My Shoe Fetish

Here are all the shoes I have gone through since I took up running seriously. Obviously, there have been many more shoes over the years.

Adidas Adipure Gazelle - Status: Road Running Shoe

These were given to me by Adidas ahead of launch. It's a transitional shoe but I am looking at it as a good middle distance shoe. This shoe is due for release Aug 2012.

Adidas Adipure Motion - Status: Everyday Shoe

This shoe has a little too much drop for me, so I have been using it strictly as a fashion shoe. This shoe is due for release Aug 2012.

New Balance Minimus Road (MR00's) - Status: Road Running Shoe
These are super light and minimal. I have been enjoying them. We'll see how I do with longer distances in these. They have certainly forced me more to mid-foot. My running has been getting sloppy with the Kinvara's.

Saucony Kinvara I - Status: Long Distance Road Running Shoe
I purchased these to have a shoe that could give me plenty of padding for longer distances, especially after I got two stress fractures and needed to take care in the recovery phase. The padding is a little much and if I do well with minimal, I may retire these to become my workout shoes.

New Balance Minimus Road (MR10's) - Status: Retired. Everyday Shoe
This is a solid shoe. It isn't as easy to wear without socks as the MT10's but it's a nice light shoe. I used it to recover when I had metatarsal stress fractures. It's too firm for my liking, so I retired it as an everyday shoe.

New Balance Minimus Trail (MT10's) - Status: Trail Running Shoe
I love these shoes. They are such an awesome looking shoe. For a while, I used them for all my road running. I had an issue with the tight band that runs across the front of them. I liked them so much, I pulled them out of retirement and cut the straps and they are still my trail running shoe.

Terra Plana Evo's - Status: Retired. Fashion Shoe
I was really disappointed that these did not work out for me. They are such a cool shoe. They are made from a recycled plastic material. Unfortunately, they bend right at the base of my big toe nail making me bleed on longer runs. I wish I had the mesh versions. They are now my fashion shoes. When I wear them, everyone asks me about them. They are super sexy.

Vibram 5 Fingers Bikila LS' - Status: Retired. Workout Shoe
I used these shoes on shorter distances to teach myself mid-foot strike. It was hard to get there but I finally re-trained myself. Not really a running shoe for me. I now use them at the gym for balance work but don't find forcing my toes into them particularly natural or comfortable.

Nike Free Run + - Status: Retired. Everyday/Recovery Shoe
I used these shoes to transition to more minimal shoes. I found them to be a little too spongy for running but my goodness are they a comfortable shoe to walk around in. They make a great recovery shoe. I wish there was a zero drop version.

Adidas Adizero XT Trail - Status: Retired and Donated.
I used these lightweight trail shoes my first winter. They were great when I started. I found them to be a tad narrow in the toe box. I have a wide foot. I retired them because I was having achilles issues and wanted to see if more minimal running could help.