I was gifted a pair of Saucony Peregrine 7 Ice+ shoes (click here if in Canada) this winter and since some of you were asking how did they perform for me, here my thoughts and review. If you’ve been considering adding them to your running shoe collection you’ll probably find this useful!
If you’re a runner then you know that running shoes are VERY important. Whenever I get approached by friends asking for running advice, the first thing I ALWAYS say is “make sure you get the appropriate shoes depending on your gait and stride”. From there you can move onto running plans, gear, music, whatever you fancy, but having the RIGHT shoe is key if you want to avoid injuries. I honestly can’t stress it enough and because I take it seriously (well, I’m sure nobody likes to be injured), I’ve been wearing the same brand and style for at least 15 years. The Asics GT line has been my go-to and I have never gotten badly injured wearing them. Some knee pain here, hip pain there, but nothing really serious that would keep me from running. So, I’m sure you would understand why I would be so loyal and why when you find something that works it’s hard to branch out, especially if you consider that running shoes are not exactly cheap. You risk loosing your money, getting injured, not worth it for me.
At the beginning of the year though, I got gifted a pair of Saucony Peregrine 7 Ice+ shoes, and since we’ve had a really icy and snowy winter this year, I thought they couldn’t have come in at a more perfect time (I wear my trail shoes for winter conditions in case you were wondering). Plus, my friend Sarah had recently purchased them and she was loving them (she’s also an Asics wearer, well, she was before she got these).
So I took them out for a 9k run on a Sunday morning, and here’s what happened:
. First, I had to go up half a size, so keep that in mind. I normally wear 9.5 in running shoes and I had to ask for a size 10, 10!!
. Once on I noticed how incredibly soft they were. The upper material was soft not just to the touch as I felt my feet wrapped in “clouds”. That’s the best way to describe how soft they felt.
. I also noticed how low they were compared to my Asics. While I felt my feet to be cushioned I could tell the offset was way lower and I felt like I was on the ground. So, even though they felt like soft slippers, my feet were pretty flat.
. After a few strides and a few kms in, I noticed that they had amazing grip. The difference between my Salomon trail running shoes and these was HUGE. And while I loved the grip I also noticed that you can’t just forget about the road conditions and expect these to act as crampons. Grip was amazing but I still had to be a bit careful at times.
. I think one of the features I loved the most about these shoes was the easy transition from ice or snow to clear pavement. I was really impressed at how well they performed on both road conditions without compromising cushioning and stability. It was definitely not something I normally enjoy when running on trail shoes, so it was nice to know that I didn’t have to stay on snow or ice to feel good in them. Multitaskers at their best!
. I really enjoyed my run but it wasn’t after the next day when I put on my Asics that I felt the difference in the heel support. While the Peregrine shoes are amazing, if you’re used to a large offset (the shoe’s heel-to-toe drop) then you should ease in the mileage until your feet get used to their small one (4 mm). Or, you can wear orthotics to make sure you’re getting the heel support your feet are used to. I never imagined that one run could injure me so badly and because I didn’t take the necessary precautions, running on these gave me some really bad plantar fasciitis (I’m still recovering from it, sadly).
. My feet have been used to a large offset for way too long (more than 15 years!) and I can’t get the heel support in these unless I try something like orthotics or build up the mileage very slowly. Having said this, I’m not really into risking it again so I stopped wearing them and haven’t worn them since.
. Now, if you’re used to running on low-drop shoes, you will LOVE them and I highly recommend them. They are soft, have amazing grip and are the perfect winter shoe. On the other hand, if you’re more of a heel-striker runner like me, I would avoid them.
. If you have any other questions about them just let me know! I’d be happy to answer them!
In this Post: Lululemon Run for Cold Jacket (on sale for $89) | Lululemon Tights (similar to these) | Saucony Peregrine 7 Ice+ (you can buy them here and here).
