I must admit, when I laced up my ‘Classics’ before a recent workout I was a little apprehensive. As long as I’ve known, the Reeboks were a fashion statement, more than a shoe known for being a great workout companion. I headed into my workout with an open mind, and boy was I pleasantly surprised!

Comfort: The shoes have always been comfortable, for every day wear; that same comfort carried through my entire workout! I started with a jog around my neighborhood, on the cement sidewalk. I was surprised at how cushioned my feet felt.  7.5 out of 10

Support: After my sidewalk jog around the neighborhood,  I did not have any negative effects such as shin splints. At the gym, I did weights, track, and agility. I Felt the shoe could have used a little more support at the ball of my foot, but my feet were not sore or strained after my workout. 6.5 out of 10

Performance: I had good traction on the cement while running, the track surface, the gym mats, and the hard wood floors. I did not slip. I did have to re-tie my shoes several times, but this could be remedied with longer laces or a different knot. 7 out of 10

Style: I really enjoyed working out in these shoes, and I know I looked good while doing it!  The look of this shoe is great, and nothing completes a ‘planned to look unplanned’ gym outfit like an awesome pair of shoes.  With so many color options, you just can’t go wrong with kicks like these. 9.5 out of 10

Overall, this was a surprisingly good choice for workout shoe. Sometimes newer is not always better. I’d say dust off those classics, or grab a new pair and give them a try, as a versatile addition to your shoe wardrobe rotation!

Awesome insight, Kristen!  Thanks for the post!

We did some research on this women’s soccer cleat and found it to be quite similar to the men’s version, the only noticeable differences were color choices.  The women’s cleat comes in white with blue and the men’s version come in white with yellow or black with white.  But, we should mention the Nike Tiempo family is larger on the men’s side with the Nike Tiempo Elite (which features the KangaLite leather and access to Nike Soccer+) and the much less expensive Nike Tiempo Mystic.  The most exciting feature of the Nike Tiempo women’s soccer cleats is that they are customizable through NikeID for just $170!  You won’t be able to create a custom pair of pink women’s soccer cleats, but you could create crazy yellow cleats with a pink accent!  Here are some other key specs:

Kangaroo Leather Upper: Kangaroo leather is always a great choice for a soccer cleat.  It’s durable, comfortable, and molds to your foot.  However, kangaroo leather cleats are rarely the lightest.

Poron Cushioning Insole: The cushioning insole consists of Poron and a molded sockliner making the cleat soft and helps absorb shock and bounce.

Stud Design: The outsole is unique using posts and blades in the stud design.

We also noticed not many of the professional women soccer players out there are sporting this women’s cleat.  Recently, Shannon Box has been wearing the men’s Nike Tiempo Elite cleats in white/yellow ($275), and Abby Wambach and Hope Solo wear the Nike CTR360 Maestri Elite ($300).

We’ll keep an eye out to see if any big time women’s soccer stars are wearing the women’s Tiempo Legend cleat.  If you sported Nike’s Tiempo Legend cleats (men’s or women’s), let us know your thoughts below!

The US looks to be very threatening offensively, but the defense seems to not yet be at its best.  Barnhart did the best she could to defend the two Icelandic goals and managed her box very well – actively collecting crosses and playing sweeper keeper.  Will it be enough earn her the starting spot in Germany?

Congratulations are also in order to Canada for winning the Cyprus cup 2-1 in extra time against The Netherlands.  The two goals from Canada’s Emily Zurrer will be enough to get her extra attention from defenders during the World Cup.  Too bad the Dutch didn’t qualify for the big tournament, they were fun to watch.

The US WNT’s young gun, Alex Morgan scored two goals in the game illustrating what a promising player she is.  It’s looking like she’ll receive substantial playing time in the Women’s World Cup in the coming months and even more playing time for the Western New York Flash.  Nicole Barnhart did not have too busy of a day – it will be interesting to see how the US goalkeeper situation will pan out when Hope Solo is cleared to play.

The US WNT looks to take on Iceland in the finals.  Iceland is the only undefeated team from group B with impressive victories over China, Denmark, and Sweden.  Barnhart should have a busier day facing the strong Icelandic offense.

In the above pictures, Carli Lloyd is wearing the Nike CTR360 Maestri II Elite cleats in red ($299) and Alex Morgan is also sporting a pair of Nike cleats, but from the T90 Laser family.

We rounded up our favorite pink soccer cleats that are easily found online and in your local soccer shop. Only one of the below cleats are in women’s sizing, the rest are in men’s, so be sure to select your cleat size accordingly.

Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II Elite Cleats	Fila Forza III Women’s Cleats	adidas F50 adizero Cleats	PUMA Powercat 1.10 Tokyo Cleats
$300	$30	$140	$210
Ultra Lightweight & Ultra Thin	Women’s Sizing	Ultra Lightweight & Unique Stud Design	SpringTech Foam to Enhance Shooting

Have you checked out the 2011 Women’s Professional Soccer official match ball yet?  It looks pretty different from the match balls of the past seasons and has a couple of different specs, too.  We’re only a few weeks away from seeing it in action and we can’t wait! Here’s a bit more about the WPS PUMA King match ball:

The FIFA-approved ball is high frequency molded, not hand stitched as it had been in the past which will aid in form stability and better performance in wet conditions. The ball also features a multilayered backing network again adding to the ball’s shape retention. The PUMA Air Lock (PAL) System will keep the ball from losing air too quickly, so you won’t have to pump it up during half time. Finally, the most exciting feature is one that will likely cause a few more goals this season: a twin-layer of polyurethane foam behind the outer casing makes touches softer and shots more powerful. Good luck, keepers!

It should retail around $100, the same price of the previous WPS match balls.  With new players in the league like Alex Morgan, Sinead Farrelly, and Meghan Klingenberg, plus a new ball that’s an offensive threat, season 3 of the WPS will be the season of the most memorable goals.  Check out more info on the PUMA product page!

I bought the New Balance Women’s 993 running shoe a few months ago because the sales clerk said it had the best stability for someone with knee issues.  Even though they are a bit on the pricey side, I would buy them again because they’re very durable and are great on my knees.

I rated the following metrics on a 1 – 10 scale (1 being poor and 10 being excellent) – durability, support, innovation, performance, style, and value.  As for sizing, the sneaker runs true to size and width.

Durability – 10; The nylon and suede materials help hide dirt and scuffs very well.  The amount of cushioning around the foot makes the sneaker very tough and stable.  The traction hasn’t worn down in the slightest bit nor has the cushioning after several months of use on treadmills, outdoor pavement, and the elliptical.

Support -10; The shoe has a slightly raised heal and forefoot which provides a lot of cushioning and absorption for your complete foot and helps distribute your weight evenly.  The raised heal, however, will make it tough to use these sneakers for indoor soccer, basketball volleyball, etc.

Innovation -8; These running shoes are much more simple and traditional than innovative.  They do not feature special air bubbles or spring load technology.  This shoe was made in the 80s and has been a staple of New Balance’s running shoes since, they have no reason to change the running shoe.

Performance -8.5; You won’t jump higher, run faster, but you and your body will last longer.  This shoe’s main focus is support and stability and New Balance stays on point and delivers.

Style -8; If you like simple and plain, you’ll like this shoe.  There are no outrageous color schemes, but the shoe does come in navy blue, grey, black, white, and pink.  It’s a very modest shoe judging by looks.

Value – 8; They’ll last a long time, but because of the raised heal, you won’t be able to use these for crossing training or sports without making rolling your ankle a risk.  Depending on your style, you could get away with wearing these with a pair of jeans, but in my opinion it’s more of a business running shoe.

Overall – 8.8; The New Balance Women’s 993 Running Shoe is good for someone who likes a stable dependable shoe and doesn’t mind staying with the same shoe since there aren’t too many additions to the product line.  It’s a very honest running shoe – no gimmicks or false claims.  It’s the shoe your body loves and wallet grimaces about.  And like most New Balance sneakers, this sneakers comes in a variety of size and width options to provide the best fit!

Where can you buy the New Balance Women’s 993 Running Shoe:
Because this running shoe is a classic, you won’t typically won’t find it on sale, but you can always check out site-wide sales at athletic stores.  This shoe is very popular, so you should be able to compare prices just about anywhere.

993 from the Official New Balance Shopping Site

Compare prices of the 993 at Bizrate