Fixin' Leaks and Leeks

Inspired by mud flats or ocean tankers, my running shoes of the past are what ogres and blobfish would wear if they needed to skedaddle for 3.1 miles. Not to say they were bad shoes or “ugly” really. I just got tired of the same two choices: navy blue or black. Years ago, I discovered Saucony running shoes, and I love them. They cushion my feet perfectly and have reduced some of my injuries, which probably don’t stem from the shoes. (I’m re-learning to run again after a bout of physical therapy.) However, I was hoping to change up the colors a bit—and Saucony delivered. Their Triumph 24 in white/flower are what rainbows would wear if they wanted to outrun Nate in an Aloha shirt.

I’ve stuck with the Saucony brand for at least ten years now. It’s the only shoe I’ll wear through the airport or on the treadmill or some random loop around a hotel, but I do have to take them off when seated for long trips because my feet swell. I know, that’s what compression socks are for, but I tried them once, and my legs did not like them. I found letters they’d sent to the manufacturer titled “Are You Actually Trying to Kill Us?” and “Kick the Habit, Death to Compression Socks.”

In any case, when I asked Google what it said about me that I only buy Saucony shoes, Google reminded me that Saucony is not a flashy brand. I don’t know why Google needed to tell me that, other than maybe it’s hinting that I can’t “hang” because I’m not bougie enough. But I kind of like doing my own thing, so if that’s Saucony, then I’m Sauconying it hard core. Google also said that I must crave proven performance (whatever that means) and value. In other words: sturdy, safe, and cheap. But if I’m so cheap, how come I bought two pairs? (The all-white shoes looked so good on my feet, I couldn’t resist! I don’t even want to take those running. They will be my “real” shoes for summer and spring.)

When I first started running, I wore any kind of shoe. I was in my early twenties. I could fall down a flight a stairs, land portside, and get up and bust a move to “Whoomp! There it Is” like nobody’s business. Around my late twenties/early thirties, however, I realized I needed some better shoes, so I went to a “fancy” running store, and they told me that even though my foot was a size 7-7 ½, I should be wearing size 8 ½ shoes to account for swelling when running.

Wearing the 8 ½ size shoe worked, until it didn’t. By my late thirties/early forties, I was developing Achilles tendon issues, probably because the shoe was smacking me in the back of the foot while I ran. A podiatrist told me to lower the size back down to 8—and I think that’s when I started buying Saucony shoes on a regular basis. And, even if I’ve been a repeat offender at physical therapy sessions (not because of the shoes)—I’ve become a better runner, form-wise. (I am not fast. I have no desire to run like the wind. The wind is exhausted. It just needs a steady pace (nine- to ten-minute miles) on a flat surface for about thirty minutes or so.)

But how do you pick a running shoe? Runner’s World breaks it down pretty well, but the shoes they suggest are all shoes my feet have rejected. Saucony did not make their list. But for me, they’re the best at supporting my feet if and when I practice everything I’ve been told: don’t slam the feet while running (quiet feet only), land on the middle of the foot, try to fire up the larger muscles in the body (glutes, calves, thighs), and buy new shoes every six months or sooner, if running more often.

But also, I’m torn. These shoes are sooooo pretty! I don’t want stinky running foot stench all in them. I want them to smell like Skittles and lemon drops. I want them to taste the colors of the sky and dream of unicorns and neon pink coral—and not my feet getting shoved into them each day. So it looks like I’ll be wearing out the tread a bit more on my mud flat- and ogre-inspired shoes to see how far they’ll get me until I’m arrested for the other athletic wear fashion crimes my ratty T-shirts have committed.

Your Turn: Is there a brand of anything (doesn’t have to be shoes) that you’re loyal to?