A fallen warrior, a brand new successor

The signs have been showing up, slowly at first, but gradually gathering steam, until it is simply impossible to ignore. Yes, my beloved Prospec marathon racers that I use for my gym sessions have been breaking down. It started with wear and tear on the soles, doubtless having been worn down by the friction between them and their perpetual nemesis, the treadmill belt. Nevertheless, they have never boasted great traction, which was why I delegated them to gym duty in the first place, as they are not grippy enough to risk on the roads. After all that pounding though, something has to give. The next thing that didn't feel right was the feel. Even though it didn't have any fancy schmancy cushioning technology, it was usually quite good in dampening body jarring shocks. Despite the clunky appearance too, it carried me to some great workouts and my 10k PR on the treadmill to boot. Lately though, it has started showing it's age, the workouts started becoming more of a might. Don't get me wrong, I am not implying that running is totally reliant on the shoes you use, but sometimes the responsiveness of your shoe plays a part, and sadly the Prospec's responsiveness feels dead. The time is definitely near for me to say goodbye.


While warriors fall, there will always be new heroes to take their place. And while the Prospec was a hero for me working in the background, I have recently acquired a new pair of racers that I hope will be as much of a hero in the front lines. I present to you my adidas Chiba Pro racers. Unlike the Prospecs, this one will be for races apart from the odd run or so. This shoe will also take over the mantle of lightest and lowest shoe in my collection from my T4 racers.

Even though, I haven't really run enough in them to come to a conclusion. Preliminary runs indicate that this will be a smashing shoe. What else can I say after I managed to do 11km in my first run in them? I just seem to be able to cruise on and on in them.

Anyway, I hope I will be able to do a shootout comparison between my Chiba Pros and my T4s.