new shoes

Hooray for new running shoes (2023 edition)

After some years, I have returned to the goat.

Specifically, the Speedgoat trail runners, made by HOKA (they like their name to appear SHOUTY). These are the Series 5, and unlike the last pair, they did not come with a note inside the box stating the colours would leech into whatever socks you wear with them.

Here they are lovingly placed next to my current shoes, the Saucony Peregrine 12s:

Ragged and worn on top, snazzy and new on the bottom

I would normally grumble about having to get new shoes, except:

  1. The Peregrines have actually lasted about as long as one might expect
  2. I’ve been wanting to get shoes with more cushioning for the last few months, anyway. The Peregrines are Super Neutral1This is my own made-up terminology when it comes to cushioning.

As I skipped my usual run today to get the shoes (though I did walk about 50 blocks to pick them up, which must have burned a few calories), my tentative plan is to run tomorrow. Checking ye olde weather forecast, the Apple weather app is calling for a high of 28, which is not much cooler than what we’ve been experiencing, but it’s still a little cooler and will be cooler still if I head out in the morning. Hopefully the new shoes will be a delight. At this point I don’t even care if they turn my socks blue, orange and yellow.

Migrant color is not a shoe feature you want

I picked up my new Hoka Speedgoat shoes today (note: if you live in a condo, do not have Purolator deliver to your home address unless you also work at home because you will never see the delivery person or your package. Instead, have them take it to a local depot whose business hours coincide with your work schedule, forcing you to go there on the weekend, a day before the five-day holding period ends, after which the package gets transferred to Purgatory, as described in Dante’s Inferno). These are replacements for my original pair which had a nasty issue with color bleeding. Most of my running socks are now blue/white instead of just white.

The overall color is much more subdued yet also has a zany neon-like strip along the bottom to keep it from looking staid:

Hoka Speedgoat Astral Aura/Acid

The color is officially called Astral Aura/Acid, to which my reaction is to nod my head and back away slowly. Still, I like the color scheme. However, the shoes came with this tag:

color migration

“Due to the nature of the material used some color migration may occur during wear.” Hmm, I say. This tag was not on the first pair of shoes. Nor have I seen it or anything like it on any other pair of shoes ever. It appears to be a direct warning that you will end up with color-stained socks (or feet if you go sockless). Questions come to mind, questions like:

  • why would anyone make a shoe using a fabric that bleeds color?
  • why if you absolutely need to use such a fabric would you not at least do something to mitigate the issue during manufacturing?
  • really, why would you do this?
  • seriously, this is a built-in flaw. Who thought this was a good idea?
  • did someone think this tag would stave off complaints when the color bleeding happens?
  • how many phrases did they go through before coming up with the wonderfully neutral-sounding “color migration”? The color doesn’t bleed or stain–it migrates, just like birds in the winter, except in this case it’s color instead of birds and it’s migrating to your socks instead of to the south, and it’s not just for the winter but forever unless you have detergent that works on migrating colors.

I’ll be wearing the shoes tomorrow so I’ll know soon enough how the potential migration goes. At least my feet will look nice as they’re getting stained.

The New Shoes run

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 10.04 km
Weather: High cloud
Temp: 14ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 702
Average pace: 5:31/km
Total distance to date: 1191.01 km

Today was the first day running with my New Shoes. I am tagging this post so I will be able to track how many kilometers I end up putting on them but I think it’s probably safe that regular running will make replacing them in six months a reasonable proposition.

With high cloud, a light breeze and mild temperatures I opted for my first run wearing a t-shirt. This was the right call as it was pleasantly warm throughout, though it cooled a bit on the walk back. The Brunette River trail in particular felt almost muggy heading toward the lake.

My feet were still sore going in so I knew I wouldn’t get a completely accurate feel for the new shoes but I ended up turning in my best performance of the year, with a 5:31/km average and a first km that broke the 5:00/km mark for the first time in quite awhile, coming in at 4:59/km. I was not trying to run harder than usual (that marathon vs. sprint thing) but hey, new shoes, you get excited. I think they’re going to work out fine.

I felt the ghost of a cramp a few times but moderated my pace and came out fine there. There was a lone goose on the edge of the trail at one point but he merely took a single step to the side rather than hissing and acting like I’d just eaten his entire family for dinner.

I’m hoping that with the new shoes my feet will recover quickly and I’ll have a better assessment of how they are handling but first impressions are decent.

Chart:

Apr 23 Apr 20 Apr 18 Apr 16 Apr 6 Apr 4 Apr 2
1 km 4:59 5:09 5:12 5:15 5:12 5:17 5:03
2 km 5:11 5:12 5:21 5:23 5:19 5:19 5:17
3 km 5:17 5:18 5:25 5:31 5:23 5:24 5:25
4 km 5:20 5:22 5:28 5:36 5:25 5:26 5:30
5 km 5:22 5:25 5:29 5:41 5:26 5:27 5:33
6 km 5:22 5:27 5:30 5:45 5:28 5:29 5:37
7 km 5:25 5:29 5:31 5:49 5:29 5:31 5:41
8 km 5:27 5:33 5:32 5:53 5:30 5:33 5:46
9 km 5:29 5:35 5:33 5:57 5:32 5:35 5:50
10 km 5:31 5:37 5:33 5:59 5:33 5:36 5:53

I am excited about new shoes

According to this article, running shoes are generally expected to last 300-500 miles or up to six months. The pair of New Balance shoes I am using are the same ones I started with back in May 2009 (three years ago) and I’ve put about 1200 km on them (roughly 745 miles).

Which is to say I am way past the point where they should have been replaced. With my feet actually getting sore in the last two runs (the first time this has happened in three years of jogging) it was time to finally get some new shoes.

By coincidence, Mountain Equipment Coop had just sent out a newsletter highlighting running gear and when I followed the link a vibrant pair of New Balance trail running shoes were staring back at me. I went to the store, tried on a pair of New Balance size 8½ MT110s and fell in love with the stubby soles. As a bonus, the laces are not three times longer than they need to be. The laces are orange and bright enough that the inclination is to avoid making direct eye contact with them.

Unlike my current shoes, these are designed specifically for trail use, which should help with the somewhat uneven terrain I typically face. Also unlike my current shoes, these are a more minimalist design, with less padding and bulk. They are noticeably lighter, something else I should appreciate.

I shall be trying them out on Monday.