Nu Shooz

My mother gave me a gift card to Super Runners Shop for my birthday this year, which was in June, and I’m very excited to have finally stopped procrastinating and used it.

My last two pairs of running shoes were Sauconys and I’ve been really happy with them. For years before that, I was a Nike girl – mostly because I just liked the design. But a trip to a specialty running store a few years ago changed all that when the salesperson analyzed my feet and running style and determined that Sauconys were the way to go. (Apparently Nikes tend to run on the thinner side, while my feet tend to run on the wider side.)

So I was happy sticking with what’s worked, and was advised that the Saucony Guide series would be a good fit for me and my mild to neutral pronation. While of course I wanted a pair that felt good, I was also hoping to find a color scheme I liked. I hate brightly-colored workout gear, not to mention ANY clothing with patterns. I really hate patterns. I don’t know why. It’s fine on other people. On me, it makes me feel like I have dirt all over me or something. I don’t know. Anyway, most running shoes are not patterned, but a lot of women’s shoes ARE brightly-colored, which is annoying because not every lady likes rainbow colors! It makes me think a bunch of running shoe company dudes sit around conference rooms saying things like “Ladies like pink stuff, right?” “I guess?”

I think a lot of stuff annoys me?

So I was hoping for a mostly gray shoe and luckily, Saucony came through. Here they are! Saucony Guide 10.

And, for the first time in my life, I decided to buy myself a second pair of running shoes. I wanted another pair I could wear for speed work, fast runs, and races. I thought it might be fun (and useful) to switch it up – it would be good for my feet and, I hope, my results. Here are my racing shoes, the Saucony Kinvara 8.

Purple is one of those colors I’m okay with. Not too flashy, close enough to black that it doesn’t feel too girly. I’ve never owned shoes meant solely for fast runs and races. I’m eager to see how it affects my training and pace.

I also threw in some socks (also Saucony, which I didn’t even realize at first, I just liked that they were black) and, lest you think this entire post is an ad for Saucony (ha, I would LOVE to be at that point in my running career), a long-sleeved Nike shirt for cooler fall weather. In my favorite color, gray, of course.

I am hoping to buy a Garmin this week or weekend. I’m still having trouble deciding how advanced I want mine to be, and how much info I really want or need. Do I really care about vertical oscillation? Is that more or less important than being able to control my Spotify playlists? Do I want a watch that can notify me when I go below a certain pace? Do I care about monitoring my heart rate or sleep cycle? I need to figure all of that out. Decisions!

But I’m happy with my new purchases. I don’t buy new clothes often, so when I do, it’s SPECIAL. Especially if it’s for running. Now I just need to try them out. First, the Guide 10 run. Full report tomorrow!