Product Review: Ampla Fly Running Shoes

Disclaimer: I received a Ampla Fly Running Shoes to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Testing out a pair of running shoes was a really cool experience for me! I'm one of those runners that finds a shoe I like and buys a few pairs of them so I can keep the consistency on my feet. So testing out these shoes was like taking your first step out of Port Authority in NYC and seeing all the possibilities out there for the first time. Okay so that might be a little over dramatic but it definitely broke me out of my shell!

What's really unique about these shoes is the carbon-fiber plate in the forward part of the sole. It's designed help create a better landing strike by changing the form of your landing to make you faster and run farther. It does this by using the force of the strike in a beneficial way to keep the energy continuous from the landing to the take off. The plate guides your foot into the right form so you're force to land each strike in the way that's the most efficient. 

I've been running for years so suffice it to say I'm sure I've picked up some bad running form habits. Let's face it though, we all probably do, in the same regard that we all definitely have some bad driving habits as well. So taking these beauties out on a test run was top on the priority list that week they arrived in the mail. 

Initial Reaction

Putting them on and lacing them up was like ripping the wrapping paper of a present, I couldn't do it fast enough to get to the prize inside. Walking around in them was totally weird at first. I immediately noticed the carbon-fiber plate and how it was forcing my foot to land in a certain way. Very different from the normal posture that I walk around in. I have to admit that finding my balance in them while stretching was interesting as my center of gravity was slightly different than my normal running shoes. 

I took them out for a short run along the highway. What I noticed right away was how landing each strike was very predetermined I think is the best way to say it. The shoes pretty much forced me to land more in a centered strike than a heel or toe strike. Another thing I noticed is that the carbon-fiber plate is not very flexible, I palm-to-faced myself for not thinking about that earlier. I mean hello it's a carbon-fiber plate it's a pretty sturdy thing. To expand on what I mean, the road I run along is angled to direct running water when it rains. So when I would strike the ground I usually land on the side of my foot, but my Ampla's would force me to land with a flat foot even on the angle. So something to definitely be mindful of, the shoes like flat surfaces. Another, and probably one of the most important things that I noticed, was

that these shoes worked different muscles than the shoes that I have been using. Different parts of my legs were sore from when I would previously run. I'm actually pretty happy about that because I hadn't realized how comfortable your legs can get with only running in one pair of shoes. I thank the Bibrave Podcast for planting the seed of that in me. I like the idea of working muscles differently by rotating shoes.

The Speed Test

One of the things I was eager to experiment with was how these shoes would improve my speed. So I ran my usual hill sprints path with my regular shoes to get a baseline time and pace, which fell into the normal range for what I had run in the past. Then the next time hill sprints were in my training plan (about two weeks later) I ran the same path but in my Ampla's. Going up the first hill I could already see and feel the difference that the shoes made to my form and keeping the energy flowing with each strike. I ended up finishing over 3 minutes faster. Now that might not really seem like much, but when considered with running 6.5 miles of hills with an 1,100 foot elevation gain that is a lot of time! 

Long runs

So I had had this idea in my head that these shoes were only good for speed work and not really that

beneficial for long runs. I had heard of runners lacing these bad boys up for long runs, and since I had great success with them for my speed work I wanted to test this theory as well. I didn't want to go all out with them right in the beginning so I took them on a moderate 10 mile run. I was pretty pleased with how that turned out, no pain anywhere, no chafing on the ankle, no blisters, just a very smooth 10 miles.

So next if was time for the big guns, no holding back. I laced up these shoes and ran the Maui Half Marathon in them. The course is relatively flat with a few small hill, and these shoes performed beautifully. The hills were easy to crush, and I was able to keep the momentum going on the flats for a pretty successful run. Then to take it one step further I ran an additional 6 miles afterwards, because of my training for Chicago Marathon. I was very impressed and glad I decided to wear them for that race and long run. 

Direct to Consumer 

This is a pretty cool aspect of the company. They only operate direct to consumer. What does that mean, for those of us that didn't take or pass economics? What most shoe companies do is they sell to a purveyor which then sells the shoes to a store where you buy your shoes. So the shoes have changed hands a few times before getting to the place where you buy them. What this means for us as a consumer is that the cost of the good will be much higher than it was initially. Each time the product passes hands there needs to be a profit on it or else the business isn't making money, so each time it changes hands the price of the product increases. So those shoes that a shoe company might only sell

for $100 has been marked up to $180 or even $200 by the time it reaches us. That's a big mark up, and lot more money out of our pockets. 

So now that the economics lesson is over let's get back to how Ampla is a direct to consumer company. This means they only sell to us, not to purveyors, not to shoe stores. So you won't find their shoes at any retail store, only from them online. This means that the cost of the shoe is much less because there is no change of hands, and thus keeps more money in our pockets. Big bonus points!!

Conclusion

I think these shoes should be part of a runners training tools. I could see and feel the benefits of running with better form. I enjoyed them more during the shorter runs, but didn't have any problems with them on long run. I think I feel this way because it was easier to notice the difference in the shorter runs than the longer runs. And they are cheaper than most other running shoes as well, so it's a no brainer.

Join us for Bibchat on Tuesday September 20th at 3pm HST when Ampla is sponsoring the chat!