New shoe review: Adidas Ultraboost X

"Disclaimer: I received a pair of Adidas Ultraboost X  from Adidas 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!"
 
First impressions: I immediately loved the color of these shoes. I thought they didn’t look super cushiony but was anxious to give them a try. As you know,  I had knee surgery last year and still have osteoarthritis in my knees. Cushioning is the most important feature that I look for in a running shoe these days.

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When I went to put these shoes on for the first time, I really struggled to get them on. There is a very stretchy and form fitting upper on this shoe. I liken it to putting on compression socks. Thankfully, the more times I put them on, the better I got at it.

It is such a snug fit, you definitely feel supported. I can’t say that I felt the extra cushion (compared to my Hokas), but they were comfortable. I would say that they run a little on the small side.  This is considered a neutral shoe.

From Adidas:
"UltraBoost X is designed to respond to the way your foot moves through each stride, the shoes feature a floating arch and an adidas Primeknit upper that hugs and adapts to your foot throughout the gait cycle. boost™ delivers maximum energy return, and a stretchy outsole flexes to adapts to the way your foot strikes the ground."

I took them out for several shorter runs, including a 5k race (below) and got a faster finish time. I even got compliments at my ladies 5am run club run (see "shoefie" above). I ran on a variety  of surfaces from concrete to gravel, dirt and asphalt.

These shoes are very lightweight (8.3 ounces). There's a high arch with a gap underneath, I'm not sure what that does, but it looks cool :)

These shoes brought me a faster finish time at a 5k

I also tried running in them sockless, since the upper kind of feels like a sock. You totally could do that, but it just felt sweaty. After all, I live in Arizona where it is 100 degrees. So, yuck.

Bottom line is that I  like these shoes for shorter distances. They have such a snug fit that when my run is done I am usually anxioius to get them off.  After my race they kind of became uncomfortable to leave on. I need to lace them a little looser next time. I tried thin socks, thick socks and no socks, but I just came to the conclusion that they run a little on the small side.
 
Retail price is a bit steep - $180 – but you can find them at your closest Dick’s Sporting Goods.