own 心魔, I signed up for standard chartered run 10km in the year 2010. The goodie bag samples and gifts are cool. I remember there was a 5-bladed shaver and a limited edition ez-link card. But then, at that time, my normal running / training distance routine was only about 3km +/-. A week before the 10km run, I planned to do a 7km training run around Yishun’s neighbourhood. Wearing my old Asics ‘GT’ series shoe, I ran… upon achieving about half the 4km mark, my right ankle started giving me pain like hell. I tried to continue with the run but it was not possible. So, I gave up the training and walked home. And on the actual day of the event, I couldn’t turn up as the injury had not yet recovers.

Never mind about this… in the year of 2011, I had continue to signed up for many running events… beginning with a 5km NTUC run, then a 10km run (Run 350)… then Energizer 7km trail run, and by mid-year, doing a Sundown half marathon… this is the very 1st half marathon I did… and after completing it, there is a very great self-achievement feel ^^… but then my right foot and ankle hurts a lot… I suspected that something could be wrong with the shoes I am wearing.

By the end on 2011, I have decided to signed up for a Standard Chartered Half marathon… this time round, I am more well prepared by doing more trainings, like running from home (Yishun) to Woodlands Waterfront and back… and of cause, researching and sourcing for a better running shoes which will help to increase comfort level and minimise the injury.

I went to the Asics boutique at Marina Square and ask their retails executive to recommend a good pair of shoes.

I can’t remember the name of that person… but he seems to be very professional. He brought me to stand on a machine which look like a weighing machine.. but is use to find out what is my type of feet.

From the machine, my result is high arched foots type and all I needed is a pair of cushioned and plenty of flexibility to encourage foot motions shoe type.

Wow… ok… so he recommended me a few type of shoes, price ranging from $100+ to $279.. and in the end, I found the Nimbus 13 most cushioning. At that time, Nimbus cost me $279 (before 20% SCB / Standard Chartered Marathon participant discount).

0001Paiseh,… the above photos of my shoes taken only recently, therefore look so old…This shoes have served me for about 1 years plus. After purchasing it, I used it for my first Standard Chartered Marathon event in 2011, doing my 21 KM run. The shoes served me well, managed to cleared it under 3 hrs without any further knee problem which I used to have.

0002*side track a bit: Doing a half marathon in the local Standard Chartered Marathon has the chance of running around in USS (Universal Studio Singapore) and take photos with the mascots ! And I get to take photos with my favourite character, PUSS in BOOTs!! Wohoo!!

And you see, the shoes provide enough cushion and support to your feet that you can use for trekking and hiking too!

009Yeah, I have conquered Gunung Datok, Rembau, Malaysia, wearing my Asics Nimbus 13 in early 2012!

But of cause, all good things have a lifespan and will come to an end one day. Due to my continuous vigorous training, such as running from office (Pasir Panjang) to home (Yishun) weekly with this shoes, its survived for 9 months (actually it is still surviving till today) without problem and I was then, attracted to  a newer version of Nimbus, (Nimbus 14).

And what so great about Nimbus 14 vs the predecessor? My observation is that weight has been reduced while cushioning remains as good as ever.

The weight loss is noticeable. The new shoes feel slightly lighter. It is more evident in the hand than on the foot, but the slight reduction in weight will certainly feel better in those last few kilometers of run.

00030006From the chart above, Nimbus 14 is considering the most cushioning type of Asics shoe and good for long distance running purposes.

You may be thinking that this is gonna cost a bomb again. Yes, my pocket got burned, but this time round, I choose to buy it online, and it is CHEAPER! at SGD 239.00 !

0007The retail stores in Singapore have this shoes to cost around $279.00 again, even after the 15% discount using standard chartered bank (SCB) credit card, it will still cost $237.15. Well, at that time, I do not have any SCB credit card and therefore may not be entitled to any discount.

And I completed my very first Standard Chartered Full Marathon in Dec 2012 with this shoes! Yahoo!!~~

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Lastly, my latest collection, Nimbus 15, which Ger Ger strongly recommended me to buy, as the N.14 wore off and injured my knee again (1 yr lifespan). We have our Taiwan photoshooting trip in August 2013 and we saw Nimbus 15 selling at one of the sport boutique in Shi Lin Ye Shi (Shi Lin night market), and to our surprise, it cost only around SGD 180.00. However, due to our tight budget, we have put off the thought.

0004But after another minor knee injury happened after the Kuala Lumpur BSN night marathon event in Oct’13, I guess I have got no choice but to source for cheaper way of acquiring this precious! And yep, I got it at $176.06 in Ebay, and there were free gifts too! A pair of Asics socks and a hello kitty scandals for Ger !
Cool right?!

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Verdict:

I think the shoe is a good option for runners who need extensive cushioning, are heel strikers, or wish to diminish the impact of the road on joints while running.

It’s light-weight but still providing maximal cushioning throughout the shoe.

Heavier runners or runners with a history of injury would also find the shoes to provide a great amount of support to keep joints from bearing the shock of road and trail running, as there is ample cushioning from top to bottom.

Price may be an issue to some, therefore I will  recommend you to buy online from reliable site such as E-bay.

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And yes, I trusted Asics, what about you?

PS: This is not a sponsored post! :)

Cheers!

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