Sometimes it takes some time to get out for a first run in a pair of shoes (what me never!!!) Unfortunately, or is that fortunately, the Nike Wildhorse v5 are that shoe this year.

It is not because they are a bad shoe or anything, but I haven’t been running trails hardly at all since I got them and we haven’t been hiking all that much either. I have worn them around a bit walking to get them broke in, but to be honest they didn’t “wow” me all that much, so I haven’t gone out of my way to run in them.

However, after my experience down back earlier this week in a pair of road shoes and after walking in them this morning down there, I decided to go ahead and do my first run in them, to test how they are as running shoes on snow, white ice, tar and yes, a tiny, eetsy bit of dirt.

They were okay.

The Nike Wildhorse v5 did everything they were supposed to:

• didn’t bother my feet
• were pretty comfortable
• gripped the snow and kept me upright on the white ice portions
• 
• were pretty smooth on the tar
• all-in-all they did what they were supposed to.

I guess that really was the problem, the Wildhorse v5 are a boring, do what they are supposed to kind of shoe.

To be quite honest, I have gotten spoiled and my expectations are now that a running shoe is supposed to “Wow” me when I first try them one and especially on that all in important first run. You know when we make up our minds whether we will love or hate a shoe. When in fact it is usually when a running shoe is boring, does what is supposed to do in a understated way that those shoes seem to usually be the shoes that I like the best over the long haul.

You know, the kind of shoe that I should be running in.

As you can see from the photos, the conditions were not all that bad for winter running and the Wildhorse v5 handled everything I ran on today quite nicely.

Planned Workout Description vs Actual: Planned on an easy 4-5 to get over 30 miles for the week. Did 5.0 down-back to check out the Nike Wildhorse v5

Variables that impacted the run: Running down-back on sketchy, but good winter running conditions.

Weather: Clear, 24°F, Feels like 17°F, Humidity 71%, Wind 6mph from SSW

• Day: Sunday
• Course: Town Office 5.0 Miler
• Distance: 5.01
• Duration: 46:40
• Pace: 9:19
• Running Streak Day #: 5
• Comments: I purposely wanted to go slower today, I won’t say it was really all that much easier, since it was down-back, but I slowed down and the legs felt pretty good after a couple of days of treadmilling and strides.

Shoes: Mileage (5.01) Nike Wildhorse v5 – They did everything I would expect of a pair of trail shoes on snow. Nothing exciting or wow, just nice boring shoes that worked for me.

In other words just what I need.

Disclaimer: I got them as a Father’s Day gift from D2 back in June, while she was in Maine visiting and we ordered them from Nike.com.