Please, Don’t Smudge My Puma

Thoughts on the Faas 550 and Pumagility

For the past three months, I have worn both the Faas 550 and the Pumagility shoes at The Fit Pit. The Faas 550 is extremely light weight and incorporates something called a BioRide sole. Do I care? Not really. What I do care about is the fact that this is the first running shoe of my post-collegiate years not to cause me foot pain or IT-band stress during my first 10 runs or so. If that’s the BioRide’s doing, more power to it. Plus the things look cool. Like the FBGs, I think these shoes make me look fast.

The Pumagility shoe really is agile!

The Pumagility is also very light weight. It incorporates some bio technology of its own, too—this time called BioStability. It’s a diamond-patterned wall supporting the lower ankle and while I can’t say I really notice a difference in the feel of the heel/ankle area as compared to the Faas 550, I can say I haven’t rolled an ankle during burpees or box jumps since I put the shoe on. So, once again, thanks, Puma bio-scientists. In this case, I believe the shoe makes me feel more springy than fast, which comes in handy for your confidence when you’re on your 10th rope climb.

Regarding my “legendary” ability to explode shoes, aside from a few minor aesthetic issues that may or may not have had anything to do with a 4-year old, 4-legged shepherd and what I can only imagine she thought was a friendly game of keep away, both pairs are holding up nicely, too.

Now, I’m not a Puma expert, so I have no idea if these shoes are par for the course for them. If you want that kind of information, I’d track Big T down. I’m pretty sure he’s been pimping their gear ever since Chris Rock validated his personal fashion sense in 1999. What I can tell you, is that for the first time in my active life, I may have found a brand. —Ryan Walters