I had a gait analysis completed at the Brooks booth at the Boston Marathon expo last April. I normally wear Adrenalin for my longer runs and Ravenna for shorter, faster paced runs. The gait analysis suggested that two shoes that would be best suited for me were either Adrenalin or Transcend 2. Since I had just purchased a pair of Adrenalin, I opted for the Transcend 2 as part of the lottery.
When I received the Transcend I had just begun training for the 2015 Marine Corps Marathon. My plan was to incorporate the Transcend into my training and then run the race in them.
The first time I tried on the Transcend 2, I was impressed with how comfortable they felt. They felt like they had more cushioning then the Adrenalins that I was accustomed to. This feeling of comfort carried over into the first run I had with them.
As I continued to wear them on further distance runs this comfort from the cushioning continued. This luxurious cushioning did not mean that I had to sacrifice the stability that I needed, especially on the longer runs.
If I had one complaint about these shoes it was that they felt somewhat bulkier than what I was used to. I noticed that on a number of occasions late into training runs that as I fatigued I was clipping the inside of the opposing leg with the opposite shoe. The good news, this served as a wake up call late into runs to pay closer attention to my form.
I continued to rotate the Transcend 2 into my training with other shoes, primarily uses them on longer slower runs and the long slow distance runs on Sundays. They continued to provide both he comfort and support especially on the long Sunday runs.
Come race day, the Transcend 2 were my choice. I laced them up with confidence. They carried me to the finish 28 minutes faster than the previous year over the same course.
Overall, I would highly recommend these shoes for anyone looking for the combination of cushioning and stability.
