New Balance 890v4 Shoes

I picked up a new pair of running shoes this week.  They had to be special ordered.  No one carries 4E wide shoes in stock.  I bought myself a pair of blue and yellow New Balance 890v4 shoes.  I've been running in Nike Pegasus 28 (New Shoes (and socks)) and Asics Cumulus 14 shoes for a while.  My Asics are about a year old and the Nike's are over 2 years old.  Both pairs look almost new.  That's because I only wear my running shoes when I'm running.  I don't wear them to go to the store, or the mall, or do anything but run.  Scratch out "store" and "mall" and insert Lowe's and Home Depot.  The Nike's were the lightest shoe that I could find in a 4E width until now.  The Cumulus 14s were an emergency purchase before the Try Charleston 70.3 (Race Report) triathlon last year.  I like the Asics Cumulus shoes.  I've had several pairs.  They've all been very comfortable to wear.  However, creating that comfort made them heavy.  They're great training shoes but not good shoes for racing.

Returning to my roots, I bought the New Balance 890v4 shoes.  I've always been a NB fan, Assembled in USA of Imported Materials and all.  That's a close to Made in USA as I think I can get.  My first pair of running shoes was a pair of NB shoes that I brought to Army basic training.  They served me well and I stuck with NB until I bought some Cumulus 12s.  I think those shoes finally got thrown away after doing duty as lawn mowing attire.  I also like the fact that they don't use multi-million dollar salary athletes in their advertising.  The 890v4 is my lightest shoes so far.  I've only run in them once so far but they seem as though they'll work out well.  I didn't run any faster though.  I've still got some training to do.  Unlike my pair of Nikes which never felt comfortable on my right foot (Catching Up!).  I finally took a razor and shaved the arch on the insole this week.  I think that did the trick - no more blisters.

The NB 890v4 shoes in size 8.5 US weigh only 8 3/8 oz.  That's pretty light.  Especially as compared to the Pegasus' at 10 1/2 oz and the Cumulus 13s at 11 3/4 oz.  I weighed my Cumulus 13s when I bought my Nikes.  My Cumulus 14s that I now wear weigh 11 1/8 oz.  As compared to the Asics 13s or 14s and the Nikes, the New Balance 890v4 shoes are significantly lighter.  Maybe it will translate into faster race times.

(l-r) The NB 890v4, Nike Pegasus 28, and Asics Cumulus 14 shoes side-by-side

The Asics Cumulus 14 shoe on the digital scale - 11 1/8 oz.

The New Balance 890v4 shoe on the digital scale - 8 3/8 oz.

Below are several images of the NB 890v4 shoe.

I'll add that the shoelaces on the 890v4 shoes are also noticeably lighter than on my other shoes.  Of course the color is awesome too.  They match my club kits.

In summary, the New Balance 890v4 shoes are light, comfortable, and good looking.  What more could I ask for?  Oh, they could be cheap, but they're not.  I paid $109.99 US (not including tax) at Big Peach Running Company for my shoes.

So, my 15K Training Plan is done and I have a new pair of shoes.  It should be a fun summer.

Thanks for reading.