Shoe Slut

I admit it...I'm a shoe slut.  What can I say, I have fickle feet!  For the past three years since I've been running regularly, I've worn three different brands of runners each year.  Does anyone else move around from brand to brand, or is it just me?  I've tried to be loyal, but I guess as I run more, I'm learning more about what feels good on my foot and sometimes companies make changes that I just don't like.  When I first got into running, I wasn't running really far distances so I didn't really dish out for really expensive runners.  My first runners were these Asics 1130s...

These weren't bad, but I know now that they're a little wide for my foot, and totally the wrong type of shoe...I don't supinate or pronate, so needed a neutral cushioning shoe.  I liked Asics and how cushiony they were, so moved up to the Asics Cumulus:

I actually didn't like the Cumulus at all, and they ended up becoming my street shoes almost immediately.  I found they were too heavy and I felt like I was clumping along...plus the toe box was too wide and my foot was slipping around.  Sigh, what an expensive mistake!

The search for the perfect shoe was on...and I found them...these babies were it:

Mizuno Wave Riders.  I loved these shoes!  They were light, and they came in a narrow width.  The fit on these were great and I went through three pairs last year when I was marathon training.  I also loved the look of these too...they just look fast.  And sexy.  Rawwwrr.

I was silly though.  I should have bought as many pairs as I could find, but I didn't think about it.  Of course, every year shoemakers slightly revamp styles, and I have to say the new version of the Wave Rider...not a fan.  The shoe itself looks OK (one complaint though...just because we're women doesn't mean we have to have cutesy poo pink runners!) and the shoe feels mostly the same except the part around the ankle.  It's like they added an extra half inch or something, so it rubs up high on your heel.  I'd read some reviews on the current Wave Rider, and a ton of people complained.  I can see why, becaues I've got a pretty skinny heel area and it was tight for me.  Bah!

My current Wave Riders are getting old, so I had to buy a new pair but I really didn't like the feel of the new Wave Riders.   As much as I wanted to stay loyal to Mizuno...dishing out $150 for a pair of runners that I didn't like wasn't something that I wanted to do, esp. after my Cumulus error.  After making the girl at my local Frontrunners pull out a zillion shoes (she was truly wonderful), I finally settled on these Saucony ProGrid Ride 3s:

These felt the most like the Mizunos in fit, but are realllllllyyyy cushiony.  I tested them out on the treadmill today, and they felt really springy...almost like I had pillows on my feet.  So far I really like them!  They're heavier than the Mizunos, but I think I'll get used to them pretty quickly.  If all goes well, I'm going to pick up a few more pairs (egads, thank god Hubs doesn't read this blog!!) to get me through marathon training.  Better go warm up the credit card!