My Essential Gear - Salomon Speedcross 3
Welcome to my new blog sub-series - My Essential Gear. Since there are so many pieces of gear that make my runs successful and wonderful, I felt it was about time to show them off!
I have been running in the same pair of Salomon Speedcross 3s since late fall 2012. I coveted a pair after seeing a few local runners in them during my first season of trail running and finally got my hands on a pair in time for last winter. This single set of shoes has seen well over 500 miles, has had only one set of replaced insoles (Ortholite Fusion recommended my Salomon - great customer service by the way!) and have seen everything from multiple 4,000 footers in New Hampshire, the mud at the Pineland Farms 25K (2013), the snow covered mountains of the Belknap Range and the lovely sea level trails of Great Bay. These shoes are diverse, incredibly comfortable and my go-to for many runs. I have worn them in every season and they have not only held up well, but continue to be so comfortable! I have chosen to break this review down to several categories for your reading enjoyment.
Quality: These shoes cost me about $100 with discounts and such from Road Runner Sports. They have an incredibly comfortable footbed that feels like you are walking and running on a cloud. Despite the many types of terrain I have tested these sneakers on, I don't have so much as a loose thread or tear on either shoe. Only con: The insole decided to fold up on me on one shoe after getting soaked in a creek on a 4,000 footer hike. I temporarily fixed it with double-sided tape but when it happened again, I wrote to Salomon to ask their suggestion for replacement. They responded quickly and suggested the Ortholite Fusion insoles. I spent the money to replace them and they shoes have been fantastic ever since, wet or dry.
Comfort: As I mentioned, these are so comfortable. They run very neutral with a 9mm drop. As a runner who lands predominately mid foot, these feel great. Once they get wet, they shed water and remain comfortable. I ran the 25K at Pineland Farm in 2013 and literally mud soaked these over nearly 16 miles of trail and fields. I came out of this race with no blisters or even a hot spot! My friend wore another shoe brand and quite literally lost chunks of skin from the muckfest. One thing to note is this shoe has no rock plate. The longest run I have completed in them is the 25K and the longest hike about 11 miles. At the end of the 11 mile hike, I could have used a partial rock plate but I certainly was not uncomfortable. I was still trotting down the trail on that last mile!
Pineland 25K (2013) Technical Traction and Grip: Along the same lines as comfort comes the grip. These shoes literally saved me in the mud shown above! I remember hitting the top of some nasty downhills in the fields and watching people slide down the hill.... face first, butt first, sideways. Tony and I just trotted our way down never losing grip. I didn't even take these off at all to clean the mud out. On dry terrain, they are flawless. Upon initially holding these shoe I thought "yikes, these might be clunky" but I was so wrong! These handle nicely over technical terrain and I found no difference navigating over roots and rocks as I did in my everyday trail runners. As far as mountain terrain, I climbed six 4,000 footers and have run several smaller mountains in these shoes. My only complaint is wet rocks. It took some getting used to on wet slabs of rock and I found it best to stab my toes into the creases and crevices in the slabs to gain traction. That being said, no issues at all with toe bruising as they are well protected by the rubber outersole.
Seasonal Use: I have to say, I LOVE these sneakers in the winter. They are a bit thicker than the average trail runner and for that reason seem to be a bit warmer paired with wool socks. I snowshoe in these, run small mountains all winter and wear them as my everyday shoe when it is snowy out. Despite being warm in the winter, I do not overheat in the summer. The breath-ability is fantastic!
Overall, I absolutely adore these shoes and will continue to have a pair on hand permanently for all types of endeavors. It was just announced TODAY that Salomon is the primary sponsor of the races at Pineland Farms for 2014. I am currently in training for the 50K and you better believe I will be packing these shoes!