Monday, January 20, 2014

Still talking about Running Shoes

Karin is confounded.  And not happy.  Once I found my "perfect shoe" last spring (in fact, two perfect pairs, which I alternated during training) she assumed she would be free of the constant chatter and internet browsing relating to running shoes.  Especially since I barely ran in the month and a half following Ironman, she assumed the deluge of repetitive running shoe discussion was a thing of the past.  So imagine her despair to discover that, 2 months post-Ironman, with no real training going on, and what passes for recreational running barely playing a role in my daily life, the constant shopping, comparing, selecting, purchasing, returning and analysis of my next running shoe is still happening!

Most recently, on a lark, I tried on a pair of Brooks Pure Cadence from a clearance rack.  They were a half size too small, but the Brooks website had them on end-of-the-year clearance for a killer deal, so I ordered them in my size.



I loved them for a minute, but after a few miles they turned out to be a bit narrow and have too much arch support.

So back they went and the search began anew.  Which led me to the Men's version of the Brook's Pure Flow.

They are WAY BRIGHTER in real life than in this picture!

On the website they looked like the color of pumpkin.  When I got them in the mail they were neon orange.  And because I wear a size 10 (8 1/2 men's), between the giant size and the crazy color they seriously resembled clown shoes!  Thus began the multi-day should-I-keep-them-or-return-them debate.  A debate that, surprisingly, does not fascinate innocent bystanders as it does me. Though I am less than thrilled with the color, the shoes are so comfy, so, mostly to save my relationship, I decided to shut up and keep them.  (My relationship survived Ironman training; I will not destroy it with running shoe obsession!)

These new shoes should last me at least 4-5 months; so Karin, and the world at large, should be safe from my running-shoe-obsession till then.

(Just a note...When Karin met me, I owned 1 pair of athletic shoes.  They were  a $25 pair of Spalding "running" shoes.  I wore them for everything.  Running, going to the gym, hiking.  Today I have 3 pairs of road running shoes, 2 pairs of trail running shoes, and 2 pairs of hiking shoes!)

My current line-up of athletic shoes!

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