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Asics versus Saucony... GO! (Read 8077 times)


Certifiably Insane

    OK, funny story on Asics. I'm not knocking them, because I've run in them almost excusively for about 15 years. I'm very hard on shoes, and they hold up better for me than most anything else I've run in. The last few pairs of Gel-11XX and GT-XXXX's I've had just haven't felt right, though. It feels like they changed something, and I just can't stride comfortably in them any more.

     

    Anyway, I'm working on a custom shoe project, and removed the midsole from one of my old pairs of Asics. Was I surprised. The 'Gel' they make such a big deal out of was, well, much less impressive than I was expecting. You know the soft, plastic-like thing in the midsole facing the back of the shoe? I though that was the edge of the gel section. Wrong. It was just a thin reflector. The actual 'Gel' in this shoe amounted to a small pack about the size of two quarters side-by-side, and about as thick as one! It's in the top of the misole right under where your heel would be. I put it on the desk, alongside a piece of midsole about the same thickness, to compare the cushioning. It did almost nothing. In my opinion, leaving that little compartment empty would have done more for the cushioning. I can post pics if anyone doesn't believe me or if you want to see it.

     

    Now, again, I'm not knocking Asics. I've loved them for years, and I really enjoyed the Saucony Pro Grids I just wore out, so I don't really have brand preference between the two. And, in their defense, these were an old pair of Asics that I tore apart. Maybe they have greatly improved their Gel system by now, or it's different in the higher-priced models. It was just a whole lot different than what I expected to find.

    On the road since 1978!

    "To be good is not enough when you dream of being great."

    I am not obsessed! I'm just INTENSE!

    "Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool."

    Why? Because race results stay on Google forever!

    (Reasonably recent) PR's:
    5K - 16:40
    10K - 35:04
    HM - 1:18:30


    elle aime courir

       

       

      Not true... Mizunos are just as common as any other brand around here (Kingston, Ottawa etc.).

       I stand corrected....we are farther south than you are (Hamilton, Toronto, Waterloo, etc) so that may have something to do with it. 

      'No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch'

       

      "Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"  - Peter Maher

       

      "Running long and hard is an ideal antidepressant, since it's hard to run and feel sorry for yourself at the same time. Also, there are those hours of clearheadedness that follow a long run."  -Monte Davis


      she runs like a girl

         I stand corrected....we are farther south than you are (Hamilton, Toronto, Waterloo, etc) so that may have something to do with it. 

         I find this to be true as well - in the Brantford area at least. Most places that do sell Mizunos are discount stores that sell very old models. Mizunos are available,but usually only at speciality running stores. However I do find that Pearl Izumis are few and far between around here. I have never seen a pair for sale in my home town

        2010 goals: PR at distances from 3k-HM
        3k: 02/02/10 - 12:00 - road
        5k :03/13/10 - 20:32 - road
        10mile: 04/02/10 - 1:15:49

        "The only thing I hate more than running is not running"
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