= 6.5 miles total
I took Austin's car to meet Kara and Christy and only had his car keys and no house key and he and Mike were gone at the gym so instead of sitting on my butt and waiting I did some hill repeats by my house. Only to find out they were back from the gym and inside the house the whole time. Ha.
I'm super excited because ordered my first pair of running shoes this year. I couldn't wait to test them out and review them here! They are the Montrail Bajada. The Montrail site describes them as a...
"Neutral and cushioned trail running shoe designed with traction for superior off-road performance.
STATS:
- Weight: 8.5 oz / 241 g
- Durometer: 55 Asker C (+/-3 degrees)
- Ride Height: 20 mm heel, 10 mm forefoot"
I picked these shoes because they were neutral, not a minimalist or real light weight type of shoe, and had great reviews by other users - it was my first time picking shoes off the internet but I was pleased that I really thought through the process.
Shoe Appearance
I love the way the Montrails look. They have a great design and the particular ones that I bought are a super bright color called Poppy! It really makes them stand out against the dirt and mud of the trails. With a quick rinse after a muddy run all of the color comes back.
Shoe Fit
I had read in other reviews that these shoes fit a little roomy so to six down. I didn't find this. They have a more slim fit compared to my Nike Pegasus that are one of the shoes that I use for the road. I bought my true to shoe size which is a 6.5 compared to my running shoe size of a 7. I haven't found a problem with wearing my true size but I haven't run for longer than 1 hour at a time in them. They didn't seem to become tight or uncomfortable.I can feel that the base of the shoe is firmer than my long run shoes and a little less cushioned but I love that feeling. It is almost as if it gives my feet the ability to feel the ground and be more responsive to the ground.
Shoe Performance
I have loved how this shoe has performed so far. At the Shellburg Falls run the trail was very muddy and I could see where the people ahead of me had slid two or three feet down the trail where as I was able to just step in and step up out of the mud. I could feel the traction both going up and down the hills.
I also got the chance to run in the snow with these shoes and found that they had a ton of traction there as well. In the snow my feet did end up pretty wet. You can opt in to purchase the "outdry" version for $30 more, which might have been a wise purchase in Oregon.
So far I have loved these shoes! They have been comfortable and really do their job on the trail. I would definitely recommend these shoes for any neutral footed runner. Check out the Montrail site to order these shoes or another pair that would best fit your foot! Enjoy the trail!
Do you wear trail shoes? Where is your favorite trail? What color are your favorite shoes?
The really awesome pictures of me in these shoes were taken by Macey of Motormouth Studios! Check her out! The not so awesome quality pictures were my photo skills.
