Green Shoe Diaries (and Run 12)

You knew this post was coming.  You knew it was coming soon.  You've known since I told you I already had a pair in mind.  You probably knew it was coming before I did.

I tried to hold out.  I really did.  I stuffed my ears with beeswax.  I lashed myself to the mast.  But the shoe Sirens always lure me towards the rocks.

I'd been doing some obsessive research harmless browsing.  Merely window shopping.  I figured out how much room I had on the credit card carefully considered my budget, considered hiding it from my wife consulted with my wife, and sped casually drove to the store.  (ok enough of the strike throughs)

I'd already tried on several pairs of shoes in Coralville at a great store called Running Wild, including the new Nike Pegasus and the Saucony Triumph; both of which I really liked.

But I knew that if I really wanted to do the right thing, I needed to try on more shoes.  I went to Fitness Sports in Windsor heights.  Having done my research, I tried on three different pairs that I thought might do the best: the Brooks PureFlow, the Newton Sir Isaac, and the Saucony Kinvara.  I trust that the salesman was impressed with my knowledge of what I wanted though confused when trying to determine if I was really a runner based on my physique.

So, the Kinvara just didn't feel right for me.  It is more of a minimal shoe, though still with some cushioning.  It didn't have the amount of cushioning I was looking for though.  I also thought I could feel something poking into my medial arch and I just wasn't a fan of that.  So that contender was out from the first wearing.

It came down to the Brooks and the Newton.  The Brooks already had the mental edge in my mind from what I'd already researched.  The Brooks also had a head start because it was $55 cheaper than the Newton.  But I wanted to test them both fairly so I ran several laps in the hallway behind the store in both.

I really like both shoes.  The Newtons definitely felt unlike any shoe I'd ever worn before.  Because of the lugs in the front of the shoe, they felt like those shoes for building your calf muscles that would inevitably lead to you competing in the NBA slam dunk competition despite the fact that you're a short fat boy from Oklahoma.  No?  That was just me?  Although walking in them felt weird, running in them felt pretty good.  I didn't noticeably feel the action/reaction technology that Newton touts, but they shoes felt nice and springy in the midsole.  The Sir Isaacs are supposedly more forgiving than other Newtons if you mis-step and heel strike rather than the mid- to forefoot strike they're designed for.  I did notice a couple of times when I hit with my heel.  It wasn't painful or anything but it definitely felt awkward.

Then it was time to test the Brooks.  It wasn't like the heavens opened up and choir music started playing, but they did feel really nice when I put them on.  I've been told that the best test for whether a shoe is right for you or not is that you don't even notice you're wearing them.  That was definitely true for the Brooks.  When I was running in the back hallway with them, if it weren't for their tapping on the ground, I wouldn't have known I was wearing shoes at all.  I didn't feel any of the familiar pain and tension in my shins that I've grown accustomed to, despite running several circuits back and forth behind the store.

So, with the store closing and my money literally (come on, you guys know me better than that) burning a hole in my pocket, I faced the moment of truth.  It probably came down to my preconception and the price difference, but I ultimately went with the Brooks.

So as soon as I got home, they were subjected to rigorous inspection by my shoephiliac daughter:

Having passed her inspection, she deemed them worthy of my feet and helped me try them on:

After consultation with Brooks' website, I learned they are actually designed to go with the sole on the bottom of your foot.

So later in the evening, I took them for a run on the treadmill (that way I can take them back if they're not what I'm looking for).  N.B. I HATE treadmills.  They never seem to fit my stride and I hate not being able to easily adjust my cadence or stride as necessary.  So this was a short(although not short compared to two weeks ago) test run

April 2, 2012

Time: 9:15 PM

Weather:  Climate-controlled

Route:   Treadmill

Running Partner:  Watching the SEC beat the Big XII in yet another sport.  Damn.

Distance/Pace:   1 mile at 10:43 pace

How it felt (More importantly, how the shoes felt):  The shoes felt really great.  I was going along for quite a while without feeling any pain or tightness at all.  My feet felt really cushioned (which was important because I think I'm getting a corn on the bottom of my right foot, but I didn't feel it at all).  Towards the end of the mile, both legs really started tightening up.  I'm laying this squarely at the feet of the treadmill though.  I think it was because I wasn't able to find a comfortable pace/stride on the treadmill.  I say this because almost as soon as I was done, i.e. much quicker than normal, the pain went away completely.  The only discomfort I felt during the run that I would attribute to the shoe was some slight pulling on my calfs.  I think that is because of the comparatively low heel-toe drop in these shoes.  I'm going to take them outside for another run today and see how they hold up when I can control my pace and stride better.