Running On Clouds

A little while ago I mentioned I bought new sneakers in my When to Get New Running Sneakers post, but I didn't mention which sneaker company I went with. So, here we are, finally 3 Months of running with this shoe to give you a full rundown on the Pros and Cons of my new running sneaker.

Say hello to On Running's Cloudswift.

And as the name suggests, you will feel like you're running on clouds. I came across the brand On Running after seeing USA Heptathlete Chair Hawkins being sponsored by them and her wearing the Cloudswift. If you're new here, there are 2 Olympians I am very up-to-date with on on social media and that's Chari Hawkins and Georganne Moline, 400M Hurdler - they're a great instagram follow for inspiration and motivation! Anyways, before this ends up a post of me listing all the reasons why you should follow them, let's talk about Cloudswift!

Are the Cloudswift a Neutral or Stability Support Sneaker?

They are a Stability Support sneaker. I have a flat foot - as in quite literally there is no arch in my foot at all. So, I need all the support to makes sure my foot is protected - as running is a high impact support, getting the right shoe for your feet is super important.

Did they take a while to break in?

Before running in them, I walked in them for 3 days - to the library, to my house, everywhere. When I went running with them I had no issues with blisters in the back or any type of pain while running. This type of On Running shoe is not narrow at all.

Did you size up?

I normally get my running sneakers in a size 9 US while my normal-walking-sneakers are a size 8 1/2. I went in store to try them on in a size 9 and they had a comfortable amount of room for my toes and around my foot. I would recommend trying them in store first though before purchasing online.

They have a lot of third party sellers rather than an actual On Running store, so you can check near you if local sneaker stores have them for you to try on before purchasing online from the actual On Running website. Depending on the type of On Running sneaker, you may have to size up. For example, the Cloud X cuts a bit smaller than the Cloudswift, so I would have to try them in person to see if I'd need to go up a half size.

Do they feel light while you're running?

No. In the beginning, I was hyper aware of how heavy the Cloudswift were compared to my Nike's. Though I should note that my Nike sneakers support was non-existent at this point so really any shoe would feel heavy when I made the switch to a new one. The first time I went running with them they felt  heavy and I felt I was running slower because I still had to adapt to the support of the sneaker.

Three months of running, and I would best summarize them as 'chunky' but comfortable. They take a while to get used in terms of support, and I'm only aware of their "weight" when my running form is a bit off. Like if I'm not landing mid foot with a forward lean then I'm hyper aware of their weight if that makes sense?

Are the Cloudswift comfortable?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Nothing compares to the comfort level of these shoes. You'll really feel like you're walking/running on clouds. No shoe can compare at all. If it helps at all: I bought my mom the Cloud 50 | 50 for her birthday and she loved how comfortable they were as she walked. My sister (that same day they arrived to my house) happened to notice them, tried them on and later that week went to buy herself a pair.

So, in terms of comfort they are mama and sister approved™.

How do they feel during track workouts?

I love them on the track, the support, although took a while for me to get used to in terms of heavy-ness, is amazing. As I'm sprinting, I'm not aware of their weight though- as I mentioned, if I have the right form, they don't feel heavy at all. It's all in your form for these shoes! So anytime I feel them heavy, I know that my form needs some minor adjustments.

How do they feel during hill sprints?

Okay, this is the section I was waiting to tell you all about! The first time I went hill sprinting with them, one of my intervals was a 4'38 pacing/mile. I've never seen those numbers before. I've never seen a 4 minute mile ever as an interval. If you couldn't tell, they are amazing for hill sprints, the support is really just what I needed.

I mentioned the interval to a friend of mine, and she mentioned that I probably had that speed in me all this time, I just wasn't wearing the right shoes. And she's not wrong now that I think of it!

How are they in the rain?

So, they aren't waterproof but I did run with them (because do I look like I have multiple running sneakers for different weathers no no no) and they didn't feel weighed down at all. They felt the same as they would when it was sunny outside. They have a good grip on the bottom, so from my experience I did not feel ~slippy~.

I really tried to take an artsy photo of the bottom and this is what I ended up with...

What are the laces on the them like?

So up until yesterday, I didn't have any issues with the laces. They are a bit on the thin side, so I really recommend double knotting them to make sure they don't become undone. Yesterday, while I was running they became undone even though they were double tied - I mainly think this is because I didn't tighten them enough though not so much fault with the thinness of the lace, however I wanted to be as transparent as possible.

I really wanted to take a jumprope photo but uh wow that's hard to do..

One thing the above photo shows really well is that the middle section of the shoe isn't separate from the sides like most running sneakers which is great because I never have to keep moving the middle section to it's proper center position. Just so you all know what I'm talking about below is a red circle on the "middle and side" being connected:

Jumping wise, how are the Cloudswift?

You may be scratching your head wondering what I mean here - I'm talking about Box Jumps and jump rope. Now, these shoes are magical for jumping. Box Jumps? You'd think I had springs attached to my feet, I! can! jump! high! Jump Rope? I don't think I'll every get over the fact that I can do double-unders - bringing the rope twice under you in one go before your feet hit the ground.

So, 10/10 in the jumping department. One thing I love is that the support is so great with the Cloudswift, and I don't feel like I'm touching the literal ground (as was the case with my previous sneakers).

The funny thing is you don't realize the lack of support your sneakers have until you get new ones, I felt like a new runner once I got these because the Nike's I was running with had non-existent support (they had a long life of 400+ miles run in them).

Last Thoughts

I went to a third party seller with my sister when she went to try them on in person, and when I mentioned the heavy-ness of the Cloudswift she recommended the Cloudsurfer - they're better for training and racing, have great support, feel lighter while running.

The Cloud X are the ONES for racing (and for daily wear too!) - they have good support and they're nice and lightweight. The representative I was chatting to in store was letting me know when I asked for her opinion on the best racing shoe. So, once I run 400 miles I'll most likely be upgrading to the Cloudsurfer and (if my wallet won't cry about it) possibly get the Cloud X for racing.

MY VERDICT on Cloudswift: They're extremely comfortable but also a bit on the heavy side rather than lightweight. For that reason, I'd give them 4/5 stars. They really are great, have amazing support (my flat foot is having a happy running life now) but it would have been nice to have the best of both worlds: support + lightweight.

List of Pros and Cons:

Pros
- extremely comfortable
- great support
- Jump-rope/Box-Jumps approved™

Cons
- they feel heavy when you're running in the beginning; as you keep running with them they only "feel heavy" when your form isn't 100%.

p.s. I wasn't paid to write this, I just felt like doing a review on my new running sneakers, they really are my favorite sneakers I've ever run in!

Have you heard of On Running? Will you be giving them a try?

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