巴尔干之魂 - 1

 花了一年的时间，终于读完了Robert Kaplan的成名作《巴尔干之魂》（英文名Balkan Ghosts)。由于中间断断续续的读，有的地方有点忘了。在读完第一遍以后，又花了一个礼拜时间重新翻了一遍，并用笔记整理了一下思路。光笔记就写了十几页。第二遍看完以后，把书合上，感觉把过去一千年的人类历史重演了一遍。

世界上没有一个地理位置，比巴尔干更能够浓缩激化文明的矛盾，历史的无情，以及人文的挣扎。当年读Sameul Huntington的《文明的冲突》时，就讲到世界的冲突线主要是文明和宗教的冲突。如果地壳的交界会产生地震，那巴尔干岛位为处于人类文明的最强的地震带上。

从地理角度上，巴尔干位于欧亚大陆的交界，也是传统的欧亚商道。横贯罗马尼亚的喀尔巴阡山脉和保加利亚的巴尔干山脉使这个地区成为自古文化交流和军事侵略的屏障。中亚的游牧民族和后来的奥托曼帝国对欧洲的进攻就被这些山脉挡住。同时他们的文明和宗教也止步于此。

从宗教的角度上，巴尔干处于三个宗教的交汇处：西方罗马天主教通过奥匈帝国的势力影响着克罗地亚；中间的前南斯拉夫国家，保加利亚还有希腊是东正教（东罗马帝国的后裔）；但是大部分巴尔干国家又曾经是奥托曼帝国的殖民地，所以伊斯兰教也深深地影响着当地很多地区。很多国家，像波斯尼亚-黑塞哥维那，像阿尔巴尼亚，像马赛东尼亚，都是好几个宗教族群混居的地方。无独有偶，也是火药味最强，冲突最严重的国家。

从人种族群角度上，这里最早有斯拉夫人，后来有罗马拉丁人。中亚的入侵带来了土耳其，突厥人。简直是个人类基因的一个大染缸。

在一个一个国家讲解之前，想先讲讲巴尔干地区的总体历史命脉。这样有助于随后了解后来的很多冲突的来源。巴尔干地区最早是在700BC在古希腊亚历山大帝国势力范围内。亚历山大大帝认为这是通商要道所以把它控制。所以希腊文化和语言是自古巴尔干地区的文明基础。在大概600BC-500BC，这个地区被波斯入侵。一直到200BC变成罗马帝国一部分。现在的罗马尼亚曾经是罗马帝国的一个分支。但是尽管罗马帝国的统治，希腊文化对这个地区的影响之巨大为日后的矛盾奠定了基础。巴尔干从这个时期起就是东西罗马教廷的分界线。

300BC左右基督教被罗马正式接纳为国教。后来的一千多年，罗马教廷控制着整个欧洲的文化和信任。但是由于巴尔干半岛受希腊文化影响多于罗马文化，它更亲和于东罗马教。1054AD，东西罗马教廷分裂，东罗马帝国变成后来的拜占庭帝国。巴尔干自然归到拜占庭的势力范围内。但是事情没有这么简单。在巴尔干西北的克罗地亚是罗马天主教，罗马尼亚是罗马拉丁裔。他们自然会跟拜占庭的邻国产生各种冲突和矛盾。

600AD附近巴尔干地区也出现各种外族的融入。主要有中欧和东欧的斯拉夫人，还有中亚的保加利亚突厥人，还有土耳其的突厥人。其中保加利亚人在巴尔干地区拓展势力，在700-1100AD建立了保加利亚帝国，曾经是欧洲最强大和先进的帝国。鼎盛时期包括了现在的阿尔巴尼亚一直到黑海，从喀尔巴阡山脉一直到爱琴海入海口。

然而从14世纪开始，巴尔干地区被土耳其奥托曼帝国占领。变成土耳其欧洲省。这个占领一直维持到第一次世界大战结束。想象一下，一个曾经是欧洲，古希腊的西方文化地区，被伊斯兰教的土耳其占领并融合六百多年。宗教的压迫，人种和民族的冲突都极端的集中在巴尔干这个地区。在这里，每个邻国之间都有芥蒂，每个民族之间都有仇恨。哪怕是同文同种的人，因为在不同帝国势力底下成长，结果被洗脑成仇人。人性的悲剧，在巴尔干的历史下渐显无遗。

Excerpts from The Frankfurt School Philosophy

The workers of the west, were sort of bewitched and beguiled when they saw all the cool new stuff humans are able to do now that capitalism is responsible for…the power of industry…increased levels of efficiency…the scientific and technological progress that capitalism produces…they’ve seen these changes, have been raised to believe that this stuff is the measure of progress and that this is just HOW the world is now and to not question it…all the while immersed in a system that from birth tells them they are first and foremost a worker and consumer, through media tells them how to act, think and feel, programs into them false needs, sells them one product after another to satisfy these false needs, socially alienates them, keeps them confused and scared, provides them with an illusion of political freedom and through many different types of coercion gets them never to question the fact that all of this rapid technological progress is only made possible by the exploitation of other human beings. In other words, the workers of the west no longer resemble the free-thinking proletariat that Marx talked about rising up…they’ve been indoctrinated to love their chains in a sense

Review of shoe reviewers

Just want to review all the shoe reviewers/channels that I follow on YouTube based on my personal preference, from the least to the most favorite. My scale is simple, if you can offer something unique, insightful, have the exact content that scratches my inner itch, you will be high on my scale. Again, this is entirely my opinion, not meant to be objective at all. 

Fordy Runs: this guy's British accent (I meant is he a Scot or something) is so strong that I couldn't figure out half of what he said. He seems to have a fetish on pink and his targeted demo is middle-aged intermediate runners. His reviews however are pretty empty.

RunLikeHeller: Boring. Same old jokes repeating every single time (the "good morning YouTube intro, the TrueToSize accent, the Pull tab joke). Her shoe review format is too templated and the content is predictable. She does answer question in comment pretty diligently so that is a plus.

GingerRunner: I want to say pretty boring too but his reviews are a bit more upbeat than the last one. His content needs some diversification.

FOD Runner: this guy is more of a runner than a shoe reviewer. He is more about picking the right shoe that fits His training block rather than just reviewing whatever shoes that people want to see from him. I like him. But more because of his running not his shoe reviews.

BelieveInTheRun: Robbe and Thomas duo is just hilarious. I don't care if they are talking about shoes or not (I mean if I seriously want to know I can read their written reviews) But just hearing them talking is a fun pastime. Meghan on the other hand is like a dead fish. They understand why people still want to watch YouTube on shoes these days, certainly not for tabulated specs.

SethJamesDemoor: to be honest his shoe reviews are meh. Not very informational and very predictable. His only preference is lightweight, lightweight, and lightweight. He would give a shoe an edge just because it is an oz lighter. That's why he keeps going back the VF1 for racing despite he was given dozen superb shoes to try for free. But I like his channel because his running is inspirational. This guy has four kids, runs 140 mpw and I am not sure if he (still) has a day job or not.

RoadTrialRun: this is the first review channel that I like entirely because of their reviews. More importantly, I prefer reading their full reviews rather than watching their videos (because no offense Sam is kind of boring when it comes to entertaining). But their multitester reviews are top notch. I especially like they include shoe comparison in their reviews which usually are what I often ponder about too.

InTheLongRun: this guy is an elite runner and his review is from a pro angle. I was super impressed watching his review on the Alphafly. Super detailed and technical and on point. I am an engineer myself so I like (and know) it when people know what they are talking about.

Kofuzi: another inspirational shoetuber. Religiously wake up at 4am, quit his lawyer/legal job to run the channel. His reviews are very personal but touch on a lot of topics that I am interested in and that's what I like about it even though I don't have to feel that same things that he feels. He always reads my mind of what I want to see on youtube, as if he has access to my search history. Whatever I was pondering, he either has a video on it already or he is making one next week. One drawback is though he used to do a lot of 100 mile reviews, but now I am seeing less and less. I guess as he is gaining popularity, more shoes are coming his way so he has less time per shoe. One thing I don't like about shoe reviews are they separated into first impression and long term reviews. I understand people want the first impression more because of the urge of buying new stuff. The shoetubers understand that too that's why we are seeing more and more first impression reviews and less and less long term reviews (or replaced by shorter term reviews) because few people care after the first impression.

EddBud: now the final, my favorite shoetuber. He is from UK too but I have no issue understanding him (what's up with that Fordy?). Edd has a great sense of humor. He is the only one pointing the negative in the Invincible while everyone else is praising it like a cult. His content is updated, on point, but without the feeling that he is rushing out content just to catch what wind is blowing out there.

The hyped, the workhorse, and the surprise: Comparison of Three Max Cushion Shoes

First off some basic stats: (US mens 8)

Endorphin Shift: 4mm drop, 10.3 Oz, 70 miles

Triumph 17: 8mm drop, 9.75 Oz, 450 miles

Nike Invincible: 9mm drop, 9.35 Oz, 15 miles

[Upper lockdown/comfort/fit] 

All three shoes have no issue locking down. I don’t have any heel slippage. The Triumph initial feels like slipping a bit but that is only a sensation due to the heel collar is very slick. I don’t feel that anymore after some running in it. In terms of step-in comfort, I would say Triumph > Shift ~ Invincible. The Triumph is very plush and soft. It screams comfort. Some people may find it too much shoe and it does feel warm in the summer. The Shift feels comfortable in the way that it fits better than the Triumph and has a better/snugger lock down. The breathability in the Shift is the best out of the three. The Invincible has a comfortable step-in too, but not quite as plush as the Triumph. The “flyknit” somehow feels stiffer than the engineered mesh on the Triumph, and certainly not as comfy as the Shift. I don’t want to comment on the style of Invincible as it hurts my eyes to look at it.

[Midsole Ride]

This is where the three shoes have distinctive characters. Because of the stack height, in none of these shoes you will feel the road at all. If I may try to describe the midsole in three different sub-categories, they would be the shock absorbing capability, the energy return and the rate of

the retu啪啪啪怕了怕了评论了啪啪啪0啪啪了老婆力量rn, and finally the sole geometry. 

First off, the shock absorption. This means the ability of the shoes to absorb impact on the road and shield your feet and joints from the pavement pounding. Softness or durometer is a good measure for this property. In my experience, while all of these three shoes provide good enough shock absorbing capability, the Invincible is clearly the softest one. So in this sub-category: Invincible > Triumph > Shift. That said, we all agree that softer is not always better. So the sweet spot of softness is a personal choice. I personally am not a big fan of a soft ride and find it working against my gait cycle. 

Secondly we come to the energy return, the most hyped up property of a running shoe midsole. There are many adjectives describing energy return, like bouncy, responsive, snappy, springy, or pingy. They are all very subjective descriptors based on personal sense. I want to boil down this characteristics into two simple measurable terms: the amount of energy returned, and the rate of the energy return, so that we can demystify things in a measurable way.  The former simply means how much energy that you put in comes back in your toe-off instead of dissipated as heat, and this can be measured roughly by heart rate effort; The latter is how fast the energy is returned in your toe off. Imagine two springs, upon the same impact loading, both return the same amount of energy but one does that faster than the other. If you have a foot pod, this can be measured as time elapsed between max compression to toe-off. I don’t have a foot pod so I can only provide comments based on my own experience.

For the energy return or saving, I did three longish runs, all around 11-12 miles, at similar heart rate of 140 bpm (this is my zone 2 HR). The one shoe that gives me the fastest pace should deliver the best energy return.

The result is: 

-Endorphin Shift: 8.08 min/mile

-Triumph 17: 8:23 min/mile

-Invincible: 8:21 min/mile

I don’t really feel which shoe give me a “fresher leg”. To me leg freshness is very subjective or ambiguous, and it involves not just the midsole, but also your fatigue level, and mostly your form. I understand the pace has lots of other factors. I made my best attempt to try to keep other factors equal. But take it with a grain of salt.  From this crude comparison the Shift has the best energy return. And the Triumph and Invincible is similar.

For the rate of return, Shift>Triumph > Invincible. The TPU foam in the Triumph has less compression/travel than the Invincible and it snaps right back while the Invincible decompresses leisurely. The Shift returns the fastest but it might feel too firm to some. To me it feels pleasantly firm. Different rates of energy return affect the peak paces which the shoe excels at, simply due to the fact that the natural frequencies of the materials resonate with different gait cadences. What that means is that the faster the rate of return is not always better if it doesn't match your pace/gait cycle. Imagine a foam that has instant energy return, i.e. It returns energy while you are still landing down so the returning force is out of phase with the work you put in. The best rate of return is the one in phase with your gait cycle, i.e. It pushes you up when you need it to. The Invincible while being uber soft and has good enough return, it feels not as snappy due to the sluggish decompression.

There is a very nice write up to demystify energy return of running shoes: The Truth About Energy Return in Your Shoes | Runner's World (runnersworld.com)

The last sub-category of midsole ride is the sole geometry. Here the result is Shift > Invincible ~ Triumph. The Shift is the only shoes in the bunch that has a meaningful rocker. I have a theory that a rocker shoe must have some rigid element in the sole in order for it to rock, otherwise it will simply compress and collapse instead of rolling forward. In plated shoes it is the plate that plays this role as the rigid guiding element. In the Shift it is the midsole itself. So I can understand why they make the Shift with a firmer midsole even for a daily trainer, it is precisely because of the need of the SpeedRoll geometry. Another point to note is that I don’t really mind the “firmness” of the Shift at all. First of all it doesn’t bother me. And it provides a quick energy return that it feels fast. In Feb-March I was suffering PF and it was the Shift that helped me run through it. So if it is soft enough for my PF foot, it is soft enough for the normal me. The fact the Shift surprisingly runs the fastest while being the heaviest of the three also tells me weight is an overrated spec that people fuzz too much about.

[Durability]

In this category, there is really no comparison. Triumph >> Shift >> Invincible. Why? Earlier I posted my AB test on my 450 mile Triumph  17 and it still looks (upper and outsole) and runs the same as a brand new pair. It is built like a tank. I can take it to all kinds of terrains without thinking about it. And we all know how fragile the ZoomX powered Invincible is from了 what has been posted here. ZoomX foam typically last 300-400 miles if not less, while the TPU foam arguably never dies. I suspect if I want to, I can take the Triumph to 800 miles. Did I mention that I bought it at $90? Incredible value as a workhorse long run shoe.

The Shift sits in the middle in terms of durability. It is also built like a tank (literally look at the heel armor). However its PWRRUN foam is less durable than the PWRRUN+ (TPU) foam, so I gave it a bit less score. But still no doubt that it can last 450+ miles and can take abuse. 

The Invincible, some has quoted that lasted 400+ mile but many have reported split or torn Zoom X with some twists and turns or simply hiking. I will need to baby this shoe since I spent $180 on it (two pairs worth of Triumph). Mine arrives brand new with some glueing defect on the outsole. 

[How would I use them]

Recovery from beaten up legs or injury: Invincible;

Long slow distance runs: Triumph > Invincible; (Triumph first because it is cheaper).

Long distance moderate-effort runs: Shift > Triumph. I need snap in this kind of runs. Babying my legs is not the priority. I need interaction and these two shoes give me that.

[Bottomline]

I would buy the Triumph 17 again and again without a heart beat. And probably would say the same for the Shift as well. The only thing I wish to improve on the Triumph 17 is to tone down the plushness on the upper to something like the Ride or Freedom but keep the midsole as is. The Shift I wish it can be priced at $130. At $150 I won’t buy it again especially considering the Axon is out there. 

I will not buy the Invincible again unless it: redesign the upper to make it look better and the price drops to $150 or less. And need to fix all the quality and durability issues found in this iteration. The only thing that keeps the Invincible in the comparison is the somewhat intriguing Novablast-like ride. While it is fun, it doesn’t return energy significantly more or faster than the other two shoes. It is what it is, a hyped up daily trainer. With this category of shoes my primary objective is to soak long miles, and to train aerobic endurance. So durability is high priority and mile/dollar is important and all three shoes discussed here are comfortable enough for this goal.

In this running shoe era, softness is somehow marketed and shoved down our throats as better. It is not always the case and it is certainly not true for everyone.