My first shoes for running came from G.I. Joe’s, a sporting goods store in Oregon. They were Nike cross-training shoes and likely contributed to painful shin splints when I started running high school track. They didn’t last long. (Especially after I visited a running specialty store to be properly fitted.)
But I still remember slowly walking the bright aisle of shoes, bleary-eyed and overwhelmed at the options. A hurried sales guy said those sneakers would work. What’s more, the cheap price was right.
Since then, I’ve run through countless pairs of running shoes. Once a local running store hired me in college, I learned about the anatomy of a shoe, a wide range of brands, and myriad styles. I found favorites for running (Adidas SuperNova Classic, Nike Marathoner, Brooks Launch) and the best for working long hours (Asics Kayano, Brooks Adrenaline, any soft slide). Subsequent jobs and thousands of miles later, my fascination with running shoes persists.
That’s why I’m stoked to be reviewing shoes again. Check out my latest for Competitor Magazine, where I share the pros and cons of the New Balance FuelCell Impulse, a lightweight — and dare I say cute — model.
Elizabeth W. Carey 