While it’s always embarrassing to take your bright shiny white shoes to their first run group…it feels like openly declaring that you haven’t been running because a true runners shoes are grungy and well worn…nothing makes me want to go for a run more than a new pair of running shoes.
In the past 6 months, I’ve also been testing out a variety of shoes because my old stand by changed styles and no longer felt like my best buddy. One new shoe that I have fallen for is my Saucony Kinvara, which I just purchased a second pair of…and yup you guessed it I wore them to Track Club on Monday and ran my fastest times ever!!!! 
Personally I think it’s the four leaf clovers on the shoe…or it could be the low profile design, more details on low profile shoes coming soon.
OTHER OPTIONS
New amazing shoes keep coming out and I keep wanting to try them all!! For example there is the new super yellow K-Swiss kwicky blade-light
Then I just received notice that TODAY my long time running partner the Mizuno has a NEW SHOE! The Wave Prophecy looks like a crazy futuristic shoe and well…I kinda dig it. 
These shoes have no foam, yeah you read that right you can find all the information here, but this is a quick snippit that caught my eye:
“The shoe essentially features two Wave plates, stacked and molded together at different densities to facilitate landing on either the forefoot or midfoot. This removal of most of the foam is definitely innovative and unique to this shoe.”
TROUBLE LETTING GO
AND YET… there remains one very large issue with new running shoes… I just can’t LET GO. Purse I don’t like anymore, donate it. Shirt I haven’t worn in a year donate it. Ratty hole under the arm of a dry fit race shirt…ehhh it might still be good for something…running shoes with over 600 miles that carried me through my last race…gosh they don’t look too bad.
Part of my separation anxiety comes from the fact that they keep changing shoes on me. Every time I find a style I love, I tend to buy it for a couple years…then they “upgrade” the shoe and suddenly it no longer fits the same and now I’m back to trying to find the perfect running shoe all over again.
For non-runners, this seems just a little psychotic, but for the marathon runner those shoes are your training partner. They will be with you for many miles and need to be able to flow with your slow runs and pick it up on the fast days, all while leaving your feet happy and comfy.
After spending all of those hours together, I feel like the shoes are just molded to my foot and I don’t want to let them go. However, all good things must come to an end…and then the cycle of new shoe giddiness can begin all over!
Yet, once retired I find my shoes either become my “walking shoes”, “muddy shoes”, “mowing shoes”…seriously I come up with any excuse to keep them. BUT as Chris just reminded me there is one good way for your shoes to LIVE ON…donate them to soles4souls or another organization. Check with your local run shop to find these kinds of things.
Do you have trouble letting go? Do you get crazy excited to have new shoes?
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Gratitude Journal
May 6
I am grateful for fun cinco de mayo
I am grateful for salsa
I am grateful for refried beans
I am grateful for straight teeth
I am grateful for friends pursing their dreams
28 comments:
I haven't even been running that long and I am already stoked about new shoes. The pair I'm in now will probably be in need of replacing once I run my half this summer, and I've already found the next pair of shoes that I want to try out.
But, I'm still not getting rid of these... I'm thinking they will become my cross-training shoes.
Yep, with you 100%. I even bought every pair of my favority running shoes that I could find, as soon as I heard that they were discontinued. I'm weird.
As for the Kinvaras: are you a neutral runner? I'm wondering how these shoes would work out for over-pronators.
I had a mini-freakout earlier this when it was suggested due to ITBS that I switch to something with a little more stability, which forced me to make the radical switch from the Adidas Supernova Glide (I was on my 4th pair) to the...Adidas Supernova Sequence.
I can't part w/old running shoes either. Unless they're really ugly, my most recently-retired pair usually gets demoted to being my casual-wear sneaker, and I sacrificed an older but not too beat up pair from earlier in my "career" to be my designated "mud run" event shoes.
I *love* new shoes! But I haven't gotten rid of the old ones yet. For some reason, I feel like I might need them in the future...One spare pair is reasonable, but I think I have three!
-Elaine
I LOVE getting new running shoes! The inspire me to go again when I am in a slump :)
As for parting with them, our local running store has a shoe the shoeless bin where you can drop off your used shoes and they are donated to people without shoes. I find that is a great place for my well loved shoes..they will get more miles helping someone who needs them!
We are women. We can't help but love shoes. And since we are runners, we can't help but love running shoes. I have been a Mizuno Wave Rider girl for years, but after having some foot pain tried about 10 other shoes in the last 6 months. Only to return to my tried and true Wave Riders. I say I am done experimenting, but I do like the Kinvara and am fascinated by the Prophecy.
i like letting go of my old running shoes b/c i retire them after 300 miles and i know they are still in good enough shape for someone else to wear them. my shoes aren't very flashy...i gotta wear what works!
Such a good and timely post. I am headed out to buy new shoes today and had just posted asking for advice yesterday on my blog. Thank you for your insight. I do wonder though, what you would recommend as being important to a fairly new runner (only started running 2 months ago and currently running 25-30 mils/week). I am currently training for my first half and have decided it's time for actual running shoes.
where the heck are you see four leaf clovers on the kinvaras? I have the same ones and I think you're loco. :p
I like my current shoes (I'm on my second pair of brooks adrenaline), but I can honestly say that I've never found a pair of sneakers that I'm in love with and won't part with.
I have a hard time letting go of running shoes as well. I finally donated my first beat up pair. I felt good about it but sometimes I miss looking at them. Random, I know, but it's true.
I lovvvve new shoes. :) Those are fancy, and way to kick butt at the track!
We have a MASSIVE bin of old shoes in the basement and hubs and I have VOWED to donate them at the race expo next weekend, where they will be collected. But I may have to keep my first pair...
Too bad your feet are bigger than mine - I have a pair of the Prophecy's that have only been worn twice. I'm not rockin' them now that I've gone minimalist...
I get so excited to wear new shoes. Mentally I just feel like I'm going to rock the run in brand new shoes! I have a hard time convincing myself to buy new ones though. If they worked for the last 500 miles, why change now? But then I look at the bottom of the shoe and realize I have to!
:)
I had a plan to donate all of my shoes at the race expo this past weekend, but I couldn't part with them! It's crazy, I know, but I'm glad I'm not the only one!
You've proved my long-held theory - new shoes make you run faster.
I love getting new running shoes! Such motivation! I am currently running in Saucony Kinvaras, but I am looking for a marathon shoe with a little more cushion for the long distance. I am leaning towards the Mizuno Wave Creations!
I have a closet full of running shoes. I am running in the Saucony ProGrid Mirage and love it!
I love getting new shoes, and I just recently purchased a new pair of running shoes myself! These are probably the first pair of shoes that I purchased for comfort and function rather than cuteness! I hope they make me faster too!
I'm not a runner, but I am a tennis player. I wear holes in my shoes every two months, so I am constantly buying new ones. Thank goodness the shoe I wear is so popular that they haven't upgraded it in like 7 yrs!
P.S. I did the"Preparing to go Sugar-Free" post as you requested ;)
have you seen the promo video on those new mizuno. Interestly, they almost seem to encourage and promote a heel strike.
and yes, I hold onto shoes too :)
so....my husband is sponsored my kswiss and I have to say, their running shoes are amazing! the blade kwicky lights are so nice!
Love the look of those Mizunos! I run in Mizunos but need stablity, Im guessing those wont work for me.
As for the shoe collection? I must have 10 old pairs sitting around. I know you can donate them and intend to, but I just cant get it done!
I absolutely know what you mean! I have a hard time switching shoes. I had worn Asics for years but switched to Brooks last year. I was worried at first but fell in love with them. I need a new pair and I heard the new version of the shoe I have is quite different, so I'm nervous again! I need to just stock up on them for the future...that would solve the problem, right? I wish we could rent shoes to try them out and then buy. That would be heaven.
I know what you mean. I use them till they wear out and I cant even mow or do chores in them. Love all my running shoes. I love all the new bright colors. I'm trying to transition in to vff's, but I so want to buy a pair of running shoe for he colors.
I read an article once from a guy who used to work at Nike who revealed that Nike took their most popular running shoe off the market in order to create panic. The idea of upgrading their existing popular shoes was to instill the thought "I need to buy a bunch of these while I can" in the customer. I have no doubt that while they upgrade unpopular shoes in order for them to sell better, they also upgrade popular shoes because they want you to buy more at one time.
Business always wins!
But I always keep one old pair of shoes around. They become my backup runners, my hiking shoes, my rainy/muddy day shoes, etc. They get donated once I have a third pair around though.
I tried on the Wave Prophecy and I have to tell you, you do NOT heel srike in those babies - the are super sweet! I felt like a giant though and at $200 a pop, I couldn't justify it ... not until more reviews come out. The shoes working best right now are the Kinvaras - we are twins!! Again! :)
My daughter lives in Kinvara's and loves them. The shirt you have not worn is a great start-of-cold-race tosser!
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