It’s been a while since I’ve talked about my favorite running obsession – shoes!!

As some of you may know, I have been on what seems like a never-ending search for a replacement to my beloved Brooks PureFlow 2.

A not-so brief (shoe) history:

My first real running shoes were Brooks Ghost 3. I went through 3 pairs of those and then moved onto the Ghost 4. Didn’t like them as much, but still ran through a couple pairs of those. After that I tried some different Asics (didn’t like any of them), Nike Free (meh), Mizuno Wave Rider (so-so, but heavy), Adidas Adizero (too narrow), and Newton Distance U (liked them but so ugly!), before I came across the Brooks PureFlow 2. Heaven!

By then, my shoe obsession was lit, and even though I LOVED the PF2, I was still sporadically buying and trying different brands/models. I didn’t become out of control with shoe shopping/searching until the PF2 became extinct and I could no longer find them anywhere.

I won’t bore you with all the different shoes I’ve gone through since then, especially since I’m sure there’s several that I’ve completely forgotten about. I’ve held onto a lot of them, but have given away, thrown away, and sold probably about 100 pairs over the past few years.

Some of my favorites are (besides the PF2):

• Brooks ST Racer 5
• Brooks PureFlow 1 (came across these by pure accident!)
• Newton Distance IV
• Newton Fate
• New Balance Vazee Pace
• New Balance Zante 2
• New Balance 1400 v2
• Saucony Kinvara 5
• Nike LunarTempo 1

If there’s one thing I’ve discovered in my massive shoe addiction, it’s that I prefer neutral, light-weight yet cushioned performance running shoes. Yet I can probably answer questions regarding just about any neutral running shoe out there, because I’m sure that I’ve had it, or at least tried it at some point ;)

And then this happened!

Lo and behold, I recently came across not 1, but 2 pairs of PureFlow 2s! A gently used (less than 10 miles) pair on Ebay, and a brand new pair that I found (on my last attempt of scouring the internet) at a ski shop in Michigan. Unfortunately, both pairs are pink, but beggars can’t be choosers ;)

So now I’m the happiest girl on the planet, right?!? Of course not!! Because now I have to admit that they aren’t quite as comfy as the Nike LunarTempo 1.

 

 

I had always heard that Nikes are very narrow, but these definitely are not. The only problem I had with them was sizing. I had to go up an entire size from most of my other running shoes. Also, the LunarTempos are the first running shoes I’ve ever had to break in, but after about 10 miles, they are wonderful! Super light-weight, yet nice and squishy :)

And so, at least for now, my shoe search is over. Or at least it will be as soon as I get another couple pairs of the LunarTempos ;)

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For today’s post I linked up with Amanda and TOLT