Skechers ProSpeed - Actual Race Shoe Review

*Note: The races from this shoe review were all held at the last quarter of 2011, it's a very late post but pardon me.

The only thick cushioned shoe that does'nt need breaking-in.

That was my own remarks with the Skechers ProSpeed after my first short 3.5km hilly run with it at Tagaytay Highlands last October 8, 2011 during the Nathan Ridge Test Run. I had a similarly thick-cushioned running shoe before I got to try the Skechers ProSpeed and the difference of breaking it in and the other one was really way up different. With the ProSpeed, my plantar fasciitis did not manifest even the slightest though the first break-in with it was already an uphill route.

Two weeks after the initial run, the ProSpeed was immediately tested on the roads of BGC during the 2011 Adidas King of the Road for a 21km distance, and at the route of the Run United 3 (RunRio Trilogy Leg 3) 2011 for the Afroman (32km) distance. Indeed, the actual races I had with the ProSpeed were already longer distances.

From both of these races, I have to run at a slower than my comfortable slow pace for 7 to 8 kilometers of the route which spanned up to 1 hour and 12 minutes (read the links above for the details). Before I indulged into my first Ultramarathon, I was afraid of going too slow than my comfort slow pace because it was with that kind of pace that my legs and endurance would immediately deteriorate. But with all honesty while wearing the ProSpeed, the responsiveness (that might be due to the Kinetic return system) of the shoe made such slow pace manageable for me that even if I was already experiencing some cramps from a few kilometers from the finish line, I was still able to reach the finish with much ease. And despite the thickness of the outer sole from its inherited design from the shape-ups line of Skechers, the shoe was still as lightweight as a race flats.

One more noticeable thing about the Skechers ProSpeed was the butt and lower-back trimming effect that I felt. On each of the drive phase of each of my foot (the phase where the foot starts to go up/behind the back), I could feel that my upper butt is being pushed upwards. Thus, the shoe seems to give the butt its rounded shape or contour while running that afterwards, your lower body shape is more enhanced (good news for the ladies). In contrast, this effect gives more stress to the hips and/or lower back as manifested after I reached the finish line at the RU3 - RunRio Trilogy Leg 3 2011. A solution for this though is by strengthening your core which includes the lower back for the body to be able to handle such stress.

In Summary, the Skechers ProSpeed truly delivers what it has defined on the features of the shoe.

Pros:

1. Lightweight as a racing flat.
2. Truly mid and fore-foot shoe.
3. Recommended for those who wants to transition from heel-striking to mid or fore-foot strike.
4. Friendly to those who have heel injuries.
5. Somehow aids with your balance.
6. Springy effect/Kinetic return system truly delivers.
7. Shapes-up (your) my upper butt. *wink
8. You become taller =)

Cons:

1. If you have balancing problem, the wiggling of the shoe might make you uneasy at first.
2. The shape-up effect to the butt requires a strong core.
3. The Blue color for Men doesn't look good for a dark skin-tone (like me).

Read the post ProSpeed at First Glance to know more about the technical specs of this running shoe.

Special thanks to Ed Escueta and Carina Manansala for the photos.