Asics to Brooks

Asics betrayed me. They quit making my beloved shoes, the Asics Gel Frantic 5 in green and black version. I seriously wore through seven different pairs of this beloved shoe. I LOVE those shoes, I still have one pair that I have basically worn thin - however I refuse to get rid of them, I LOVE them and no longer run in them however I do still wear them to go shopping, or play at the park with my little cousins, or take a short hike. The bottoms are smooth as a babies bottom and I LOVE them. It is probably to the unhealthy point buuuutttttttt I LOVE those shoes.

Brooks Pure Cadence 

I tried a new pair of Asics and I don't love them, they are heavy and uncomfortable, I tried on about seven pairs of shoes in the store and these were the most comfortable. They aren't comfortable for a long run, they are fine if I am just walking the dog or doing something short, but the long runs in these shoes are out of the question.

I gave in and went online. I looked at the Asics options and wasn't impressed by anything. I decided to try a new brand, I looked at Nike, but those don't always fit amazingly well and often feel heavy on my feet. I have read a few reviews of the Brooks shoes, and have decided to give them a shot.

They aren't as heavy as the Asics I had been wearing, they fit fairly well, they aren't my beloved Gel Frantic 5's after one run but I don't hate them like I did my Asics. I think with a few more runs, I may just come to love them as a new substitute for my beloved shoes.

The laces through me for a loop at first due to them not running directly down the middle of the shoe, it took me a minute to figure out what I thought about it. Once I had the shoe one it didn't even phase me. The arch support in this shoe is great. My most favorite thing about these shoes is they are SUPER light weight which is amazing!

I have several runs now under my belt in these new shoes and they are WONDERFUL for sure. They are ridiculously light and ridiculously wonderful! I am excited to run in these this weekend in the Fargo Half Marathon.


Have you ever fallen in love with a pair of shoes like this?
How do you pick out new shoes?
Are you brand loyal?
What brand do you prefer?

Minimalist Shoe

Confession: I am not one who looks forward to my yearly physical - no real reason. I just never look forward to it. This year I was particularly unexcited, my doctor (who was amazing) had retired last May (which I am thankful she is retiring so she can enjoy this phase in her life) but it left me without a primary care doctor.

This past week I got a call from the doctors office noticing it had been over a year since my last physical and wondering if I'd like to schedule one, begrudgingly I agreed and they listed off the doctors who were accepting new patients. I know nothing about any of them so I told them I would prefer a female if that was an option and then felt like I was playing Russian roulette. I wanted a doctor who I felt comfortable around (I know if the first one wasn't what I was looking for, I could switch, but then I felt like I had an endless cycle coming of doctor switching.). They scheduled me for a new doctor at the clinic I go to. Blah I was getting the new kid, who I was afraid was going to be 12.

Much to my surprise, I hit a home run, the new doctor is wonderful. What makes her even more wonderful is that she has a vast knowledge of sports medicine (she has done a ton of work in it). When we were talking she was examining my knees (which have had 4 surgeries on them) and gave me some advice about maintaining them. I also told her a bit about how my one knee has been bothering me, it clicks, it swells, it's annoy (it won't keep me from running in January, I am too stubborn, plus she said I'd be fine). Anyways, she suggested that I start to work down to a minimallist shoe, she thinks it may help my knees. She also talked me through how to make the transition.

I do have a pair of Vibram 5 fingers shoes that I wear when I am just out and about and love them. However she warned me about what happens if I transition too quickly to a more natural shoe. I am excited to shoe shop again (since Asics no longer finds it necessary to make the same shoe that I fell in love with four years ago). I am excited to go try on some shoes and see if I can make the transition to a less supportive shoe. She suggested the Nike Frees after looking at my arch and all that good jazz. Whoop Whoop.

Anyways, so now that I am over my Asics (or at least trying pretending to be) I am ready to go to a bigger town than mine (seriously not many good options in terms of looking for running shoes in my town) and try on some shoes.

I am also jazzed that my new doctor isn't totally lame and won't be retiring next year (I would guess she is about my age).

Sad Day

I will be the first to admit that this is a first world problem, however when I read the e-mail I still was very sad. I ordered some running shoes about a month ago and thought it was strange that I still haven't gotten the shoes in. I emailed the online company selling the shoes and asked why I hadn't yet received the shoes (my credit card hadn't been charged yet either) and I was hoping that my order had just gotten lost somewhere in the shuffle of things. This morning when I opened my email what I had feared had happened, they no longer have my size or my shoe available. SHOOOOOOOOOT. Not so excited to read that this morning. What this means, it means I can no longer get my beloved shoe.

I am seriously debating emaling the asics company just to see if they happen to know of someone who has these shoes sitting around somewhere that I could buy from them. I love these shoes, they fit like a glove and I love running in them.

Sad day, I think I am back to the drawing board and have to go try on shoes again. Stink. Stank. Stunk.





Any suggestions for shoes?
Any favorite kinds I should try?

Asics

Ascis Gel Frantic 5 - Women's Lime Green

I love my running shoes. End story. I love these shoes. They came out about three years ago (I am currently on my 3rd or 4th pair) - I LOVE THEM. The problem is I now don't want to transition to any other shoe. These ones feel like I am walking on clouds and are the most amazing shoe to run in. I love these shoes. I am now to the point that I order them online and in quanity when I can find them. They are getting harder and harder to find. I cannot say enough how much I love them. Coming from a smaller towm my options for shopping for athletic appareal is very limited so it is nice that I know exactly what shoe I love and what size I need and can just order it online, makes everything easier.

If you are looking for a running/athletic shoe, I highly recommend Asics. They are lovely! [no I was not asked to write this review, I just love these shoes enough to write a review of them]

I am now off to try to find somewhere online I can order another pair, mine are going to wear out before my January half marathon.