There’s a saying that goes something like, ‘don’t skimp on the things that stay between you and the ground’. I’m not saying it quite right, but the point is, the things that go directly between you and the earth; like shoes, tires, or beds, for example, are not the ones you should cheap out on. So with that being said, finding the right shoes and replacing them regularly is essential.
I personally have usually been an Asics fan, getting a new pair every 400 miles or so, not deviating from the same model, despite moving half way around the world and back.
But my most recent pair disintegrated. Literally. Take a look:
I have never in my life had a pair of shoes react like this. Especially not at this price, with today’s GT 2000s coming in at over $100. Needless to say, it gave me some pretty strong motivation to change things up and try something else. Sorry not sorry?
So for this set of shoes, I choose to give the Nike Winflo a try. And so far, I’m impressed. The padding feels moderate compared to the Asics, but they’re easier to move in. They also haven’t had any sort of blistering or trouble breaking in. I haven’t taken them on a really long run yet (so far the most is 3.5), but they feel good over shorter distances on concrete.
One caveat: if you have high arches, I would also recommend Superfeet Green if you’re feeling a little close to the ground in these. I was recommended them by a physical therapist in high school and have never looked back since then.
Another bonus of the Nikes? I can slip them on with a pair of jeans and not look oddly mismatched (a definite drawback of those Asics in particular). In fact, I wore them to an outdoor work event that required me to be walking all day, and not only were they super comfortable, they also got tons of compliments.
In other words, so far so good on these. I’m interested to see how they hold up over longer mileage, but in terms of comfort and in terms of actually, holding together, as the previous pair did not. To give the Asics credit, there were many reasons why I bought them over and over again. I ran all over Madrid in Asics and loved them. But sometimes a little change is all you need.