Saucony Tangent 4: Fast and comfortable

Saucony Grid Tangent 4

Today's run (street): 2.45 miles at 8:40 per mile

After two runs in the Saucony Kinvaras I'm starting to believe that a shoe can really make a difference in performance. The Kinvaras are extremely light and have very little drop-off between the heel and forefoot. This makes mid foot striking easier than when running in a shoe with a higher heel. I closely track my performance and although I'm a 9 minute miler in spirit I'm more of a 9:10-9:20 miler in practice. So what am I supposed to think when I put together two consecutive runs under 8:50 per mile? Could I have improved that quickly -- or is it the shoes?

That's the question I asked myself this morning when I set out for a morning run wearing my new Saucony Grid Tangent 4's. These are lightweight stability shoes that feel very good on the foot. Despite the light weight there was decent cushioning through both the heel and front foot. I took off and immediately noticed how quick they felt, my pace was more like a tempo run although I didn't feel as though I was working that hard. But at 4:00 AM things can be deceiving. I've done runs at that time that felt fast but weren't. I expected the same today but finished with an average pace of 8:40. That's 5K race pace for me and almost unheard of at that early hour.

It may be too early to say for sure but these lightweight shoes from Saucony really deliver speed. I like the Kinvaras for the mid foot landing and the Grid Tangents seem sturdy enough to be a regular trainer for people like me who have a lighter build. So what's to become of my beloved Brooks GTS 10's? No worries, there will always be room for them in the rotation. They just may need to wait a little longer for their turn.