One Epic Pair of Shoes

A few miles ago I purchased a pair of Brooks Defyance 4 running shoes.  1337.34 miles to be exact.  In these shoes I pounded much pavement, ran some trails, a few Spartan races, a USMC mud run and over half a dozen ultras or marathons.  Traditional wisdom says changes shoes every 350-400 miles or six months.  I have always followed this guideline until now.  I am a huge Brooks fan, I am an even more avid supporter now that I have personally experienced the brilliance of their products.  In my current shoe collection I have the Defyance 4, Cascadia 5, and Pure Grit, the Defyance 4 have earned a well deserved retirement as I transition to the Pure Grit. Or at least until a pay day or two away when I can re-purchase some Defyance.  Maybe the D5 now.  As I stated earlier a runner should change shoes often so as to prevent injury, and help stop shin splints or that devil Plantar Fasicas.  Brooks shoes are made for me, I always know I can walk into a shoe store and pick out Brooks and they will fit perfect regardless of trail shoe, minimalist shoe or road shoe.  Brooks in my mind is the best shoe production company in the business and not because I like sucking up to a product but because they last.  And to a soldier with kids on a small running budget, shoes that last mean an extra race or three.  Anyone who knows me knows I will call  a company out on an inferior product, and will eventually stay on the phone long enough to speak to a regional manager of whatever company it is, but after nearly three years of buying running shoes the only complaint I have with Brooks is I don’t own enough pairs, my fault not theirs.  So the biggest question is how does someone such as myself end, who reads 1000’s of pages of articles on running each year skip over what traditional running magazines tell me I should do.  Well the answer is fairly simple, at 350 miles my feet felt great, I had just spent my shoe budget on a marathon so I said “hey I’ll just keep going with these shoes”   then 500 miles rolled around and I still felt great, the shoes had held up through a Spartan Race and after a water hose and some hand washing looked no worse for the wear so I kept going.  As I neared the 1000 mile mark I began to forget that I needed new shoes even if I did rip a small hole in them after an 11,000 foot elevation gain ultra in the mountains of Vermont.  This hole wouldn’t grow anymore over the next 300 miles, another testament to a good product.  I started thinking I would be able to wear this one pair of shoes for over a year, in my mind I did the math and figured I could save $300-400 if I could make these shoes last, BUT. Then it finally happened, I started waking up to sore feet and tired legs after workouts I knew weren’t that hard.  My only option was to switch into a newer pair of shoes.  After switching into a pair of Brooks Pure Grit I began to have a new spring in my step, call it a mental thing but this week alone I have running days of 5.38,3.4(speed), and 9.  My legs feel great and my workouts are refreshed.  As much as I love the Pure Grit shoes I missed the Defyance.

P.S. Some other good things about Brooks Defyance 4 which is a neutral shoe.

The price is affordable at around $65 so it won’t break your bank. I highly suggest you give them a shot, they might be the last pair of running shoes you’ll ever own.

So basic information about Brooks running shoes can be found here

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