If you read my previous post “Unicorn Running Shoes — Maybe?”, you know that I have been very pleased with the recent addition of the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2’s to my running shoe rotation.

However, one of the gripes about them on more than a couple of reviews was that the grip in wet conditions was not great. So, I was wondering how the Endorphin Speed 2’s would do in rainy/wet conditions?

Cool Street Waterville at the end of the run

It rained a bit overnight and was still raining when I got ready to run, so I headed into Waterville for an easy 5-6 miles (yeah, that was the plan) and check out how the Speeds would do on wet pavement.

I was good and did a full (for me) warm-up in the Hannaford parking lot before heading out. It was supposed to be an easy run, so I wasn’t rushing and let the body dictate the pace. That was mistake #1.

When I went over the Messalonskee Stream Bridge, I got this great idea to head over to Winslow instead of going up Silver Street. That was mistake #2. There is a Strava segment that goes across the Kennebec River bridge that just begs me to see where I am in training. So of course I picked up the pace, not to race pace, but a nice tempo pace where I had to pay attention to keep it there.

I did a lot better than I thought I would. When I looked on Strava, there was a silver trophy for my effort on that segment — not overall, but it was the second fasted that I have run it. I was surprised.

When I got up to the light, I slowed down to catch my breath and then as I headed down the hill into “downtown” Winslow, I naturally picked up the pace again. Once I got down to the Thai Restaurant, I reined in the speed — this was supposed to be an easy run.

That worked great and about at the Century 21 Office, the light rain stopped. Which I hadn’t noticed all that much anyway. Once I went across the bridge back into Waterville, I had to contend with the construction. That part did slow me down quite a bit as the footing was tricky, and the granite sidewalk curbs were in place, but there was about a 6” drop on either side of them that was rather muddy.

This section was a great test of the grippage on the Endorphin Speeds. They passed with flying colors.

Then for some reason, when I got out on Silver Street, I decided to pick up the pace again — a lot. That was mistake #3.

When I got to the 4.0 mile beep, I saw the time and smiled and attempted to maintain the pace to finish 5.0 miles. I didn’t do quite as well as I wanted, but I did smile when I finished.

The biggest mistake that I made today, was that I didn’t commit to doing my planned easy run. Then, once I started doing some faster stuff, I didn’t commit fully to doing that kind of workout either. It turned into a hybrid workout where I did some easier running and some tempo effort stuff as well.

Sometimes you gotta go with how the body feels, even when you are “supposed” to do something entirely different. The mind and body both agreed it was time to just run. All I know is that it felt good to be able to run pain-free, push the pace a little faster than I have in a while, and mostly to have fun with my running again.

Oh yeah, how did the Endorphin Speed 2’s do on the wet pavement, concrete, some metal expansion joints and the construction zone crap?

Just fine, thank you. 

If you look close you can see my footprint

While they wouldn’t be my first choice for running more than a groomed trail, on snow or slimy sections of a dirt road, I didn’t have any problems with slipping or sliding. Well, a little on the white painted line, but not too many of my shoes do well on those either.

Overall, that was one of those runs where you do a lot of smiling and at the end, wonder why you didn’t follow the planned run. The only answer I got is that I am blaming it on the Endorphin Speed 2’s. That’s my story, and I am sticking to it.

I won’t wear them tomorrow, I promise.

Come with me now — the best is yet to be.