Throwback Thursday: Torin IQ (It’s a long one) Personally I feel this shoe came out ahead of its time. Wearable tech is going to be a huge part of athletes lives and putting a brain in a shoe is a great idea. The Torin IQ had all the comfort of a foot shaped shoe with the added bonus of real time feedback thanks to the built-in sensors. These sensors monitored your foot strike, impact info, cadence, pace, distance, time and contact time (on the ground and in the air). All this was delivered via the IQ app that was free! If I remember correctly, the sensors in the shoes were in an ‘S’ shape snaking from heel to toe to give more accurate results. As you can see from some of the photos, the shoe was highly reflective, offering extra safety at night. Running with the Torin IQ was like running with a coach in your pocket. You got real-time feedback! I remember testing this shoe before it’s release. I had just returned from the Western states training camp, 3-4 days of running different sections of the WS course followed by flying to Utah to run the Squaw Vally (or was it called Squaw Peak?) 50. Not being used to hills let alone mountains, it’s safe to say my quads (along with every muscle I had) were screaming with pain for the next week or so. After running a LOT of hills/mountains in a short period of time, I returned home to FL and ran my 1st run in the IQ. A few minutes into the run and the IQ app told me to “Loosen up, your running very rigid”. I got comments like this throughout that run and for my next few runs. The app nailed it! The app would show you an image of the underneath of a pair of Torins and highlight where you were landing when your feet made contact with the ground. It also gave you tips on improving your gait. It seemed to be able to tell if you were leaning too far forward/backwards and would prompt you to correct your posture. The advice this app gave you was incredible. This shoe was great for newbies and pros. You didn’t need to wear it every day but by adding it into your rotation 1-3 times a week, would in most cases yield great results. I would not be surprised if we (Altra) revisit this tech in the future. So, did you ever run in the Torin IQ? Did you notice any benefits of real-time advice from a coach in your pocket? #throwbackthursday #toriniq #coachinyourpocket #run #running #altra #altrarunning #altrarunningfans #wearabletech (at Mount Dora, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnmiYYyLL7H/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
