Track and Field plus Saucony Ride 15

 

Philadelphia is a nice place to run. The picture above is in the first mile of my run and the run got better from there. I was in Philadelphia for the New Balance Outdoor Nationals track meet. It was my first time in the city and of course my first time at the famed Franklin Field where the Pen Relays are held each year. 

The Track Meet

• Every time I am around high performance track athletes I am humbled. Their dedication and determination to the craft is outstanding. 
• If you ever get the chance to go to a track meet spend some time watching the field events. My favorites are the Pole Vault and High Jump. The kids become friends by the end. You drop out of the competition when you fail on 3 attempts at a height. I watched the boys pole vault. The boy who won passed on a height. The 4 boys left after 3 attempts all failed at that height. The boy had to go to the next height and get over it or the championship would go back to the previous cleared height. He would finish 4th because the other boys had cleared that height in less attempts. The boy under much pressure calmly ran up to the pit, planted his pole and cleared the new height. He was crowned champion. But because he hadn`t failed out it is customary to keep jumping until you do fail. That is why everyone becomes friends. In the end, everyone fails. 
• Every time I go to one of these meets I compare the runners and their times to the times our son ran at that age. He would have been competitive in both the mile and 2 mile for 4 years. His team when he was a sophomore would have placed high in the 4 X 1 mile relay and DMR. 

The Saucony Ride 15

On my trip I took two pairs of running shoes. The New Balance 1080 which I love and put 500 or more miles in. I use it for my work at the meet and with all the walking I do to get to the meet it was a comfort. I took the Saucony Ride 15 to run in. Saucony has sent me so many shoes it’s crazy. I saw the Ride 15 at the Boston Marathon on a runner. I sent my buddy at Saucony a note on how dynamic it looks coming down the road. He sent me this pair. It feels better than it looks and like I said it looks quite dynamic. 

• The base of the Ride 15 is wider. I am not sure how much wider but I would guess between 5 and 10mm. That simply gives you inherent support. 
• They did something to the Power Run foam that makes it feel bouncier. 
• They added an upgraded sock liner which feels really good when you step in. 
• The upper is simple and effective. It has plenty of room in the forefoot for most feet and it comes in widths for everyone. 
• At $140 it has some competition. The Brooks Ghost is the #1 shoe at this price and the Nike Pegasus at $10 cheaper is the most dominant shoe in all of running. The Ride 15 for the first time ever stacks up against both of these shoes. Will it outsell them, probably not but for sure it will take sales away from both of them and from others trying to win feet at $140. 

My best judge of a shoe is that I never notice it. On brutally hard surfaces in Philly on tired legs I never once thought about my feet in 16 miles of running on the weekend. 

It`s a good life…….