Stylish and Appealing Color Options
One of the great things about the Nike Free RN 2018 is the wide variety of stylish color options available, especially for women. Whether you want a flashy, eye-catching shoe or prefer a more subtle, understated look, there’s likely a colorway that will suit your tastes perfectly.
For those drawn to bold, vibrant hues, the Free RN 2018 delivers with shades like Vivid Purple, Sunset Glow, Lucid Green, and Fuchsia Glow. These lively colors really stand out from the crowd and make a statement as you’re logging miles on the road or track. The bright shades evoke a sense of energy and vitality, ideal for when you want to turn heads at the gym or local 5K.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Free RN 2018 also comes in more low-key colors like black, white, wolf grey, and thunder blue for those who prefer a more understated appearance. These muted tones offer versatility to seamlessly blend into any workout ensemble. The thunder blue in particular offers a professional, sleek look in an icy greyish hue.
There are also great options in between like particle beige, olive flak, and phantom lilac that walk the line between flashy and subtle. The beige has an earthy vibe, the olive green is military-inspired, and the phantom lilac has a soothing pastel tone. These offer more versatility depending on the rest of your outfit.
Beyond the standard color offerings, Nike has also released unique prints and patterns specifically for the women’s Free RN 2018. These include floral designs, watercolor splashes, and even a cow print! The colorful prints add a feminine touch and extra flair to the usual running shoe silhouette.
Having many colors and prints to choose from lets you get creative and express your own personal style. You can choose a bright, bold color for high intensity training days when you want to feel energized. On recovery days, opt for a more neutral tone to stay focused without being flashy. Or pick a fun print when you want to infuse some personality into your look!
The versatility of shades also makes the Free RN 2018 a great choice for fashion purposes beyond just working out. The low-profile design means certain colors like black, white, or beige can seamlessly transition from the gym to the streets. Some fashionistas even sport their Free RNs with skirts, dresses, and jeans for a sporty street style look.
Ultimately the wide range of available colors and prints makes the Nike Free RN 2018 a very versatile choice in terms of fashion and personal style. Having many options to choose from lets you fully customize your shoes to suit your tastes and complement your training outfits. Whether you want bold, bright, understated, or printed, the Free RN 2018 has a stylish colorway waiting for you.
Breathable Mesh Upper and Flyknit Construction
A key aspect of what makes the Nike Free RN 2018 such a great shoe for runners is the lightweight, breathable upper design. Nike utilizes a combination of mesh material and Flyknit construction to create an upper that is optimized for ventilation, flexibility, and a barely-there feel.
The upper features an open mesh fabric that is designed to maximize airflow to the foot. The porous nature of the mesh allows heat and sweat to easily escape out of the shoe. This helps keep your feet cool and comfortable even during intense training sessions on hot days. The ample ventilation helps prevent that soggy feeling you can get in shoes with poor breathability.
Strategically placed Flyknit is intertwined with the mesh to provide a more adaptive fit in needed areas. Flyknit is a proprietary yarn Nike developed that molds to the contours of your foot for a sock-like feel. The Flyknit zones offer a snug, supportive fit around the midfoot and heel while maintaining airflow in other areas.
Nike also engineered the mesh and Flyknit to be incredibly lightweight, with the whole upper weighing in at a mere 2 ounces. You barely notice the shoe on your foot as you run. This minimizes energy loss while still providing the foot-hugging adaptability of Flyknit construction.
The seamless integration of mesh and Flyknit creates the ideal upper for a high performance running shoe. The mesh keeps your foot ventilated on hot summer runs or intense track workouts when your feet heat up quickly. The Flyknit gives you that secure lockdown fit to prevent sliding around inside the shoe when making hard cuts or fast directional changes.
An additional benefit of the mesh-Flyknit combo is flexibility. The materials move naturally with your foot for uninhibited motion in any direction. The upper won’t fight against the shifts and bends of your foot during the various phases of each step while running. This creates a smooth, flowing feel.
Finally, the lightweight nature of the upper improves ground feel and control. You can better sense the terrain underfoot and quickly react to changes in surface, slope, or camber. Less material between your foot and the ground translates to enhanced proprioception and agility.
The highly breathable, seamless upper design of mesh and Flyknit is a big contributor to making the Nike Free RN 2018 one of the top running shoes on the market. The ventilation, flexibility, and barefoot-like feel allow you to rack up mileage in cool comfort and with a greater connection to the ground.
Plush Cushioning from Soft Foam Midsole
The midsole is the heart of any running shoe, providing cushioning to absorb impact as well as energy return to propel you forward. The Nike Free RN 2018 utilizes a soft, responsive foam midsole that gives just the right amount of plush comfort without sacrificing natural movement.
Nike incorporated its lightweight Phylon foam compound to supply pillowy soft cushioning underfoot. Phylon is constructed from compressed EVA foam pellets that are expanded and injection molded into the midsole shape. The result is a smooth, resilient foam platform.
In the midfoot area, the foam is sculpted to minimize material. This strategic removal of foam creates flex grooves to allow your foot to move and bend more naturally. The sparse cushioning enables greater freedom of motion and flexibility in the arch and forefoot.
In the heel area, the Phylon foam is left thicker to attenuate shock and impact. The plush heel cushioning helps cushion your foot upon landing and diffuse the forces traveling up your legs. This protects your joints and muscles from excessive pounding on long runs.
Though soft, the Phylon foam retains a lively, bouncy quality. As your foot presses down, the foam compresses then immediately springs back. This creates a propulsive sensation to help turn over your stride. The foam compression and rebound enhances running economy.
The midsole is also beveled towards the rear of the shoe, lifting your heel slightly higher off the ground. This shape encourages a smooth heel-to-toe transition as you go through each step while running.
The Phylon foam midsole provides the right balance of responsive cushioning and flexibility. The strategic sculpting and beveled shaping allows your foot to function naturally while still benefiting from ample shock absorption.
After long miles, your feet will thank you for the plush comfort. But the lively foam rebound will keep your feet feeling fresh and responsive, not bogged down. The Nike Free RN 2018 midsole delivers on both cushioning and natural movement.
Durable Rubber Outsole for Traction
Providing grip and durability underfoot, the rubber outsole is a key element that allows the Nike Free RN 2018 to stand up to many miles of use. The waffle pattern lugs supply excellent multi-surface traction while the rubber compound is built to last.
The outsole uses a lightweight rubber that keeps weight down but still provides abrasion-resistance and longevity. After logging heavy mileage week after week, the outsole rubber will show minimal signs of wear. The durable material protects the rest of the foam midsole from damage.
In high-wear areas like the heel and forefoot, the rubber is a bit thicker and more reinforced to withstand repeated impact without wearing down prematurely. Strategically mapping the thickness and reinforcement makes the outsole more durable just where you need it most.
The rubber also features a waffle-like lug pattern that is designed for optimal traction on a variety of surfaces. The lugs multi-directional shapes and sizes bite well into surfaces to keep you steady on your feet whether on dusty trails, wet pavement, grass fields, or gym floors.
A deep, segmented flex groove runs laterally across the forefoot to promote natural bending of your toes as you toe-off. This enhances flexibility and allows your foot to curl and grip more effectively when pushing forward off the ground.
Additionally, the outsole extends up and wraps onto the toe tip as a bumper. This rubber toe cap provides protection against stubbing your toes on rocks, roots, or other trail debris. No more jammed or bloody toes!
The grippy rubber outsole ensures you can run with confidence on varied terrain knowing your footing will remain secure. And the durable compound means the outsole won’t quickly break down but will keep on ticking for hundreds of miles.
With the Free RN 2018’s sturdy rubber outsole providing traction underfoot and toe protection, you can focus simply on enjoying the run without worrying about slippage or stubbed toes.
Snug Inner Sleeve for Secure Fit
To lock your foot in place inside the shoe, the Nike Free RN 2018 utilizes an innovative inner sleeve construction that cradles your foot for a secure, sock-like fit.
The inner sleeve is made from smooth, stretchy knit fabric that feels almost like a compression sock enveloping your foot. It attaches to the base of the shoe and wraps up around your ankle opening.
This snug, foot-hugging design helps prevent sliding around and blistering inside the shoe. As you tighten the laces, the inner sleeve material tightens around your foot for a stable, supportive fit. It moves seamlessly with your foot without any uncomfortable pinching or pressure.
In addition to lockdown and comfort, the inner sleeve offers a slipper-like step-in feel. Your foot smoothly glides into the shoe and is surrounded by the stretchy, smooth sleeve material. It feels like stepping into a comfortable sock.
The knit construction is also very breathable to prevent overheating or sweat buildup around your foot. Air circulates freely through the sleeve interior while still providing that adaptable compression fit.
During activity, the inner sleeve and Flyknit upper work together to keep your foot stable and supported on all sides. The external Flyknit cage integrates with the internal stretchy sleeve for a true 360-degree hold.
Nike added this innovative inner sleeve to solve the common problem of heel slippage in running shoes. It succeeds in locking down your foot comfortably without constricting sensations or hot spots.
The Free RN 2018’s inner sleeve provides the ideal balance of a compression sock-like fit with zero distractions while running. Your foot remains stable, secure, and fully supported mile after mile.
Rounded Heel for Natural Foot Motion
To facilitate the natural rolling motion of your foot during the gait cycle, the Nike Free RN 2018 features a strategically rounded heel design. This shaping allows your foot to smoothly transition from initial heel strike through to toe-off.
As your heel impacts the ground, the rounded sole encourages it to roll inward slightly rather than coming to an abrupt stop. This helps initiate the pronation your foot requires to absorb shock and adapt to the running surface.
The rounded sole then helps guide your foot to transition smoothly from the heel-strike phase to midfoot support, and finally to engaged toe-off. The continuous curvature helps maintain momentum and fluidity through each phase.
In contrast, shoes with a square, flat heel can encourage jarring impact at heel strike and delayed transition to midfoot pronation. The rounded shaping stimulates more natural foot biomechanics.
This sole design also facilitates a more flowing foot strike pattern. The curve encourages you to land more on the outer rear of your heel, then roll inward to push off the forefoot. This helps eliminate excessive braking forces.
Nike also engineered the sole to feature beveled sidewalls in the heel area. This flared shaping provides a wider base of support for pronation control and smooth heel-to-toe transition.
The curved heel design also enhances Achilles comfort. The gradual slope places less strain on your Achilles tendon compared to a flat heel with greater angle from the rearfoot to forefoot.
By promoting natural foot motion biomechanics, the rounded heel design of the Free RN 2018 helps reduce injury risk and powers smoother transitions for optimal running efficiency.
Flex Grooves Enable Natural Foot Bend
To facilitate flexibility and natural motion of the foot, the outsole of the Nike Free RN 2018 incorporates multiple flex grooves and siping. These design elements allow your foot to bend and splay naturally for a barefoot-like feel.
Across the width of the forefoot, the outsole features deep flex grooves that allow the front of the shoe to bend with ease. As you toe-off, these grooves allow your forefoot to curl and grip the ground for a powerful push-off.
The flex grooves are laser-siped to totally separate the outsole lugs in key areas. This enhances flexibility and articulation of the individual shoe segments underfoot. Your foot can spread naturally upon landing and toe-off.
In the midfoot region, the foam midsole is carefully sculpted with a siping pattern to facilitate medial/lateral flexibility and torsional movement. Your arch can flex and adapt to the running surface, promoting stability.
Additional flex grooves are incorporated into the rubber sidewalls wrapping up onto the toe tip. This allows the front end of the shoe to move freely as you bend and splay your toes.
By enabling natural foot articulation and flexibility, the strategic flex grooving helps eliminate constrictive sensations. Your foot and toes can move and bend naturally as if you were barefoot, but with the protection and cushioning of a shoe.
The grooves also allow your foot to fully activate upon ground contact and push-off. Uninhibited foot flexion helps you engage your foot’s intrinsic muscles for balance, stability, and propulsion.
The siping and flex grooves work synergistically with the minimal, unstructured upper to give your foot freedom. There is no stiff sole plate or restrictive overlays impeding natural motion.
With the Nike Free RN 2018’s flex grooves facilitating foot flexion and articulation, you get thatbarefoot-running feel to empower optimal biomechanics on every run.
Low-Profile Cushioning for Barefoot Feel
To deliver an experience reminiscent of running barefoot, the Nike Free RN 2018 utilizes low-profile, lightweight cushioning that brings you closer to the ground.
Rather than thick, bulky cushioning, the Free RN 2018 midsole and outsole are trimmed down to a minimal layer of plush underfoot padding. This keeps ground feel front and center while still providing impact protection.
Nike strategically sculpted down the Phylon foam midsole, especially in the midfoot area. This removes any material not essential for cushioning, reducing stack height.
Thinner flex grooves are also laser-siped across the entire length of the outsole. Most running shoes only incorporate flex grooves in the forefoot, but having full-length grooves brings the foot even closer to the ground.
Additionally, the rubber outsole lugs are low-profile with flat, wide shapes rather than thick, protruding nubs. These flat segments enhance sensory feedback from the running surface.
The minimal, flexible outsole also enables the foot’s intrinsic muscles to activate for balance and propulsion since your foot doesn’t sink into excessive cushioning.
Under the heel, cushioning remains adequate to attenuate harsh impact forces. But the forefoot cushioning is trim to let you feel the ground as your toes bend and push off.
This barely-there cushioning profile combined with the sock-like upper provides a “foot unfettered” experience where your foot can move and flex naturally.
By eschewing overbuilt, restrictive cushioning, the Free RN 2018 gives you that barely-cushioned barefoot feel to engage your feet and running form at a new level.
Hexagonal Flex Grooves for Natural Motion
The outsole of the Nike Free RN 2018 utilizes a unique hexagonal flex groove pattern to enable multi-directional flexibility and natural foot movement.
In the forefoot area, the rubber outsole incorporates an interconnected honeycomb-like network of hexagonal flex grooves. This allows flexibility and articulation in multiple planes to mimic the natural motions of the foot.
As you toe-off, the hex grooves facilitate forward flexion so your forefoot can grip and propel. On the medial edge, they enable sideways flexion for arch support. And the circles allow twisting motion for optimal push-off power.
The hexagons essentially create a flexibleJoya
In contrast, traditional flex groove patterns only facilitate forward bend in one direction. The multidirectional hex grooves accommodate the various shifts and articulations of the foot during running.
This intricate hexagonal configuration maximizes flexibility while also maintaining adequate underfoot support. The flat rubber segments between the grooves prevent your foot from collapsing excessively inward.
By adapting to the foot’s natural motions and flex points, the hex grooves allow the intrinsic muscles to activate for optimal balance and push-off power. Your foot muscles strengthen over time.
The hexagonal siping pattern also provides sensory feedback to tune running form. You can feel when your foot lands or pushes off incorrectly and self-correct.
With the uniquely designed hexagonal flex grooves, the Free RN 2018 bends in all the right places to empower natural foot biomechanics for an uninhibited, barefoot-like feel.
Featherlight at Only 7 Ounces
Weighing in at a mere 7 ounces for a women’s size 8, the incredible lightness of the Nike Free RN 2018 helps prevent foot fatigue over long distances.
Through advanced materials and minimalist construction, Nike’s designers trimmed every excess ounce possible to create the lightest Free RN yet. The featherlight feel helps you maintain faster paces longer.
In the upper, the single layer mesh and Flyknit materials provide a barefoot-like fit without any restrictive overlays or stiffening elements. This upper weighs only around 2 ounces.
The one-piece midsole foam is carefully hollowed out in non-essential areas to remove bulk. Small cutouts along the sidewalls and in the arch area further reduce weight.
Nike also developed a new outsole rubber compound called Auxetic that maintains durability at a lighter weight. Underfoot lugs use thin, low-profile shapes to trim heft.
Additionally, the minimalist inner sleeve seamlessly integrates with the upper for a smooth interior, eliminating irritating internal stitching that adds weight.
The neutral, unstructured design places minimal material between your foot and the road. Every element is optimized to maintain comfort and function at the lightest possible weight.
The lack of weight helps prevent muscle fatigue and feelings of shoe sluggishness that can slow you down late in a run or race. The lightness keeps your feet feeling fresh mile after mile.
With the Free RN 2018 disappearing onto your foot at just 7 ounces, you’ll have the sensation of running fast and free without extra weight holding you back.
Women’s Specific Design for Better Fit
To deliver an ideal anatomical fit and feel for female runners, the Nike Free RN 2018 employs a women’s specific last and mold.
Nike designers crafted the shape, proportions and contours of the Free RN 2018 specifically based on data from thousands of female runner scans and wear-testing feedback.
The women’s last follows the precise anatomical profile of a woman’s foot for a custom-like fit. Key differences from the men’s design include a narrower heel, higher instep, and longer arch.
The midsole shape also better aligns with the common pressure points and contact areas of a woman’s foot during the gait cycle. This powers natural motion and smoother transition.
In the upper, the Flyknit integrates tightly woven zones that stretch to accommodate the higher volume areas of a woman’s foot. Variable degrees of stretch adapt to your foot’s precise shape.
The low collar height and heel tab placement optimizes Achilles comfort and slippage prevention in line with the contours of a woman’s ankle and heel.
Additionally, Nike offers the Free RN 2018 in a full range of women’s sizes from 5 up to 12 to provide an ideal fit for runners of all foot proportions.
Having a design completely tailored to the female foot gives you that custom-molded feel right out of the box. The shoe functions in harmony with your body’s natural alignment and biomechanics.
Rather than settling for a unisex design, the women’s specific last of the Free RN 2018 grants the anatomic performance fit female runners demand.
Great for Speedwork and Tempo Runs
With its lightweight, flexible design geared for fast natural motion, the Nike Free RN 2018 serves as an excellent shoe choice for speed training and tempo running.
At just 7 ounces, the featherlight Free RN 2018 disappears onto your foot to prevent weighing you down during speed sessions. Less shoe means less inertia to overcome when quickly changing pace or direction.
The molded, sock-like upper also offers a compressive fit that secured your foot over uneven terrain, allowing you to focus forward. No distracting foot slippage when you’re working on faster turnover and quick splits.
On tempo runs and progressive workouts, the soft, responsive foam midsole provides a propulsive toe-off sensation to help you smoothly increase pace through each mile. The cushioning remains lively even late into a run when your legs are tired.
The flexibility of the forefoot outsole also promotes fluid transition from heel strike through to engaged toe-off. This powers faster cadence for tempo sessions focused on leg speed.
On the track, the hexagonal flex grooves enable excellent forefoot splay and grip for quicker turnover around the oval. The curved heel also encourages smooth rolloff for a flowing stride.
And for fartleks or strides, the groundfeel sensation helps you stay coordinated for fast-paced interval training. Quick cuts and direction changes feel natural and sharp.
From 400m repeats to 3-mile tempo runs, the Nike Free RN 2018 has all the key attributes to help take your speedwork and leg turnover to the next level this season.