Disclaimer: I received a pair of Adidas UltraBOOST X shoes 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!"
After surviving a hectic spring schedule that included 2 marathons and 2 half marathons, I am glad to be running shorter distances. Thankfully the only race I have on the schedule for the summer is the Peachtree Road Race, a 10k. While I am not officially planning to start training for the Chicago marathon until August 1, I am doing a 90 challenge to work on my nutrition and pace for the race. For each week of the 90 day challenge, I have specific goals to work on to help me in my pursuit of 4:30 finish time for Chicago. To kick off my 90 challenge, I tested Adidas UltraBOOST X (https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/adidas-womens-ultra-boost-x-running-shoes-17adiwltrbstxblkbrnn/17adiwltrbstxblkbrnn) shoes for the first 3 weeks. The UltraBOOST X model is a neutral shoe that designed to respond to your foot's movement through every stride to deliver maximum energy in return. So what is my experience?
The Shoe Design
While I rarely test shoes, I am always searching for new products to up my run game. I normally wear Brooks and Mizuno shoes because they support my flat feet. Straight out the box, the first thing I noticed about the Adidas UltraBOOST X shoes was the unique design. The shoe has a stretchy sock-like foot body for your feet. Initially I wasn't sure if I was suppose to wear socks with the shoes (I did).
The foot holder is separated from the sole at the arch. When I first put the shoe on, it felt like my foot was in a hammock. Once I walked around my foot felt normal and I didn't notice the separation that I mentioned earlier. There are plastic components: two on each shoe for the ankle/heel and for the Adidas signature design on the side of the foot. The shoe is light and toe box width was fine.
Running
I started my 90 day challenge by attempting to run 2 miles at a sub 11 minute/mile pace in the shoes. Since I am flat footed, I normally wear a hard orthopedic insert in my shoes. I didn't wear the insert in the Adidas UltraBOOST X because it wouldn't fit. For the run, my feet felt uncomfortable for the first half mile. They felt like my feet do when I don't have adequate arch support. After a while my foot acclimated to the shoe. I also met my pace goal for my first run with them.
I ran with the shoes for a few 5ks and for a 10 mile long run. For all the runs, I had the same experience with beginning of the run have uncomfortable feeling in my foot and then eventually my foot acclimated to the shoe and run was fine.
The Verdict
While I think the Adidas UltraBOOST X has a great design I don't think it is the shoe for my Chicago Marathon training. The inability to use my orthopedic insert limits my runs to shorter distances. I do plan to wear them distances up to 10k. I will say that it is one of the most interesting pair of shoes I have tried based on its design alone.
What to try?
Check out https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/adidas-womens-ultra-boost-x-running-shoes-17adiwltrbstxblkbrnn/17adiwltrbstxblkbrnn to order a pair.