Product Review: Saucony Guide 7

 

Saucony Guide 7  Size 9.5 or 43.5

So as I’m writing this, it looks like this sneaker isn’t even released yet! Cool. I like to demo stuff, new or old. But there is something special about demo-ing a product not even on the shelves yet. Although maybe by the time I post this, these will be out….

I raced in Saucony waaayyy  back in the late 80’s\early 90’s when I was trying Tri. I was very new to running but I  remember wearing nothing but Saucony for years. I’m hoping these end up performing up to my past experiences.

I take them out of the box. Flash! They are pretty flashy. I like that, not just because Im a show-boater, but if people can see my running shoe, they can see me running! 



Top View, Slick looking eh?



I put them on my feet. They’re a bit snug. Just a bit. Not a huge worry because I know my feet swell and shrink though out the day, and I know I’ll stretch them a bit. The problem is they feel like I’m walking on 2x4s. I clunk as I walk across my apartment floor.  Again not a huge worry, the woman downstairs blatantly refuses my requests to turn down her music (she’s getting evicted soon!! Haha jokes on her), so I’ll clunk around a bit…

I wear them around the house a bit here and there, but they’re still a bit snug and clunky.

This morning however, I wore them to the gym (just to lift). They are definitely starting to break in. They are feeling more comfortable and actually feel good on the gym floor.

I hope to take them for a spin on the road tomorrow.

A quick 2miler on a stereotypical dirt road in New Hampshire and they feel pretty good. That 2x4 feeling is slowly disappearing and the shoe gets more comfortable every day. These really do feel secure on my feet. As mentioned they’re a bit snug (9.5), but not painfully so. I think I’m looking at these as a 10k or less shoe at the moment just due to the size.

I am a Heel Striker. I do run in some barefoots and minimals sometimes. But take those off, and I heel strike. No big. These shoes feel great on my landing and push off. I tried to mid-foot, but it felt very bizarre, uncomfortable even. So I'll continue heel striking. At an 8mil offset this feels fine.

This shoe is specifially designed for nuetral and mild pronater runners. I supinate. But the secure feeling of this shoe didnt bother my ankles in the least. (You should probably check with a qualified running coach or even a doctor if you severely supinate before running in these though I would think)

Here's a link to what Saucony says: http://blog.saucony.com/saucony-lab/product-corner/guide-7/

I'm taking these out for a Hash on Saturday and really putting them through the ringer, so expect a follow up in the next few days.

Not sure what a Hash is? Click it, find out, and try it.

These shoes could not have performed better than they did yesterday. Although not plyo's, the way I run at a Hash is very similar to old school Suicides (remember those?). I make a lot of sudden turns, I'm off and on the sidewalk, sprinting, walking, it's not your standard run. These felt great. No slipping inside the shoe, no slipping on the pavement at my sudden stops. These are my new Urban shoe. (I managed to avoid getting called out for New Shoes somehow)

I also wore these for Leg Day at the gym this same morning. Lots of lifters (myself included) prefer to Squat in flat shoes. So I was a bit apprehensive getting into the Squat Rack with these.
Well, they worked. You can absolutely feel the cushion. You can absolutely feel the 8m drop. But more importantly for me, you can absolutely feel the stability. No one wants a squirrelly shoe squatting, and these were solid.

Conclusion: I'd buy this shoe. But definately check the sizing. If you know your Saucony size, then you're golden. If you're not sure though, get to your local running store and check them out.