Well, y'all... I went and did it. It was one of my goals for the month of August. I wasn't even planning on doing it quite yet. But I like a bargain. And they were the ones I'd been looking at anyways... Except for half the price. I couldn't pass it up, so I bought two pairs.
I'm a girl. Buying shoes is kind of our thing, right?
So check out the two new pairs of shoes I bought and learn more!
I'm a girl. Buying shoes is kind of our thing, right?
So check out the two new pairs of shoes I bought and learn more!
So before I get too far into talking about my new shoes, let me explain my previous shoe buying experiences to you.
"I need new shoes... I think I'll go out and buy a new pair of running shoes."
Gets to store.
"Oooh! These ones are pretty and cheap! I'll take them!"
And so was my entire process of shoe buying. Even running shoes. Not much thought went into it. No consideration into tread, purpose, cushion, drop (I didn't even know what drop was until a few months ago!)... Nothing except I thought they were pretty and I could afford them.
So this time around, I did a little research! Armed with my new-found knowledge on the varieties of running shoes; barefoot vs. minimalist; the pros and cons of 4mm drop versus 8mm drop; what the hell a toebox was... I was all set to purchase my next pair of running shoes.
My friend Coley is a Physical Therapy Assistant and she's always offering me tips on stretching and techniques for dealing with and preventing injury. She recently started taking additional classes on working with triatheletes, including evaluting running form. She has been talking about how she's transitioning to a zero drop shoe and had recently bought a pair of Merrell Road Gloves with an
8 mm cushion. She loves them. Swears by them in fact. And I had liked how they were when I tried them on.
"I need new shoes... I think I'll go out and buy a new pair of running shoes."
Gets to store.
"Oooh! These ones are pretty and cheap! I'll take them!"
And so was my entire process of shoe buying. Even running shoes. Not much thought went into it. No consideration into tread, purpose, cushion, drop (I didn't even know what drop was until a few months ago!)... Nothing except I thought they were pretty and I could afford them.
So this time around, I did a little research! Armed with my new-found knowledge on the varieties of running shoes; barefoot vs. minimalist; the pros and cons of 4mm drop versus 8mm drop; what the hell a toebox was... I was all set to purchase my next pair of running shoes.
My friend Coley is a Physical Therapy Assistant and she's always offering me tips on stretching and techniques for dealing with and preventing injury. She recently started taking additional classes on working with triatheletes, including evaluting running form. She has been talking about how she's transitioning to a zero drop shoe and had recently bought a pair of Merrell Road Gloves with an
8 mm cushion. She loves them. Swears by them in fact. And I had liked how they were when I tried them on.
So imagine my excitement when I was at TJ Maxx the other day looking for a foam roller (Coley's always harping on me about the benefits of this; I was finally caving.) when I find a pair of the Merrell Road Gloves in my size!
These ones are only a 4mm drop, but unlike Coley who does all her running on hard roads and treadmills, I do a vast majority of mine on dirt roads and trails, so the lack of the extra cushioning wasn't a big deal to me.
I took these ones out for a nice one mile run on Sunday and was pleasantly suprised by how well they felt on my feet. I know it's going to take time to transition safely to a zero drop shoe from my current 8mm drop New Balances, but I plan on phasing these ones in slowly and giving my feet time to adjust. I had already made changes to my form and stride, which makes the transition a little smoother, and I'm excited about getting to hit the road in these sweet new kicks.
Check out what Merrell has to say about them here!
These ones are only a 4mm drop, but unlike Coley who does all her running on hard roads and treadmills, I do a vast majority of mine on dirt roads and trails, so the lack of the extra cushioning wasn't a big deal to me.
I took these ones out for a nice one mile run on Sunday and was pleasantly suprised by how well they felt on my feet. I know it's going to take time to transition safely to a zero drop shoe from my current 8mm drop New Balances, but I plan on phasing these ones in slowly and giving my feet time to adjust. I had already made changes to my form and stride, which makes the transition a little smoother, and I'm excited about getting to hit the road in these sweet new kicks.
Check out what Merrell has to say about them here!
My pair I will be transitioning to the barefoot shoes with though are these sweet Merell Mix Masters! These ones have a 4mm drop, with 8mm of cushion in the heel and 4mm cushion under the ball of the foot.
These ones are more similar to the ones I'm currently running in and will be a great transitional shoe as my feet get used to running "barefoot."
Plus, these ones have a pretty nice tread to them, which should make them great for my trail running that I like to do. I haven't gotten out in these ones yet, but plan on taking them out for a test drive tonight! I'll let you know how they work out!
Merrell can tell you more about their spec's here.
These ones are more similar to the ones I'm currently running in and will be a great transitional shoe as my feet get used to running "barefoot."
Plus, these ones have a pretty nice tread to them, which should make them great for my trail running that I like to do. I haven't gotten out in these ones yet, but plan on taking them out for a test drive tonight! I'll let you know how they work out!
Merrell can tell you more about their spec's here.
I'm super excited about having gotten some actual running shoes that I put some thought and research into ahead of time. I had been looking at getting Merell's for awhile, with the added bonus that it's a locally owned company (Based out of Rockford, MI). The fact that I managed to get both pairs for the same price that I would have paid for one new pair of shoes... Added bonus!
Feel free to comment with the type of running shoe you use and your favorites!
Until next time! #RunLove!
Feel free to comment with the type of running shoe you use and your favorites!
Until next time! #RunLove!