Day 2,882: Skechers Go Run 3

One of the things about coming off of marathon training is that nearly all of my running shoes are at the end of their lifespan.

The training journey started out with the venerable Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 31 but ended with more minimalist shoes -- the Saucony Kinvara 5 and Skechers' Go Run 2.

So when I went looking for the next pair of training shoes -- and the possible shoe that I will wear in the Dec. 14 Honolulu Marathon, I decided on Skechers next installment, the Go Run 3.

What really helped is that the retail $80 shoe was being sold for $39 (the same price that I bought the Go Run 2s in April). Clearly this brand has not caught on very well yet.

Today was the first day that I wore this shoe for a run. And my initial impressions were that it was a Saucony Kinvara 5 in Go Run 3 clothing!

Interestingly enough, when you compare the two shoes, they are very similar -- the Go Run 3 boasts a weight of 7.0 ounces for size 9 (Kinvara: 7.7 ounces). Both have the same heel-to-toe drop of 4 mm.

(In contrast, my Go Run 2 shoes weigh 6.6 ounces and have a 5.2 mm drop. The Nike Pegasus shoes are clodhoppers by comparison with an 11 ounce weight and a 10 mm drop.)

The Go Run 2s are more like minimalist racing shoes -- what I didn't like about them was that in training runs I could feel every piece of gravel I ran over. But the new Go Run 3s are much more cushioned, making the run enjoyable.

My only complaint with the shoes is I feel like the laces are too long (I substituted an old pair of Nike laces in my Go Run 2s).

And although both pairs of Skechers shoes I run in are size 10 and are fine, next time around I might want to get size 9.5.