The Gel-Excite is where the ASICS running range starts. The 11 is a plain build — AMPLIFOAM PLUS in the midsole on a higher stack than before, an 8 mm drop, and a road outsole — and ASICS aims it at easy running and gym work in equal measure.
It suits you if you are taking up running and want to spend as little as possible, or if you want a cheap, uncomplicated pair for short, steady miles alongside better shoes. Move up the range once your weeks get longer and the mileage starts asking more of the foam.
It is soft, and that is about all it is. There is no plate and nothing clever in the midsole, and the weight starts to tell once a run goes long or the pace lifts. It is not a shoe for heavy mileage and it is certainly not a racer.