Monday, December 20, 2010

New Kicks!

Christy and I have started working out together, which I've really loved.  I've soooooo missed running!  We've been at it since the beginning of December and, despite a couple setbacks and getting my butt kicked by the trainer on several occasions, I'm happy to report that we're both still trucking!

Partially as motivation and partially because we honestly needed to replace them, we both went to get new running shoes.

Now, for those who may not know, I was (and sort of still am) a shoe geek.  Besides all my trips to Runners Supply, I was lucky enough to work at Bob Roncker's Running Spot, one of the best running shoe stores in the country as well as coming back to Runners Supply to work during one of my summers in Canton.  During any free moment, I would run back to the stock room to try on all the shoes to get myself familiar with them (I mean, you can't sell what you don't know, right?).  I kept a catalog in my mind of model names, features, weights, fits, etc. and loved it!  

Aaaaaaaanyway...back to the present.

My old shoes (when I bought them) were the latest and greatest of Nike's Structure Triax line.  I picked them up while Christy and I were on honeymoon at the now defunct Honolulu Niketown.  They were light, responsive, cushy, and decently supportive.  Good shoes, overall.  I've been running in various models from the Structure Triax line since I was a freshman in high school, and it's nice to see that Nike kept making them as a quality mid-range shoe.

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Out with the old...and in with the new: the Asics GT-2160.  Like the Structure Triax, I'd run in one of the shoes from this line in high school as well.  In fact, the GT-2040 had been the first regular running shoe that I'd run sockless in (by Senior year, I was racing regularly in spikes and flats without socks).  These are pretty quality shoes as well.  I like them because they're a little more stiff than the cushy and light Nikes.  While this sounds counter-intuitive, keep in mind that I'm just over 200lbs.  Light and cushy shoes get pounded to death at that weight, but I find that more solid shoes are actually more comfortable and supportive without feeling like bricks.

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And now, the two shoes side by side:

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Soooooo...a lot of rambling about new shoes--especially because I've only run in them about three times for a total of 5-6 miles.  Truth is, much like running, being a shoe geek is a hobby I forgot that I enjoyed!

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