I’ve been using a pair of Optic Nerve eyewear since February and found it indispensable, especially with the searing heat and the early daybreak of the summer months. I even use it at night during the weekly Friday Night Runs that I organize.

Optic Nerve is a sunglass line geared towards sports, especially running and biking. The company has various eyewear models but all share key technologies: UV protection, active lens venting, carbon scratch coating, tactilite rubber components, durable nylon resin frames, focalpoint lens, among other things.

OPTIC NERVE. Optic Nerve sunglasses share key technologies like UV protection, active lens ventingto prevent lenses from fogging, carbon scratch coating, tactilite rubber components that prevent slippage and durable nylon resin frames. CLICK TO ENLARGE. (PHOTO BY MAX LIMPAG)

The owner’s manual that comes with the sunglasses says that its lenses offer 100% ultraviolet (UV) rays protection. Optic Nerve said all its lenses exceed standards set by the United States government on UV protection and impact resistance. The company said its polycarbonate lens resin makes its lenses exceed standards for “general purpose impact resistance.”

Given the many times that I’ve dropped my sunglasses and even individual lenses while clumsily trying to change them, I’d take their word for the impact resistance.

Optic Nerve sunglasses come with four pairs of lenses: smoke/grey tint, orange tint, copper tint and clear.

The smoke/grey tint allows only a 15% light transmission and is recommended for “intense, abundant sun conditions.” The manual said this tint “offers a true, accurate color definition, but offers no definition or contrast properties.” I use this tint in races and runs that start after 5:30 a.m.

The orange tint offers 64% light transmission and is recommended for variable light condition. The manual said this tint “offers a softer, more wearable color than yellow tint, and does a good job eliminating blue light from the spectrum to provide excellent acuity, contrast, and definition.” This is the tint that I use most of the time, even while running at night. This tint is good for races that start very early in the morning because you can still see things even if it’s dark but at the same time you’re shielded from the glare when the sun is already up.

The copper tint offers 27% light transmission and is recommended “for most general light conditions and some variable light conditions depending on light transmission.” The manual said this tint “is easy on the eyes and offers excellent acuity, contrast and definition while maintaining great color definition.”

The clear tint offers full light transmission and is recommended for extreme low-light to night-time condition. I used this pair of lens just once because I found that I could still run at night even with the orange tint since Cebu City streets are relatively well-lighted. If I were to run or bike in the neighboring towns at night, I would be using the clear tint.

Optic Nerve eyewear use the so-called four-point frame fit technology “to ensure each frame is well-balanced and has a secure and comfortable fit.”

DIFFERENT LENSES. Optic Nerve eyewear comes with different lenses for different light conditions. It took me, however, a few days to learn to change lenses with confidence because the process involved twisting the frame. CLICK TO ENLARGE. (PHOTO BY MAX LIMPAG)

Changing lenses, however, can be a bit of a challenge. It took me days to figure out how to change the lens because the twisting you need to do to remove the lens made me worry that I’d break the pair. It turned out that the Double TR90 frame is as sturdy as advertised and the lens later just popped out. In its website, Optic Nerve said it uses a durable and resilient nylon frame resin that has a lab-tested memory feature that keeps the frame from stretching out over time. The company said this ensures that the glass lenses will always have a snug fit.

Another key Optic Nerve technology is its active lens venting. All its lenses have vents that allow air to be forced directly into the lens area to help circulate air between the eye and the back of the lens. The company said this helps reduce fogging.

I’ve used the Optic Nerve glasses in almost all of my races and runs and could not recall fogging of the lens. In fact, this is the only pair of sunglass that I keep on even if I pour water on myself to cool off.

Optic Nerve lenses also come with focalpoint technology, which, the company said, eliminates “prismatic distortion.”

Another great thing with the glasses is its tactilite rubber components, which the company said reduces slippage when it’s worn even when the wearer is perspiring heavily. I perspire very heavily but I’ve never had the sunglasses slip or fall off my face.

Optic Nerve is available in the specialty running store Runnr in Ayala Center Cebu. Its sunglasses cost from P4,000 to P5,000, depending on the model.

The opening has been widely anticipated by Cebu runners. RUNNR stands out among sports shops because of its Footworx, an integrated system that helps runners pick the correct shoe for their foot-type and gait.

CLICK TO ENLARGE. A customer undergoes gait analysis through RUNNR Cebu’s Footworx system. The running specialty store finally opened its Cebu branch in Ayala Center Cebu last Saturday.(PHOTO BY MAX LIMPAG)

The system has three components: 1.) Footdisc Analysis System, which uses thermodynamics to determine foot types; 2.) high-speed video gait analysis where customers are made to run on a treadmill while a camera captures the way they run to check for their pronation angle; and 3.) Flashfit custom insole molding process that creates customized insoles while the customer waits.

I underwent testing by the Footworx system and found that I over-pronate and would therefore need Stability shoes.

CLICK TO ENLARGE. RUNNR Cebu sells items that were previously unavailable or hard to find in Cebu City.

RUNNR Cebu sells items that were previously unavailable or hard to find in Cebu City. The store sells Hammer power gels and bars Sport Beans. It also sells Fuel Belt and Nathan hydration packs.

The store also sells its own line of running socks, which are the best pair of socks that I’ve used while running. The store also sells Polar watches and heartbeat monitors.

RUNNR Cebu also has a good selection of running shoes and apparel. A prominent part of the store displays Newton Running Shoes, which are specially engineered for running. Toby Claudio, RUNNR founder, told Cebu journalists and bloggers in a recent briefing that he only runs in Newton shoes.

But he later found out that with the proper form and correct pair of shoes, he could run despite his bad back and knee injury. Now, the eponymous eldest son of Toby’s Sports founder Roberto Claudio, Sr. regularly runs and has even finished the half-marathon. He’s still planning to run his first full marathon and is considering doing it during the Cebu City Marathon on Jan. 10, 2010.

ONLY IN A NEWTON. Toby Claudio explains to Cebu bloggers and reporters what sets a pair of Newton Running Shoes apart from those of other brands. Claudio, who runs only in Newtons, is the founder of the running specialty store RUNNR, which will open in Cebu in the first week of December. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTO BY MARLEN LIMPAG)

“Running is not as easy as it looks. It’s hard on the body,” Claudio said in a briefing last Saturday for Cebu journalists and bloggers on the opening in the city of his running specialty store RUNNR.

From “zero running,” Claudio said he was able to regularly run relatively injury-free after learning the proper running form, particularly ChiRunning, and wearing correct shoes.

“Many still use improper footwear for running. That and the lack of proper technique can cause pains. Then they stop,” Claudio said. “The solution is to get the right shoes. Choosing the wrong shoes can cause a lot of problems.”

Problems caused by wearing the wrong type of shoes are something RUNNR can help people avoid.

The store is known for its Footworx, an integrated system that helps people pick the right pair of shoes based on their foot type and the way they run.

The system consists of the Footdisc Analysis System to determine foot type. After that, the customer is then made to run on a treadmill for a high speed video gait analysis. Using a camera, the system checks the customer’s pronation angle as he or she runs. The customer can then compare different pairs of shoes to find out which works best for him or her. After that, the store can then craft a custom insole using its “Flashfit” molding process while the customer waits.

Claudio said RUNNR’s custom insoles, which are really custom-made and not like the generic orthotics being sold elsewhere, costs between P3,000 to P4,000. And if the insoles start to get out of shape, they can be re-flashed in the store for free.

STORE EXPERIENCE. RUNNR founder Toby Claudio says that apart from offering top-of-the-line brands, RUNNR offers a total store experience that inspires people to run and educates them on the sport. RUNNR Cebu will have information kiosks and the distinct environmental panoramic graphics that dominate the RUNNR store on Bonifacio High Street. CLICK TO ENLARGE. (RUNNR FOTO)

“These customized services ensure that whatever one’s requirements as a runner, the shoes and optional insoles minimize foot instability for better shock absorption, and minimize fatigue while reducing the chances of injury,” the company said in a statement.

Claudio said the gait analysis system will be offered to customers for free.

“It will always be for free but we’ll be setting up a queuing system especially for busy days,” he said.

To discourage the practice of groups of people deciding to have their gaits analyzed just because one member of their group had it done, Claudio said they might require token purchases like buying socks for those who won’t buy shoes in busy days.

Claudio said that when he went to New York City, the world’s running mecca, he checked out running stores and found a few that had treadmills on which customers can run to test out their shoes. He said he found at least three with video gait analysis systems but none with the advanced software that RUNNR uses. He said no store offered the integrated system that RUNNR offers its customers.

Claudio said RUNNR had the gait analysis system custom-made in Germany for running. Using the system, RUNNR employees can determine which pair of shoes works best for a certain customer.

He said his company’s goal is to train its workers to a point that by merely looking at a customer take three steps into the store, he or she would know the shoe type for that person.

Claudio said that they decided to open their second RUNNR store in Cebu because they see it as an underserved market.

“Every major city in the world has a running store. Cebu is a major city,” he said.

RUNNR Cebu will open in the Active Zone of Ayala Center Cebu in the first week of December.

He said RUNNR offers more than just a good lineup of products but a total store experience. He said a distinguishing design element of the store are panoramic environmental graphics that inspire people to run.

RUNNR will carry premier brands including Adidas, Asics, Fuelbelt, Hammer, Nathan, New Balance, Nike, Polar, Newton Running Shoes, and CW-X compression apparel.

Apart from these, RUNNR also sells books and educational materials on running. It will also have information kiosks to guide people on running.

“RUNNR will have everything that you need to enjoy running to the fullest,” Claudio said.

But when asked by broadcaster, lawyer and runner Haide Acuña what he would recommend to someone who has never run and who finds his or her way into the store, Claudio said, “I won’t even recommend that they buy a pair of shoes. Buy a good running book.”

RUNNR BRIEFING. Toby Claudio with (from second from left) The Freeman columnist Raffy Osumo, Marlen Limpag and Max Limpag of Sun.Star and CebuRunning, Dr. Raymund “Reel” Bontol, and Haide Acuña, the Marathon Foodie.

More than just a market, running is an advocacy for his company, Claudio said.

“Some people still have not discovered the joys of running,” he said. They plan to spread running through regular clinics in the store. He said RUNNR is looking for a local running coach who can be tapped for the store and for the clinics.

He said the mission of RUNNR is to get people into the sport and to help those who are already in it.
Claudio, who runs only in Newton Running Shoes, stressed the importance of the local government supporting the sport as a way to improve tourism.

“When you run, you realize how much you are capable of,” Claudio said.

He said he uses running to de-stress and “when I have a bad day, I really need to run.”

In RUNNR PRE-HOLIDAY TREAT, customers of RUNNR on Bonifacio High Street can get a free limited edition “I’m a RUNNR” t-shirt for a minimum purchase of P5,000. This promo is valid from Nov. 13 until Nov. 30.

Under the store’s NEWTON 4-DAY TREAT, costumers get 10% off any Newton racer plus the “I’m a RUNNR” shirt. Customers who will buy a pair of Newton Guidance Trainers will get a free Newton premium shopping bag and the limited edition RUNNR shirt. The Newton promo will be offered only until Nov. 16.

Since RUNNR Cebu still has to open in December, the only way Cebu runners can take advantage of the promo is to visit the store on Bonifacio High Street.

Below are copies of the posters of the promo:

On Nov. 19 (UPDATE: RUNNR will now open in the first week of December), Cebu runners finally get their wish as RUNNR opens its second branch at the 2nd level of Ayala Center Cebu.

Nicole Limon of RUNNR marketing told CebuRunning in an interview that the company “felt the need to branch out in other areas outside the Metro and what better place than in Cebu, especially now that the sport is also starting to pick up there.”

FOOTWORX. RUNNR Cebu will be offering Footworx, a shoe-fitting process that is a combination of three technologies: FootDisc, High-Speed Video Gait Analysis and Custom Insole Molding. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

RUNNR Cebu, according to a press statement, will offer its line-up of premier brands, including
Adidas, Asics, Fuelbelt, Hammer, Nathan, New Balance, Nike, Polar, Newton Running Shoes, and CW-X compression apparel. Other running gear and accessory brands that will be offered in RUNNR Cebu include Sennheiser, Halo head bands, Body Glide, Speedlaces, Finis, Equipe, Mueller, Spenco and Oakley among others.

RUNNR Cebu will also be offering Footworx, a shoe-fitting process that distinguishes the store from its competitors. Footworx is a combination of three technologies: FootDisc, High-Speed Video Gait Analysis and Custom Insole Molding.

RUNNR “is the first and only store in the country (and possibly the world) to offer all three technologies under one roof,” the company said in the statement.

“A team of highly trained staff can take each customer through the Footworx fitting process to be able to offer accurate and comprehensive recommendations based on an individual’s foot type and gait characteristics.”

“First, foot morphology is analyzed using the RUNNR “Footdisc” Analysis System, which uses a thermodynamic system to determine foot type. Second, using the high-speed video gait analysis, customers will run on a treadmill while the camera captures the way they run, checking their pronation angle as they go through their normal gait cycle. Then, they can compare different shoes to find the one that works best for them.”

“Lastly, RUNNR offers the ‘Flashfit’ custom insole molding process where insoles are heat-treated to make the perfect insoles in while you wait.,” the company said.

RUNNR said the system “ensures that whatever one’s requirements as a runner, the shoes and optional insoles minimize foot instability for better shock absorption, and minimize fatigue while reducing the chances of injury.”

Later this week, CebuRunning will be interviewing RUNNR founder Toby Claudio. If you have questions you want us to ask him, post it at the CebuRunning Facebook fan page. For more details on RUNNR, you can visit their site at www.runnr.com.ph, or check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts.