Time for New Shoes:
The time has come to purchase new running shoes. The last pair of running shoes that I purchased were the Brooks Ravenna 4, and they were great. I first purchased them to train for an upcoming soccer season and then used them sparingly over the last 4.5 years.
Now we’re here, almost 5 years later and I’ve been bike commuting to work almost for a year and the thought of run commuting kept popping up in my head. Then getting bored about a month or two ago pushed me over that edge to try it for the first time. Then I did it again (one week later) and then again (3 weeks later). Then I ran 8 miles one Sunday to get steps for a work competition. Magically, after getting back from that run, I turned on the time sucking device (called Netflix) and one of the suggested documentaries to watch was The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young.
The film was fascinating. Learning about the race for the first time was truly captivating almost like a siren, calling me towards it. I kept hearing this whisper in my ear (you know you want to do it… sign up…). Maintaining self-control, I choose the alternative and decided to purchase trail running shoes to replace my aging Brooks.
The Decision:
I chose to purchase new shoes from Amazon since we have an Amazon Prime account. Knowing I wanted to keep the price down and not knowing if I would continue to run in a month or two, I decided to choose between these two New Balance shoes, the Nitrel v1 FuelCore (on the left) and the 590 v3 (on the right).
After having both of them delivered and trying them on, I chose the Nitrel v1’s. The overall feel and comfort of the shoe was 10x better than the 590 v3. I did do a little research after ordering them and found out the 590 v3 are sold at DSW and Famous Footwear leading me to believe that they would be of lower quality. Once they arrived my preconceived notion held true. Instantly after slipping my foot into the 590 v3, I knew I would be returning them. What was crazy is that I paid more for them than the Nitrel v1… Hard to believe because when I pulled on the Nitrel’s it felt like a soft memory foam slipper. The difference was unbelievable.
The Nitrel v1 chose me and I could not be happier right now after only 15 miles. I’ll be sure to post an update along the way.
-thebidon
