Skechers ProSpeed SRR Review

'I believe in pink'. said Audrey Hepburn.

And do you know what? So do I.

More specifically, I believe in my pink trainers.



I've had my Skecher's ProSpeed Resistance trainers, that Skechers sent me as part of their seeding project, for a good few weeks now and have been wearing them for the majority of my running; so, I thought it was probably about time to give you a little more info on them and let you know what they're like.

Fit and Facade:


These bright pink little beauties do offer themselves up in colours other than the eye-popping bubblegum, however, I have to admit that this was one of the first things I liked about them. Making an appearance in other colours including silver, blue, black and white also, the ProSpeed trainers offer quite a wide fit so, unlike most other trainers, a normal shoe size will probably suffice. Despite fitting a feminine size 5 beauty on a night out, I always have to size-up to a 6 in my running shoes. However, the Skechers are very roomy trainers and I am having to pull the laces on my size 6's a little too tight in order to stop them slipping; with the virtue of hindsight a 5 would have been more than enough.  Saying that, this has not proved too much of a problem, and I should add that I do have quite narrow feet generally, however if  there was one thing I'd definitely offer as a suggestion to Skechers it would be to consider producing a narrow fit trainer also - I can't be the only runner out here with narrow feet and it does often prove a problem when choosing trainers.

Feel and Fleetness:    

One definite pro for the ProSpeed is the feel of them. Again, a little background information on me will help with this. Whilst running, my heel is rather lazy. In fact, where possible it tries to avoid all contact with the ground whatsoever. What this does mean is I have a nasty habit of running high on my forefoot; unfortunately, this eventually caused me injury and, consequently, I have had to adapt my style to land much more on the mid-foot than the fore. The Skechers trainers are designed to promote mid-foot running and give maximum return through here, rather than the heel. For me, as a mid-foot runner, this is perfect. The ride the trainer provides not only feels cushioned and smooth but it also feels energetic and fast.

Additionally, Skechers promote the trainer as a lightweight running shoe. At first, I was a little judgemental on this, whilst holding them in my hands, weighing one Skecher's ProSpeed against my normal trainers, I came to the conclusion that my current trainers were lighter; a very scientific approach, I think you'll agree. However, having run in them, I would agree with Skechers: whilst the trainers are on my feet, and I am running, they do in fact feel very light - offering a soft slipper-like quality... and of course, on my feet whilst I'm running is really the only place I should be judging these!

So, so far so good, I was enjoying running in the Skechers' ProSpeed and felt like I'd really bonded with my trainers; Surely, I was ready to write my review? Well, almost. Whilst reflecting on the trainers, I realised I'd been running in the ProSpeeds almost exclusively for the past month, and perhaps, for purposes of objectivity, I should be able to draw comparisons back to my (now long forgotten) 'favourite' trainers. So, swapping back to my Brooks Glycerin for Thursday's run, to give me a better sense of comparison, I put them through their paces on a hill training session. Whilst I still like the feel of the Brooks, one thing I did miss was the slipper-like feel of the Skecher's and the mid-foot energy return, which was particularly noticeable in it's absence. On reflection, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the ProSpeed, however for me, this would be improved further by a narrower fit.



Fumbs up or Fumbs down?

I don't know where my obsession with the letter F has come from in this review, however I've started, so I'll finish...

In summary, I have found the Skechers' Pro-Speed Resistance trainers to be:

Comfortable
Light
Soft and cushioned slipper-like feel
Supportive yet light-weight
Wide-fitting
Good for mid-foot striking
Hardy in wet weather
Ventilated
Pink

Of course, these were gratis, so the big question is, would I hand over my hard-earned cash for a pair? Yes... I would.

Which all in all, gives them a 'fumbs up' and I believe in pink!

If Only I could have said that the trainers made me look like svelte, skinny woman in their banner... but they didn't... so I can't... maybe that's still to come!!