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The Shoes
Published on 21/01/08
by Maureen
All good things must come to an end. But why, God, why, did you have to upgrade the Asics GT-2110s?
I ran my first half-marathon in my first pair of GT-2110s. I loved them so much I bought an extra pair only a month after the first one just in case Asics discontinued them too fast. Now, I have about three to four weeks left on that second pair and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to find anymore GT-2110s. I tried on the next model up, and while I love that they come with brown mesh uppers that you don’t have to be embarrassed about during the two weeks that you’re de-virginating them, they’re just not the same. The cushioning fits around the heels differently and isn’t quite as solid. Eventually, I’ll have to cave and buy a pair, but you could have at least let me have one more go, couldn’t you?
When you find the right brand of shoes, you just know.And Asics has been it for me since I was about 13 or 14, so about 10 years now. My first-ever pair in seventh grade cross country was the lowest model of New Balance- way too much cushion and a little narrow for my Irish peasant feet (pictures of feet are forthcoming). I remember after that having somethign called Saucony Grids, which actually had hard plastic mesh that you could see through a window in the sole of the shoe. I have no idea what purpose that served, but I remember thinking it looked cool.
That’s when I started buying from Dick Pond’s sporting goods in Lisle. At Dick Pond’s, actual runners help fit you with shoes. They let you take them for a spin on actual sidewalk outside the store. There’s no gimmicks, just Rubbermaid tubs with sizes written on the sides in Sharpie and filled with the goods. I bought one pair for each season and one for each off-season of high school cross country there in addition to two pairs of racing spikes. I never bought anything but Asics there.
In my opinion, you don’t need an arch test or any indication of whether you over- or under-pronate to find a decently awesome pair of shoes. For me, the first order of business was width. I have hugely wide feet that are fans of flip-flops and will tolerate running shoes, but are currently angry at me for working at a job that practically requires heels. That eliminates Nikes and puts me strongly in the Asics/Adidas camp. After that, it’s about the balance of weight and cushion. I hit puberty hard at age 12 and was rocking the full-on top and bottom clevage at 5′2” and 115 pounds by seventh grade, so I’m not one of those tiny gazelle runners. My feet are carrying their share of weight, so I started with shoes with a ton of cushion and stability. As I got older, I realized the mushy weight of some of the more cushiony shoes was eliminating some of the energy in my stride, and I run like less of a spaz now that my body knows how to balance my weight proportions, so I’ve gradually moved to a lighter shoe with a good amount of cushion on the inner heel and some on the outer heel. Which brings me to the world’s most perfectly balanced shoe- the GT-2110.
It’s not the first pair of shoes I’ve bought two of- there were a few of those during high school, one being the ugly-as-sin racing spikes that featured bright orange insides and purple weave exteriors. But I’ve never been as consistent about my running as I am now, so I’ve never plowed through pairs of shoes as fast as I have in the last two years.
I’m looking at the Sports Authority on North Halsted from where I’m sitting and it’s making me sad. No Pond’s nearby, no GT-2110s. I’m starting over. It feels a little like leaving an old boyfriend, but with the thought of knowing that you’re going to have to find something better. Someday, something will come along that’s this good again. I just hope it’s soon.
The run is over. Now what?
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