The New Shoe Orientation

Hail my running brothers and sisters!  It seems like all I've done this summer is go on vacation, but at best, I've taken a vacation from my running.  This week I'm in Gulf Shores, AL with my family and my brother's family.  For those of you interested in the condition of the beaches, I have to say that they are not as bad as I thought they would be (I can't scoop up the oil and pour it into my car), but it could be better (it looks like the waterline has turned that part of the beach a rusty brown).  BP and the Gulf aside, I have managed to work in a few miles this week.  Despite the heat and my general sluggishness, I've been pretty happy hitting the road again.  So happy that I thought that I needed a new pair of running shoes.  It probably helped that my pair of Brooks Adrenaline 9's were looking the worse for wear.

So my traditional trip to the outlet mall came a bit earlier this week and I picked up a new pair of running shoes.  They are Saucony Grid Cohesion 3's.  A neutral cushioned shoe.  I'm sure that the Born to Run crowd are screaming foul on my apparent snubbing of the Saucony ProgGrid Kinvara, but in my defense, they did not have the Kinvara's where I was shopping.  Plus, I'm really cheap, and I got these for $35.00 plus tax.  Score!  In all seriousness, I'm still considering the Kinvara as a potential racing shoe, but I can't seem to pull the trigger on my tried-and-true Nike TriD III's.  Despite the fact that I've sipped the minimalist kool-aid in the past, the fact is that I'm a high maintenance runner.  I like to run with my MP3 player on occasion.  I find it almost painful to run without my Garmin Forerunner 305.  I will fill up my Aquapod handheld with G2 low cal.  And yes, I still need some moderate cushioning in my shoes for my everyday trainer.  It's sad to admit, but I'm not nearly as strong or bulletproof as I used to believe.  So if I can relieve my joints from a little stress by using a more cushioned shoe, then I will.  For me, the shoes are only part of the equation.  Now, I take more stock in having a comfortable, short stride over gimmicks and fads.  Just like anything else, it has taken some experimentation to find out what works best for me, and now I think I've found it.  And that means I wear shoes for now. Later kids.