Trail Running Blog

New Balance 768 Running Shoe Review

When I started running again about a year ago, I needed a pair of running shoes, but didn’t want to buy new shoes just for casual running. So I just asked an old runner friend if I could have one of his old pairs, which any runner knows is not a good idea. I was fortunate enough to get a pair of running shoes that was still in decent condition and didn’t give me any injuries (it probably helped that I only ran a couple times a week).  I should have learned from that past to choose the right pair of running shoes. But I finally got a new pair this last week and took it for a run right out of the box the same day I got them in the mail. I think I’ve ran in every major brand of running shoes available, but got a pair of New Balance running shoes from New Balance Harrisburg. Here is my take on the shoes..

New Balance 768 Running Shoes

The Look

When I was looking at different running shoes online, I saw pictures for the New Balance 768 and saw the colors on one site and felt that they were too bright colored. However, when they arrived in the mail, I was pleasantly surprised. They weren’t too flashy where other people would do a double take on them, but they still looked really nice.

The Feel

When I first put on the shoes, I noticed all the cushioning that my old pair of shoes lacked. I also felt like I was taller, which probably was the fact that these shoes were new and there was actual grip on them! I had tried on quite a few pair of New Balance running shoes from local shoes stores to know what size to order online. It’s weird because my previous pair of running shoes was one whole shoe size smaller than the New Balances that I got. I guess it’s not that weird considering all shoes are not created equal and different brands have different sizes for the same number. So it was good that I did the test fittings because the New Balances would have been too tight for me.

Bells & Whistles

I broke out the new shoes on a fairly easy run with a coworker of mine. When I bought my first pair of dress shoes for my internship, I didn’t have a car so I walked to the bus stop, which was anywhere from 10-20 minutes away. I received so many blisters the first couple of uses of those dress shoes, until they finally got broken into. Running in my new pair of New Balance 768’s was opposite of those dress shoes. They were very light-weight and comfortable to run in.

Other Features

I did a search for the New Balance 768 running shoes and saw some other cool features about the shoes that I thought was worth mentioning:

• 360 reflectivity for nighttime running safety
• Two density collar foam, improved heel fit
• Breathable mesh for ventilation
• Sure-lace, increase lace lock security

Those are all cool features, but the two I liked most is the Sure-lace and collar foam. I used to have a pair of running shoes where if my socks were too low, would rub against my achilles and get blistered. Also, when I first tied the shoes up, I noticed the laces and at first thought that was weird. Almost every other pair of shoes I’ve had was either round or flat. But the Sure-lace is designed to help keep laces tied up, I know I have any so many instances where my laces would loosen and I would have to stop and re-tie them.

Conclusion

Now since I got my old running shoes from my friend and hadn’t run for years before that, I have not really been aware of any advancement when it comes to running shoes. So all of these cool new features in my New Balance 768 running shoes may be old news to current runners. Either way, I’m very happy with mine and can’t wait to put in some more miles on them!

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