It’s a personal rule of mine to always go to an actual store before buying anything. Their policy allows you to exchange or return shoes within 30 days of purchase but only if they’re unworn. It’s a risk to buy Saucony shoes directly from their website, especially if you haven’t tried on their shoes at a store first. Not once have I worried about my feet slipping out during a run or walk. This is further proof of the stability of the Endorphin Speed 2’s fit. Now that I’ve broken them in more, I can remove them in my usual way, but it still takes a decent amount of force. After the first two or three test runs, I would have to sit down on the bench in my entryway to properly untie each shoe and then take them off. No exaggeration: It was a struggle to do that with these shoes. Normally when I get home from a run, I immediately take off my shoes by kicking them off at the heel using the other foot. One thing I’ll highlight for both feet is that my heels felt locked in place, which is a great thing! My feet felt incredibly secure in the shoe. I honestly don’t know whether it’s the shoes or that my right foot is wider than my left, but I guess this is why you should always try on shoes before committing to them. I barely notice the slight discomfort while running in them now I only really think about the fit when I first put on the shoes and stand still. When I first put the shoe on, my right pinky toe protruded slightly, pushing up against the shoe in an uncomfortable-but not painful-way. It was mostly the same for the right shoe, except for my pinky toe. There was just the right amount of room in the toe box so that I could wiggle my toes during my runs.
So unless I’m sick, hungover, or not awake early enough to run before the heat becomes too insufferable, I’m running about five days a week. My weekly training consists of three days of easy running (three to four miles), one day of a longish run (six to nine miles) with speed work mixed in, and one day of a long, slow distance run (eight or more miles) as well as some speed-endurance drills. I started training for the TCS 2021 New York City Marathon-my first marathon and the race’s 50th anniversary!-this June, which just so happened to coincide with SELF’s annual sneaker testing. I’m not exaggerating when I say this: I don’t think I could’ve found a better shoe to train for a marathon in. While I still run in them for long-distance training, the 2021 SELF Certified Sneaker Awards testing introduced me to my new reliable running buddy: the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2. Last year, for SELF’s 2020 Sneaker Awards, I reviewed the Saucony Endorphin Shift shoes and fell in love with their cloudlike cushioning. I only have a few regrets in life, and one of them is sleeping on Saucony running shoes for the last 25 years. You can see the rest of our award winners here. This Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 review is part of our 2021 SELF Certified Sneaker Awards, where the shoe won Best Neutral Sneaker.