I got out to run yesterday evening for the first time in a few days -- I'm still grooving strong in my (P-)Funk, mind you -- and I felt an unfamiliarity that I haven't dealt with in a year and a half. As I moved along my footfalls were no longer jarring, but smooth. I ran a bit faster than I'd planned -- not running for a few days and impatience will have that effect -- but I moved along steadily without any discomfort or strain.
What felt out of place on this run had nothing to do with the actual act of running, nor with my pace. When my feet hit the ground, they felt… soft. There was no sudden impact, no forced deceleration upon foot strike. Instead I felt a relaxed and smooth stride that I haven't felt for nearly a year.
I wore my new Brooks Glycerin 9s out for the first time yesterday, and I think that change alone made a big difference. I may have found the first running shoe that fits under the entirety of my forefoot -- my foot measures a 9 EE, the Brooks that I bought are a 9.5 D -- and I have a feeling that this will result in a much more easy-going running experience. Nearly every pair of shoes that I run in ultimately incur a blow-out in the upper due to a lack of lateral room; in the Glycerin I don't have to worry about my foot spilling over into empty space.
I could tell that I was hitting more forefoot yesterday than I have been recently in my old Nike Vomero 4s (this change ini foot strike may be pace-related) but most notably I felt a firm platform under-foot. That firm platform translated into a perceived efficiency that I haven't felt in a long time, one that has me excited to get back into my training.
Time will tell, but after a short three mile run in my new shoes, I'm feeling pretty positive about where these Brooks Glycerin 9s will take me.
New shoes -- prettay, prettay, prettay nice.
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