New Shoes

After running short distances in my Nike Free's for a while I came to the conclusion that they would never be my high mileage shoe - they lack the support that I will need to be able to cover 15-20 miles. I found a number of reviews on the Internet from other runners that have tried running longer distances in the Nike Free's and they have all ended up either running in a shoe with slightly more support or going in the other direction and becoming a barefoot runner. Of course, lots of people do use the Nike Free's for short distances, either in recovery runs the day after a long run or for speed work at a track, so I am not removing them from my rotation completely.

With my Nike Free's relegated to short runs, I needed to find a new shoe to replace them as my longer distance shoe. I did a lot of research before deciding which shoes to buy to go along with my Nike Free Run's and decided on the Saucony Kinvara.

The Saucony Kinvara's are best described as a hybrid shoe. They are light weight and have a minimal heel to toe drop (4mm) which helps with a mid-foot strike (as there is less heel in the way) just like a racing flat. However, the shoe still retains some cushioning that is more like a what you would find in a traditional neutral shoe.

If I was to compare the Kinvara's to my Nike Free's and New Balance 759's they'd be lighter (Kinvara: 7.7oz, Nike Free: 8.8oz, New Balance: 11oz) and have a smaller heel to toe drop (Kinvara: 4mm, Nike Free: 8mm, New Balance: >14mm) but they'd be in the middle when considering the amount of support and cushioning that they give my foot (Nike Free has the least support and New Balance the most).

There are some great reviews of the Kinvara's that can be found here and here.

I am hoping that I'll be able to cover longer distances in the Kinvara's than I can safely in the Nike Free's. I plan to gradually increase my mileage in the Kinvara's and use the Nike Free's as a shoe for short recovery runs once or twice a week.

Say "hello" to my new Saucony Kinvara's...