among other projects. In recent years though

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This is where the Nike Innovation kitchen is housed. The Kitchen serves as a driving force behind Nike's product innovation, and the workers inside are as eclectic as they come. They're creative, analytic and always looking for ways to push the envelope.If the Nike Campus was an actual college campus, the ‘students' who you see coming in and out of the bottom floor of the Mia Hamm building could best be described as a mix between the nerdy engineering or chemistry majors and the ultra-hip nike heels for sale , fine arts creative types.At the helm of this group is Tobie Hatfield, the man behind Michael Johnson's famed gold spikes from the Atlanta games, among other projects. In recent years though, Tobie has spent much of his time, creating, refining and explaining Nike LunarElite+2, a shoe technology that in some people's opinion, has changed the landscape of footwear design.Hatfield admits he might not have expected Free to be as popular as it has been with consumers but he always believed the idea behind Free - a shoe that could help simulate barefoot training and enhance natural motion -was a big one. "I remember thinking that this was so right it could change how we designed products in the future," Hatfield recalls. "It was that sort of strong feeling."Hatfield's hunch was dead on, and since the launch, Nike Free technology has become a staple in not only the Nike Running line, but also their Athletic Training area.Spring 2011 brings the latest edition of Free - the Nike LunarGlide+2 which is the product of more time spent in the Nike Sports Research Lab by Hatfield and his team trying to get even closer to the barefoot motion without sacrificing the necessary protection of shoes.The Nike LunarElite+2 features an updated siping pattern which simply refers to the way that slits are cut into the sole of the shoe to let it move in a certain way. The new pattern allows for more midfoot torsion which wasn't present in the original Free. Long story short; the Free Run+ lets your feet behave even more naturally than previous versions. The upper on the Free Run+ also has evolved. It now features two separate ‘cages' on each side, which is different from traditional connected uppers. "In the past these would have been attached," Hatfield says of the separate pieces. "But when the bottom is letting the foot move more natural and we're reducing chaos, you don't need an upper to push back as much."Hatfield is quick to correct me when I ask about the Free being part of a ‘minimalist movement.' He says new editions in the line like the Free Run+ are part of a progression toward natural motion women high heel nike , not just a race to make a shoe lighter and slimmer. "Progression is how athletes train," Hatfield points out to me. "Progression pervades the landscape of athletics."Nike's rollout of Free is no different. Having people jump in a Free 3.0 nike sneakers high heel , which features the least amount of support and cushioning, is not the answer for everyone Hatfield explains, so the Free line features three different support levels so athletes can gradually get stronger and adjust to the feeling of barefoot training."We're not putting everyone in the same box," Hatfield says. "It's all about progressing individually. We think we did that right from the beginning and we need to celebrate that."I caught Hatfield at his desk just before he was about to embark on a worldwide tour to educate people on the Free Run+ and the newest version the Free Run+2 which will launch in early April. I got a peek at the Run+2, but I can't share them with you all yet!