Time to buy new running shoes!
Something that I really hate to do. The main reason is I have some OCD and like patterns and habits, they make me feel good, or at least sane in my own mind. With that I hate running shoe companies because I find a pair that I truly like and feel comfortable in and then when I go to buy the same pair again they are off the market. Which may be a good thing because it forces change on me. I try to always look at things from both sides.
I have been running (since last May) in Nike Free 4.0’s and feel lucky to have gone thru 2 pairs of them. I like them because they have no laces and feel like you are not wearing shoes. I also like them because typically I have only gotten new running shoes after the current pair either felt or looked to bad. By felt to bad I mean they loose shape and kind of feel flat. I am sure you know the feeling. With the Free 4.0’s they tend to feel flat from the beginning so I was on a schedule to get new shoes. Normally I am not so good about changing shoes for lack of money or lack of time to shop, I have in the past gone way to long with each pair.
So I logged onto Nike today and looked for my favorite Free 4.0’s and not to surprised they are not to be found. I am sure I could probably find a pair somewhere online however I decided to just go with another pair of Nike Free’s. They all have laces so that is one point I am not sure that I will like, but I will get used to it. Change is good and there is actually a few reasons for me to change my shoes now.
I have also since last May (when I moved) started running ultra distance races and also running more and more off road. The off road running is due to the lack of sidewalks. This was a forced change, although a good one and one that I feel has improved my running and endurance over time. I do understand the 4.0’s are not made for either of those styles but I was never one to follow the rules. However my feet really hurt from the lack of support after running a 50k Trail Run last October. I took that into consideration when I found the Nike Free 5.0 Trail shoes (due to the fact that I have that 50 miler next month) and decided that it would be best if I bought two pairs of shoes.
So with ultra distance in mind and also my daily normal running I decided to go with the Nike Free 7.0 and a pair of Nike Free 5.0 Trail shoes. The 7.0’s are nice because they are a bright yellow, the 5.0’s are just ok. I tend to feel better (in my mind) when I have either bright colored or ugly shoes. Strange I know.
So now you see a bit of my daily struggle with myself. One major reason I enjoy running. Its my time to be “Free”.
