21 Comments

That started a very "Bad" trend of being crazy for running shoes! Before running, I rarely bought shoes & now it takes over my life!! :)

Expand full comment

My first "real" pair was in 2010 & was the Mizuno Wave Creation 10 - Orange/White (May still have them somewhere). that I got on clearance as they were the previous year. I started running in average adidas shoes out in the country poles running between light poles & then taking a break & then running again. Didn't know back then I was doing intervals :) Bought the Mizuno before my 1st 5k. I still run on that same road almost every day 11 years later!

Expand full comment

2007 after I 'ran' that first mile at a middle school track in a pair of Nike basketball sneakers. I talked to the coach of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society team I was training with and he directed me to Nike. I ran in those for a long time before going to the Adidas adiZero Boston a few years later.

Expand full comment

I think I had some Nikes when I first flirted with running back in the late 1980's and early 1990's and I want to say they were Nike Pegasus, but I could be wrong. Flash forward to 2011 when I seriously got into it. I went to Running Etc in Norfolk and walked out with a pair of Brooks Ghost 3's, which I loved. Stayed in Ghosts until they came out with the Pure Flows.

Expand full comment

I think 2012 was the first year I got "real" running shoes. They were some kind of Nikes I got from a local tri store that is now out of business. I quote real as they gave me shin splints real bad and I almost quit running. I wound up hearing about Five Fingers and gave them a shot and loved them. Kind of wish I never stopped running in them as I've had nothing but problems ever since.

Expand full comment

First pair of real running shoes I got was in 1980. Adidas RX7, basically a racing flat, but I didn't know that and wore them as an everyday shoe. Got my first pair of Nike's in 1983, light blue with a yellow swoosh and waffle soles!

Expand full comment

For a Spartan Race that I walked with my son and a friend of his, I had bought the cheapest pair of decently rated trail shoes available on Amazon, Asics Venture. I started running shortly after that, alternating between those and an even cheaper pair of Wal-Mart sneakers. In early September 2015 (exactly 6 years ago), I registered for my first 5k. Bib pickup was at the local Fleet Feet (now closed), where I bought a pair of Saucony Guides and was also sold SuperFeet inserts.

Expand full comment

I remember getting running shoes to go out for junior high cross-country back in the mid-80s. I can't remember the very first pair, but among the first was a pair of Brooks Chariots. It was shocking how cushy they were--felt like running on a cloud. Later on my first pair of Waffle Racer flats gave me a sense of power and speed, like switching from a cruiser bike to a carbon race bike.

Expand full comment

Off topic: I have over the years gotten massages- deep tissue. How many of you get massages on regular basis? I'm a male runner: Next question how many get regular pedicures? I got my 4th one yesterday. It really seems to help with bottoms of my feet especially with corns.

Expand full comment

Have tried lot of different shoes. First few pairs were from Fleet Feet and also Medved's Walking and Running outfitters. Recent years purchased many from Running Warehouse and Saucony. Last few years Saucony shoes- Endorphine Pro #1 and 2. Also A-9. Previously ran in Brooks shoe like the Hyperion. What does surprise me is that two shoes can weigh exactly the same, but one feel much heavier then the other. Still getting miles out of the really cheap (39.95) shoes I bought. Currently at 229.5.

Expand full comment