Shoes I Have Loved

All these shoes attract a lot of opinion from those who cross our threshold. Ooh that's a lot of shoes, whose are these, why do you have so many, but you can only wear one pair at a time, why do you need all these, they're so dirty...and so it goes. I kind of see their point, but I run, these are my tools. But currently I'm not running and they're starting to catch my eye. At first, teasing and taunting. Then I'd acknowledge they haven't moved since Christmas Eve,  looking a little dormant, redundant, unnecessary. But now I'm looking (for blame) at them differently, wondering if there is any clue to my injury here. I run on roads, trails, over the hills, I run races, training sessions and for fun, all with differing conditions underfoot, demanding appropriate footwear. Comfort, stability, and most importantly for me, grip. My feet and ankles have never been robust enough to have one pair of shoes for all occasions. So this is what's in my virtual cupboard. Not a shoe review, but a reflection on my running. 

These are my 'best' road shoes. I've worn these only for racing. My Sunday trainers. Nike Lunar something or other, but no matter how many other shoes I try down at Tonys, each time I step into a pair of Nikes, it's 'ooh yeh, that's better'. I know they're soft, but I can race these from the box. I change them regularly. They go off after a while. These have few miles on them, but are two years old and were due to be changed soon. I didn't road race last year.

After a previous calf issue, I was advised to try a more stable shoe, specifically these Mizuno Wave-riders. Heavy and solid, they took an age to break in, causing me more aches and pains in the process. I use them for road runs only, certainly supportive, but always glad to get them off. They were pricey and I'm not inclined to replace them, but the notion of a 'hack' road shoe is appealing. They've been robust to be fair. I'd never race in these. 

I've had these INOV8's a while and use them mainly on the hills where grip is required but there's also a bit of structure to them so the often rocky terraine does penetrate to my feet. They're good in snow and mud, but comfortable over the firmer stuff. I'd also wear them for longer off road runs for when the weather is bad and the terrain variable. When you put these on, you know an adventure awaits. 

These Talons are perhaps my favourite shoe. They are light weight, structurally quite soft, but the grip is amazing. I wear these when it's wet down in the woods and mud is deep for my local shorter runs. There is such confidence with every footstep in these while those around are slipping and sliding. I've rarely been out of them this winter. Actually I think I wear them too much, as over harder ground they're quite uncomfortable. But as soon as I get to the woods, I'm fine. Hmmm!

Cross Country race spikes. I'll be honest, I felt a bit of a fraud when I got these and put them on for the first time. I've raced in them twice. So long as the going is soft these are great and make a huge difference. The light weight is tremendous and the grip absolute, but the first time I raced in these and we crossed a Tarmac road, I had images of the spikes poking up through the shoes into my feet. Very tight calfs after also, so needed a good stretch. Short races though. 

These are my new trail shoes. New! I've had them 4 months. Clearly not used yet, but that says more about the weather. The grip and 'drainage' from the Talons is far better than these or any trail shoe where I've been running over the winter, so have defaulted to those. In spring when the paths harden and training moves to occasional wet grass, these will be used then. I never used to have trial shoes until a few years ago. I had road shoes and fell shoes, but for dryish trails or training on grass, I needed both grip and support. 

My previous trail shoes have now become what I slip into to empty the bins, go to the garage, car washing, that kind of thing. Sometimes a shoe that's lost its integrity or is damaged can only be a few months old, and seems criminal to throw away. So I don't. Eventually they go to the recycle centre. I don't like letting go of a shoe that taken me on some memorable journeys. 

Finally, these are former road shoes but now those I use for the gym or a class. These are so comfortable and are literally starting to fall apart. I think the green Nikes will take their place soon. They're clean and don't smell, not something that my other shoes lay claim to, so suitable for indoor use...I think. 

And this is what I'm currently wearing. I won't be keeping this for long, I hope!

It does seem an extravagant collection, but it's meant to keep my feet fresh and injury free. The theory is good, but clearly I have a rogue pair or my application of the theory not quite ideal. Oh dear...the answer's staring me in the face.