#5kMay2023 Daily Fun Photo – May 9

Today’s #DailyFunPhoto prompt for the #5kMay2023 challenge was to show off your faithful (or brand new) running (or walking) shoes.

These are my faithful Saucony Endorphin Speed shoes.

I was resistant to trying these shoes. I have worn the Endorphin Pro shoes, and love them, but I was not initially a fan of the Endorphin Speed. However, my brother talked me into trying these shoes, and I generally trust his suggestions. He is almost always right. After wearing these shoes for short runs, long runs, tempo runs, and more for nearly 250 miles… and taking into consideration that they still feel amazing, I have become a huge fan of these shoes! I will definitely buy another pair when these wear out.

Other shoes that I love, and that have become a mainstay to my shoe rotation include:

Adidas Ultraboost – I love the Adidas Ultraboost. They are a little heavy, but typically last longer than most other shoes on my feet.

New Balance 1080 – probably no other shoe feels better on my feet than the New Balance 1080. These are not fast shoes, but they seem to last forever and just always feel good.

Nike Vaporfly Next % – my favorite racing shoe, by far, is the Nike Vaporfly Next %. They do NOT last for nearly as many miles as my other favorites, but these things keep me running consistently faster mile after mile for at least 100-150 miles. They are basically trash after that.

Honorable mentions…

Brooks Glycerin – the Brooks Glycerin is a very comfortable shoe. I had a pair that lasted me over 500 miles, and I loved them, but my most recent pair barley made it to 250, and they never really felt great on my feet.

Brooks Launch – I have probably owned more pairs of Brooks Launch shoes than any other kind of running shoe. I really like the Launch. I have never hated them. They just don’t really inspire me. I don’t get as many miles out of them as I would like to, but they are also not an overly expensive pair of running shoes.

Nike Pegasus – a pair of shoes I like even less than the Launch, but have bought nearly as often, is the Nike Pegasus. I just don’t love them. I always want to love them, and they are not overly high priced, but like the Brooks Launch they just don’t inspire me, and they don’t feel good beyond 250 miles.

HOKA – I have a complicated relationship with HOKA. I love the HOKA ONE ONE brand. Some of my favorite shoes I have ever purchased were HOKA, and I love how HOKA gets people back into the running / walking game with their incredible foam and cushion. I have recommended to many people that they should pick up some HOKA shoes, and when they follow that advice they are typically really happy with the shoes. However, ALL of my favorite HOKA shoes have changed so much from one series to the next, and it seems that I can never find a shoe that I consistently love from year to year. I LOVED the Clifton 1. I hated the Clifton 4. All of their shoes have been like that for me. I LOVED the Carbon X. I don’t love the latest Carbon X. A great pair of HOKA shoes is hard to beat. A sub-par pair of HOKA shoes just makes me sad.

Doubly honorable mention…

Swiftwick Socks – there is nothing like running in a great pair of shoes, but to make the experience even better, put a great pair of Swiftwick socks between the shoes and your feet! Swiftwick socks keep my feet solid in their shoes, keep my feet from excessive sweating, keep my blisters down, and keep my feet amazingly dry on a wet run. I have loved running in these socks so much that I have replaced ALL of my socks with Swiftwicks.