I am not a competitive runner but more of a casual runner who does 5Ks on the side. I've always had "typical" running shoes, you know, the supremely cushioned, high heel box shoes that feel like running on a cloud. The problem I've had with these shoes is they almost force me to run on my heels first and I've felt the pain after in my knees and shins. The heel is always much more cushioned than the toe which creates this effect and makes it more difficult to get your toe down in front of you.

The more I've learned about running, the more I've wanted to change my running style to be more of a mid-foot runner to lessen the impact I am making on the ground and also not trying to propel myself so much with my lower legs.

The New Balance MRC1600 after much research was exactly what I needed. It is a fairly flat cushioned shoe with the heel and toe having much more of a balance of padding. I am a fairly neutral runner with a decent arch. At first I would say they felt a little too snug but after running in them for a few weeks they are perfect and I prefer them to be a little snug than loose. The interior of the shoe is comfortable and has no seams to irritate.

Out of the box
The biggest WOW moment comes when you open the box and take the shoes out. They are literally the lightest shoes I have ever held and really feel like you have no weight on your feet. It is pretty amazing, especially after weighting them side by side with my old "cloud" shoes.

While I have not yet mastered running mid-foot I will say that it is much easier to do so in these shoes. In my older shoes I would almost feel forced to run heel first and compensate too much to try to run mid-foot, hurting my legs further.

Looks
I really love the look of this shoe. The blue and yellow are bright and reflective and the design is perfect. Its a shoe that looks great and is nice and low to the ground.

Durability
I can't really comment too much on durability since I've only owned them for less than a month. The shoes do seem well built and I can only hope that being so light weight nothing was sacrificed in turn.