Saturday, July 25, 2009

First Impression of New Shoes

Earlier this week, my new shoes (courtesy of the onlineshoes.com giveaway on Wes's blog) arrived at my doorstep. I decided to debut them during my Thursday morning long run.

Before I get too far into this, let me back up a bit. I'm a neutral runner that runs on mixed conditions (trail, track, pavement). I typically run 3 days a week, shortish runs, but plan to ramp it up to 4 days and a little more mileage as I prep for a HM in October. Because of the shape of my feet, I prefer shoes with a wider toe box - narrow ones cause blisters on my big toe. For the past year, I've been running happily in Nike Zoom Vomero +3.

I originally thought that I'd use the gift certificate toward some trail shoes, but they didn't have the shoes that I wanted to try in stock in my size. So I decided to go ahead and look for a possible alternative to my Nike's. I decided on the Saucony Progrid Triumph 5. Here is what they look like:


My first impressions are generally favorable. I'm really only able to compare them to my Nikes, so that is what I'll do.

They seem to weigh about the same as my Nikes. They offer shock absorption, but in a more supportive way. That makes these a bit more suitable for the trail, in my opinion. Toe box isn't as wide as the Nikes, but it seems to be wide enough. At least I didn't notice any rubbing on my big toe the first time out. They have decent traction. One gripe I have with the Saucony shoes is the laces. They are really thin/flimsy and will need to be replaced.

For now, I think I will continue to run in these new shoes on my trail runs, and use my Nike's for pavement and such.

Thanks Wes and OnlineShoes.com!!

14 comments:

  1. good review!

    I've had such a bad history with Nikes that I automatically cringe if someone's wearing them. Hope these treat you well!

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  2. Oooh! pretty! Glad they are encouraging your trail running!

    I need a freakishly wide toe box, so I wear a pair of Asics that like 6 people in the U.S. wear. I can never find them online or on sale. *sigh*

    Any thoughts on a half mary in Vegas in December? Might be a nice little get-away... ;o)

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  3. Hi Lisa,

    I think you made a great choice. I got the triumph 6 from www.runningwarehouse.com (about $80with a coupon) and I really like them. They're very cushiony yet light and flexible. I'm not too crazy about the laces either.

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  4. I have always loved Saucony. Sounds like we have the same kind of feet. However when I started running I was told I needed a support shoe (wrong). But my physical therapist and another running store told me I had good feet and a neutral gait. I am in Asics gel Landreth right now which have been good, but a little too snug width-wise, I think I may go back to Saucony.

    Nike + Me = Disaster

    thanks for the review!

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  5. I was thinkin' about trying out some Nike's because they come in a W-width (which I need).

    Good luck with the Saucony's. That's what I'm running in right now...like buttah!

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  6. Enjoy the (free) shoes ! I really liked the Nikes with the weird space age-y looking hubcap thing on them... but I guess I was the only one 'cuase Nike stopped making 'em. I love Asics Gel Nimbus 11 !

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  7. Those are the same shoes I run in! I have silver/blue ones, though. I agree that the laces seem thin/flimsy but I've not had any problems with them breaking or anything. I am surprised to hear that you think Nikes have a wider toebox. Probably the biggest reason I've stuck with Sauconys for so many years is because I thought they had the roomiest toeboxes. Times may have changed.

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  8. I was able to preview a pair of Saucony Pro Grid Ride 2 earlier this year through Runner's World shoe testing program. I'm an Asics wearer. If I tried the Sauconys on in the store I wouldn't have purchased them, but since that's what I was given, I fully used them during marathon training. I was really impressed with the durability and how my entire body responded to them. I just eat up Nikes, any style I've tried. I love Nike's comfort, styles and colors, but I can wear through the treads in under 100 miles of wear, and with long distance running that's just not worth my money. I'll be interested to know what you think about the Saucony shoes once you've worn them longer. :)

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  9. Congrats on the free shoes. Good to hear they are working for you so far

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  10. Nice shoes. I wear Saucony's and love them, although mine are motion control.

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  11. Glad they are working out well so far!

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  12. Yay! This makes me happy :-)

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