If you had known me several years ago, you wouldn’t believe it had I told you that a running shoe is the new It Shoe. But here we are. We grow and we glow, my girls.
Not only have I gotten better at exercise (practice does sadly make perfect), and my body feels stronger, sultrier, and more capable, but I have also wildly expanded my sports wardrobe. Because let’s face it, athleisure is booming! During the horror show of 2020, I bought so much Alo Yoga products that I basically own a stake in the company. It’s all I wore! Because when you’re trapped in a house in the middle of a global pandemic, running and/or taking your dog for a walk is the new shopping on Bond Street, the new girl’s lunches at Annabels, and the new date nights at Zuma.
So it’s no surprise really that a running shoe is the new It Shoe. If you’ve been paying attention, you should have anticipated it really.
Enter On. A Swiss brand (Hopp Schweiz!) that was started in 2010, three mates from Zurich set out to make a running shoe that can brave the Swiss alps. Now, if you’ve ever been to the Swiss alps, or even gone hiking on any rocky terrain (doesn’t need to be bougie), you know that the right shoe is important. You don’t want to be feeling every little pebble underneath your heel arch that will throw you off balance – you want sturdy shoes, and preferably comfortable ones too.
That’s where On progresses ahead of the other running brands. On wanted to make a shoe that was responsive enough to give you the power to shoot yourself up the mountain, but comfortable enough and springy enough to keep you light and bouncy for those long distances. They created Cloud technology, with the aim of having explosive take-offs but a cushioned landing – like walking on clouds.
And it’s not bullshit either – studies performed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology proved that runners who wore On Cloud tech running shoes showed lower hearts rates and lower blood lactate levels. Yep, On running shoes take the hard graft out of running. Lower blood lactate levels, mean less muscle fatigue. Not only do you get more out of your workout, but you feel better afterwards too. Remember, just because you’re sore afterwards doesn’t mean it’s a good workout, and On wants you to work smarter, not harder.
The special sole compresses horizontally and vertically, so it adapts to your running style. We all run and land differently, because we all have different bodies, and so many sports companies base their sports products of the basis of athletes, or a specific body type, and force your feet to land in the way the shoe is designed. But bodies aren’t as cookie cutter as those large sports corporations imagine, and On understands that you might be a heel runner instead of a toe runner, and they support you anyway.
I have a great pair of pistachio green Cloudflow running shoes, which are great for my runs around the suburbs, but I’ve also got a pair of the Cloudrock Waterproof’s, which are fantastic hiking boots that have lasted me several long hikes in the Alps during rain, snow, and sunshine (hiking in snow in July was very disappointing, but that had nothing to do with my boots). This may sound like I have a BUTTERWORTHEFFECT10 10% off code (I so wish that worked), but I can assure you I am not sponsored by On, as much as my friend Grace and I try to get featured on their Instagram page (no luck). On is a small company, that cares about its clientele. They just wanted to make a really great running shoe that was great for everybody’s style of running – which they’ve done. They look great, and they feel great, and they also don’t force their sponsored athletes to have eating disorders to fit into what their idea of a body should be – I’m firmly looking at you Nike.
If you’re in the market for a new pair of running shoes, or you feel as if your current running shoes are not giving you that boost you need to sprint that final 50 metres to your house after a long jog fantasising about the future when you finally prove those haters wrong (don’t do that? Just me then), why not try On running? If you do, please hit me up as my running buddy. I’ll put it on Instagram, and finally maybe I’ll make the On Running Instagram page. Fingers crossed.