It’s not really a gamble to pick up new Brooks running shoes when your old pair is about to be retired. For the entire year of 2024, I’ve trained and competed in the Brooks Hyperion Tempo shoes and I’ll be honest, the beginning of our relationship had some growing pains. So much that I wasn’t sure I’d keep them. Tightening the laces caused more pain than I expected in the first few weeks. After adjustments (new insoles, swapping laces out), the yellow shoes and I were inseparable. I feel connected to them after all the training and racing we’ve done together… totaling over 450 miles.
But…. it’s time for a new pair.
I loved these shoes. So light. So fast. If I were to change one thing, I’d add more cushion in the sole and thickness in the upper material. Well, lo and behold, Brooks actually makes other styles that have more cushion in the sold and thickness in the upper material. Who knew!? As the life of this pair is coming to an end (or maybe it ended weeks ago), it’s time for something new.
Naturally, I spent way too much time recently researching on the Brooks Amazon page for what I want next. At this point, I’ve narrowed it down to 2 styles: Ghost 16 and Glycerin 21.
The three things at the top of my list are comfort, weight, and color. I’m not really one to want attention and while most running shoes you’re probably thinking of are neon green or so bright yellow you need sunglasses, there ARE more modest color schemes. Black, white, dark blue, etc. I actually enjoyed the mentality my yellow shoes ignited for me. I sometimes think about those professional athletes who have gold shoes (runner Michael Johnson, for instance, and a few in the NFL). If you’re wearing gold shoes, you better back it up with elite athleticism because people are watching. So while my shoes weren’t super bright, I still felt a responsibility to be worthy of them.
My next pair probably won’t stand out quite as much because I’m focusing more on comfort. But if they happen to be as bright as the surface of the sun, I guess I’ll have to keep trying to be as fast as the speed of light.
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 