New GT2130 Trail Shoes

I proabably have more trail shoes than running trails in Singapore. I added another to my collection recently, the Asics GT2130-trail, and tested them out at MR this morning. This is the off-road version of the popular road shoe and seemed promising. It had the same sole construct as the GT2130 and was relatively lighter than my North Face(s) and Salomon. Admittedly though, those were Gore-tex lined so they tended to be much heavier.

The GT-trail shoe felt comfortable and familiar. As with all new shoes, my feet took a little while to get used to them, but the discomfort disappeared after about half an hour. The toe area of the shoe was roomy and did not cause any hotspots, unlike my other trail shoes. Yeah, I would not have to tape my toes anymore with this pair of shoes.

After I exited the Northern Trail and hit the tarmac towards SICC, I was pleasantly surprised to feel the shoe's cushiony bounce. It delivered more cushion on the hard road without feeling like a heavy drag. Usually trail shoes gave very good support in the trails but were heavy on the roads. Road shoes, on the other hand, were great on roads (duh...), but I would loathe to wreck them on the rocks. Yet in Singapore, it was difficult to find a stretch of pure trails for long distance running. So our trail runs always ended up a 50-50 mix, resulting in a less than satisfactory choice of shoes. The GT-trail felt like a good balance for both trail and tarmac.

I ran to Upper Pierce toilet, took a break and turned back. Re-entering the trails at the "25"kmh mark, the GT-trail offered good support over the rocky paths. Its soles were also thick enough to cushion against the jabs of stepping over sharp rocks and debris. However, I realised that its front was not as reinforced (aka hardened) as my other trail shoes. The advantage was that I would not get any more bruised toe nails from hitting the shoe. The bad news was that you could kick a rock and bruise the toe. Hmmm....

It was a hot day for a late morning run, even at MR. I was drenched by the time I finished my 15km run. Bumped into Alex and chatted about bicycles for a while. After washing up, I met KC at Riders Cafe for lunch. The cafe came highly recommended by a colleague. It was a quaint place done up in dark wooden tones, non-aircon but lots of natural ventilation and ceiling fans. It was a nice place to chill, read the papers, and have a lazy meal. We ordered a Veggie Benedict, a grilled Ham n Cheese sandwich, and a vanilla milkshake. The food was good. The egg benedict was nicely done. Atop a toasted open-faced muffin was a layer of spinach and mushrooms, topped with an egg. The egg white was fluffy and quivering, egg yolk a cheerful liquid yellow, with a layer of melted cheddar cheese over the yolk. Oooh lovely. The fried cut potatoes (aka chips) that came with the sandwich were great too - salted, crispy and fat. But the sandwich itself was a tad disappointing. The toasted bread was too dry. The vanilla shake was rather good too - thick, frothy, and well, vanilla-fragranced. Definitely worth a return to try a couple of other items on the menu. But be sure to visit only after a workout! :)