Saucony Endorphin Speed - Firm or plush, unstable at slow paces ??

They definitely aren’t plush nor have I ever really heard them described that way. I also haven’t found them unstable in the heel. It’s my favorite shoe at the moment. I’m usually running 6:45-7:45 pace when I have them on. They are great for easy days when you aren’t recovering from something.

I love this shoe as well. I am not a very vast runner, but I do land on my fore foot. No stability issues here. I already bought a second pair

*fast

It is in my opinion a nice shoe which feels fast. Though not as fast it is more stable at the heel and more reactive than the vaporfly, especially with sharp turns. I am beem using them for (sub)treshold pace workouts and also for some longer runs.

One person said they found them a bit firm on the heel area for long runs? I am a heel striker so hence checking as well. Thanks

stevenn wrote:

One person said they found them a bit firm on the heel area for long runs? I am a heel striker so hence checking as well. Thanks

I am a heel striker, and the heel feels “springy” but not overly firm. I have used them on training runs up to 16 miles with no issues. Great shoe.

They're firmer than your average 'super shoe', but they're pretty well cushioned as far as shoes go. Similar feel to adidas' boost if you're familiar with that. Similar to the Symmetros but a little bit firmer, and with more pop off the toe from the plate.

I think the firmess is subjective depending on the runner weight and whether they are a midfoot/heel striker.

I'm a 210 pound powerlifter and half-marathon runner, and I find these overly firm with only my carbon X (1) feeling firmer but having a more pronounced rocker means I don't feel it as much as I do in these.

I'm a mild heelstriker, and my half marathon time is 1:28

For me, they're ok, but for speed work I much prefer the tempo next, for long runs the fuelcell TCs are far more comfortable,

I would not get them again, but all the lighter, midfoot strikers love these.

In my experience, the Speed are more unstable than the Beacon. I've used the Speed 4 or 5 times for faster reps with warm-up and cool-down (totalling 14-16K) and I always ended up with something sore on my foot or knee. I never had this problem with the Beacon. The midfoot of the Speed is much narrower than that of the Beacon, so I like to blame that... :)

I would say the Speed feel a little softer and more cushioned/higher than the Beacon, but nothing that bothers me (I'm 52kg).

I enjoy running in the Speed so I'm working on my feet muscles! But like magicmac, right now I wouldn't buy them again (the fun is not worth the soreness/days off!)

I forgot to mention that they probably feel more unstable at slower paces (5-6 min/km) than at faster paces (4 min/km). Again, just sharing my experience since it may be relevant to you stevenn.

I found the heel to be a bit unstable/squishy.

I enjoy the Beacons more.

I’ve run 2:17 (in VF, so 2:20) and I recently have shifted all my training to the Speeds after wearing Clifton’s for the last year. They’re great at 5:00 and 8:00 pace, I love them. The best all around shoe I have ever worn. They took a little over a week to get used to, like most new shoes, and then felt awesome. I have ~400mi on my pair now and they’re still feeling good, running on snow and ice in Michigan

I don't understand how anyone could call them firm. Go try a pair on and you'll see right away that they're super soft. Maybe they feel firm to some people if the shoe is so soft that the person is pounding through them and bottoming out.

I think that they're great for long runs and I feel like they do leave my legs fresher at the end even if I ran longer or faster.

I tried to run a 5k in them, but they felt a bit soft and mushy for that.

Mort McMurray wrote:

I don't understand how anyone could call them firm. Go try a pair on and you'll see right away that they're super soft. Maybe they feel firm to some people if the shoe is so soft that the person is pounding through them and bottoming out.

I think that they're great for long runs and I feel like they do leave my legs fresher at the end even if I ran longer or faster.

I tried to run a 5k in them, but they felt a bit soft and mushy for that.

Endorphin Speed user myself! Broke them in the first time in a 23 mile long run! Insane right. Anyways, they’re extremely soft & keep you on your forefoot. They really keep your legs fresh and ready for the next day. I use them from long runs to speed workouts. By far my favorite shoe! Highly recommend. I have 120 miles in them and no sign of wear they’re looking amazing. Probably get 400 miles out of them. I run in them 2-3 times a week. Not really for easy days because I don’t want to push those days.

Mort McMurray wrote:

I don't understand how anyone could call them firm. Go try a pair on and you'll see right away that they're super soft. Maybe they feel firm to some people if the shoe is so soft that the person is pounding through them and bottoming out.

I think that they're great for long runs and I feel like they do leave my legs fresher at the end even if I ran longer or faster.

I tried to run a 5k in them, but they felt a bit soft and mushy for that.

I don’t quite understand this part. If you are doing a long run for the training benefit, and a super shoe is aiding that run, are you really getting that much benefit from this run since you feel so fresh after? Seems like it just goes from a 16 mile long run to a 12 because how easy it feels. I just keep thinking that and i hope someone can tell me i am wrong because I really want to buy the speeds but am scared it will take away from actually training in paces I know I can run

Hi all,

I bought them and probably have close to 40km on them now. What a great shoe? They hit the sweet spot between firm and soft for me probably a touch on the firmer side. They do okay for easy runs but I find they come into there when you pick up the pace that's where they shine.

I am a slow runner and have ran 4.45 per km up to 5.30 per km pace in them. Certaintly around the 5 per km pace you feel the propulsion of the plate and midsole more. Its my own fitness that slows me down, the shoe just wants to go and sometimes I have to hold my self back otherwise I run out of puff to quickly :)

I am a heel to midfoot striker and I have found that they can be a touch unstable around sharper corners.

Cheers

Steve

I shouldn't have said, "at the end." I should have said, "afterwards." By that I mean while I am stretching and the following day. They do not make a 16 mile run feel like a 12 mile run. Perhaps they make it easier to hit slightly faster paces toward the end of long runs, but you can think of this as practice for what you want to do in a race.

I would argue that you still get all of the aerobic benefit of the extended time running during a long run.

I would also argue that you get all (or nearly all) of the muscular benefit where you need your legs to push you faster and you need your legs to push you late in a long run after you are more fatigued.

I like to think that the reason my legs feel better the following day is mainly because the pounding and impact forces are somewhat alleviated by the shoe. Maybe this would be the same for highly cushioned shoes, but I've never been a fan of those.

If I did a harder long run in the Endorphin Speeds, I still need a rest or recovery day and I can feel that my muscles will not let me go when I try to run (I'm hoping you know what I mean here). The shoe doesn't take that away or alleviate it. But when I'm just walking around and doing other stuff, I don't have soreness like I am more used to when I wear other shoes for a long run (Kinvara, Zante Pursuit, Brooks Launch)

I do know what you mean! Thanks so much for the response that was really helpful, I think I’m going to snag a pair

I'm also a heavier weightlifter and ex-sprinter. I ran in the Speed 2 today and loved how light and fast it was, but it definitely felt a lot more firm than the Novablast 2 and other shoes I've tried.

At 210 pounds, how have your other tempo shoes been treating you since you made this post, assuming you even see my reply.