4 March 2013 and I'm happy because new shoes came to my house this morning.
Saucony Virrata, day-glo yellow.
I ran in the Nike Free v3 this morning, so that's what my feet are comparing the Virrata to right now.
The Virrata is stiff, having less sole flex than the Free.
The sole is also harder underfoot, but strangely I can feel the lugs or some other structure underfoot. I don't like this sensation in a shoe.
I want the bed of the shoe to be or to feel completely flat under foot. Just like the floor, but a tiny bit softer.
The Virrata is not flat underfoot. There is some boxy shape under the forefoot and there's a big height difference between that box and the height of the sole under the toes. So there's a definite ridge that you have to roll over to get the toe of the shoe in contact with the ground. To me, not good. I feel like my connection to the ground has this unwelcome interface that I notice, while I want the shoe to disappear from my perception.
My favorite shoe is made by Saucony: the Grid Type A5. This racing flat has no structure that I can sense underfoot, just a mild cushioning and an tenacious grip.
I also felt sole structures in the Saucony Kinvara so I've never bought a pair. Like the Virrata, the Kinvara are also somewhat stiff soled, in comparison to the A5 of the Nike Free v3.
The Virrata is zero-drop shoes. The forefoot and heel are both 17mm off the ground. While I think massive heel drop shoes are not the best thing for you I've never felt like I had to run in a zero drop shoe. I'll report back on the experience of running in them latter.
I've read that the sizing is a bit off on the Virrata and you should order up a size, but I didn't run into this issue. I also found the toe box wide enough and similar to the A5s.
I was hoping for a shoe more like the A5s with a bit more padding. But I think the Virrata is just a lighter Kinvara with zero-drop. I post a more complete review after I've got some miles on them.
