New Year, New Shoes...Change...I can do it!

I'm not a big fan of change.  In fact, I sort of crave regularity.  I mean, for crying out loud, I've used the same deodorant brand for 25 years.  And when it comes to my running gear, I'm not much different. 

When I find a particular brand/design/model I like, I stick with it.  When I first started running 5 years ago, I bought about 4 of the same model Nike Capri running pants.  I still wear them.  Sure, I've bought new ones from Adidas, Reebok, and of course Under Armor.  While they are all fine, they aren't my Nike Capri Running Pants. 

The ultimate example of my dedication (or obsession, whatever) is my shoes.  Ask anyone who knows I run, and they'll tell ya, Amanda LOOOVES her some Brooks.  I do.  I sing their praises left and right.  I started as a runner in Asics, spent a few hundred miles in Mizunos, but when my shoe guy put me in a Brooks Dyad, I was IN LOVE.

As my mileage increased, I transitioned into the Brooks Ghost.  I've run thousands of miles in  Ghosts.  They carried me hundreds of miles during my pregnancy without letting my very high arches fall.  I mean, how awesome can.you.get?

 

 Just some of my retired 2012 Ghost 4s.  

But as my mileage has significantly upped in the last 10 months, I've become increasingly aware of stupid aches and twitches.  As I started creeping over the 25 mile/week mark towards 30 miles every week, sometimes more, my feet were tiring more quickly.  I also noticed my Ghosts were needing to be replaced more often than before. 

So I started doing my shoe-work.  Here's what I knew:  I wasn't going to leave Brooks.  The question was simply:  what model now?

Luckily for me, there are other shoe nerds out there who have really done their homework.  I read many articles comparing models, as well as first hand experiences from high mileage bloggers.   Thinking I was close to making a decision, I got onto Brooks handy dandy website and talked to one of their associates who helped me with my big.huge.major decision.  Honestly, this decision took me 3 weeks to make.  I'm switching models.  After probably 4 years & thousands of miles I'll be retiring my Ghosts and trying out the Glycerine.

They are due to arrive any second.  Okay, I'm like a 5 year old waiting for Santa, I keep checking the front porch.  Just in time for major mileage to start pouring on.