Wednesday, November 30, 2011

My ASICS are like a Ferrari?

Training for the JFK 50 mile race meant that I went through shoes crazy-fast. It is recommended that you replace your running shoes every 400-500 miles. (Yes, I do keep track.) So, that means had to get a new pair of shoes like every month and a half. That is not cheap, but so necessary. Running shoes can make you or break you. You have to have the right fit. Whenever anybody asks me advice about how to get into running, I always tell them first and foremost to go to a speciality running store to be fitted for the right shoe. 

About 2 weeks into my JFK training I decided to have my gait analyzed again. I had been wearing a high stability shoe, the Mizuno Wave Alchemys, for seven or eight years. I had the sense that maybe I should be in a more neutral shoe, and my hunch was confirmed after the folks at RoadRunner Sports watched me run. After testing out several different shoes, I have fallen in love with my ASICS Cumulus. They feel lighter, flexible, less clunky and cushion my foot. It feels like I am running on clouds. But, even though I love my new kicks, I am having a hard time getting rid of my last 2 pairs of Mizunos. I don't know why. I have this weird attachment to them. They carried me through 5 marathons, qualified me for Boston and when I put them on to run errands or whatever, even though they feel heavy and stiff, they are still cozy and comforting.
Time to clean out the shoe stash - That's over $650 worth of shoes!
Even though I am happy with my ASICS, I often browseI was browsing through another local running store recently, not for anything particular. Just browsing. I was asking the "kid" about Newtons. (With full disclosure that I am not looking to switch shoes right now because my ASICS work. They carried me through JFK training uninjured, so I have faith in them.) Newtons just intrigue me. They look fast. He told me I should definietly switch shoes because, "ASICS are like Ferraris - high quality but require a lot of maintenance." Huh? What does that even mean? And aren't Ferraris fast too? I'm all over a fast, high-quality shoe, little dude.
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3 comments:

  1. Running store guys are strange sometimes :) I love my Brooks, but sometimes I wonder if I'm in the right "type" of Brooks. I think it's natural to always wonder if a different brand or model of shoe would somehow be the key to awesome running. :)

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  2. I'm so intrigued by Newtons though I've never actually run in them. Maybe someday. :)

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  3. such a weird comment for that kid to make! i don't get it at all.
    i have been wearing asics forever. for the past 2+ years i've been in the nimbus, which is a neutral shoe but with a lot more cushioning than the cumulus. it always felt fine until this past marathon training cycle. maybe it was because i was postpartum, i'm not sure, but after the marathon i decided it was time to look for a different shoe (i didn't want to make any major changes while training for mcm). so i went through the whole process and tried on tons of shoes. the shoe that felt best on me was the cumulus. i think my feet are just happy in asics! i love the cumulus - it feels so light compared to the nimbus. i do plan to also get a more minimal shoe, but not the newton (not yet!). i'm debating between the brooks pure cadence, the saucony kinvara 2 or the new balance 1400. i won't wear them all the time but want to work my way into them slowly and have more than one shoe i'm alternating between. there are so many awesome shoes out there, but some of them just don't feel right when you put them on and others feel perfect!

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