Thanks to the generosity of RAGNAR and Reebok this year, I was given a pair of Reebok One Guide 3.0 shoes. This came at a fortuitous time since my older shoes were long overdue for retirement. Excitedly, I took them out for a run this morning. While it is a bit premature to provide a full review on a pair of shoes after a single run, I do believe it is important to provide those first impressions when evaluating shoes.
Quick Summary
Rating: 4 out of 5
Pros: Great ankle support. Shoe feels lighter for being a "heavy duty / long distance" shoe.
**Cons: **Padding feels a little light near the from top the shoe, which would have been helpful for steeper hills.
Initial Feel
When I first laced up the shoes, that wonderful feeling of fresh cushioning was there. The cushioning didn't feel "too fluffy" as I've found in other shoes. There was a good balance between "fluffy" and "supportive" in this regard. The top mesh of the shoe really makes the shoe feel lighter than anticipated for a "heavy duty / long distance" shoe as I've had in the past. This is nice, especially when you're near mile 8 or 9 and it feels like you have weights around your ankles.
Downhill Stability
The first part of my run in downhill on a trail that has been washed out due to rain lately. There are some pretty nasty grooves in places and lots of loose rock from the drainage. I was a little surprised at how "sure footed" I felt going down the terrain and even felt comfortable enough to pick up my pace a little. I was really happy with the ankle stability the shoe provides in this regard. The extra treads on the bottom (look a little bit monster truck-ish) could have helped too 8^D
Uphill Climb
Shortly after the trails I hit a small steep incline on the road. I noticed a little extra stress on the balls of my feet, where previous shoes didn't have this. I think if there was a little more padding added towards the front of the shoe this would have not been a factor.
Flat Road
I don't have much flat areas on my runs, but once I found some, the shoes were very supportive and light on the feet. I still felt I had control of the terrain (I've been in some shoes where it felt like I was a foot off the ground with no control) and the added support allowed me to push the pace a little harder.
Final Thoughts
I'm really excited to see what adventures await with these new shoes. The initial prospects of them look promising, but I need to break them in a bit more. I'll report back in a month or two, but for now they get a 4 out of 5 rating for me.