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| Shiny. Speedy. |
My first pair of running shoes was a Gold pair of Saucony
Paramounts. I loved those shoes. But when I changed from an over-pronator to a
neutral strike, they were no longer an option. For the last few years I’ve been
a faithful bedfellow to the Mizuno Wave Riders (even the seemingly universally
despised 14s).
This summer I took the decision to get some ‘speedy’ shoes
for interval training/tempo runs and went for the Brooks Launch. It’s been a
great shoe, but I have to admit that the Saucony Kinvara 3s have been making me
drool since their launch. Then I also found out they are about to discontinue
the Brooks Launch. Now, I have become quite attached to my Brooks over the summer
- even ran my PB in them at the Bristol HM, so I’m kind of loathed to move onto
something else.
Whilst away in Portugal, Nick and Phoebe had
extolled the virtues of a lower heel-to-toe drop, sparking my fire to get some
Kinvaras after all. However, I’m conscious that it is probably not a good idea
to go from a 10mm drop to a 4mm drop light shoe straight away. Phoebe had
mentioned the Mirage’s and a bit more research when I got home showed they were
pretty much the Kinvara with a bit more support.
Whilst browsing for some other shoes at Royles in Wilmslow
(Great Shop) I noticed they had some Mirage 2s in. I tried to resist, failed,
and duly walked out with a shopping back in hand.
To say I was weary of the low drop would be an
understatement, but I thought I’d try them out on a Monday run, nice and
relaxed and not too far. I slipped them on and headed out into the night.
Well, it was love at first step. This is a damn fast, comfortable
running shoe.
I found myself flying along without really realising it,
gliding along without a care in the world. My feet felt light yet so well
supported. The best analogy I can come up with is that it was like driving a
Bentley – Speedy and Luxurious.
The construction of the shoe nudges you into thinking about
your running. I noticed the placing of my foot a lot more than in a tradition
shoe. I was also conscious of my mid-forefoot strike and worked to keep it up
for the whole run.
I’ve now had a couple of runs in these bad boys, and I know
I’m a fan. I can see me running some fast times with these on my feet. The Mirage 2 gest big thumbs up from me and I’ve brought a pair of
Ride5s to see how they go for steady runs, but I’ve only had one run in them so far,
so it is a bit early to comment.
It’s good to be back in Saucony.
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