March Madness Winner Declared (in May)

A few months back I quadrupled down, not with burger patties on a Whopper or a pair of double down chicken sandwiches from KFC, but with pairs of shoes (http://runfatbrentrun.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-madness-of-shoes.html).  Besides, now that Leno is spokesman, and I saw that commercial where Steven Tyler is actually allowed within proximity of food, I'm not so sure I want to go to Burger King anymore.  I can handle a lot of disgusting things that may or may not happen in the fast food industry, but Steven Tyler near my food supply is where I draw the line. 

Gross...

After much deliberation and a lot of wearing of all 4, I think I have my winner, but first let's go with the pros and cons of the ones that fell short.

Nike Air Revolution - I did honestly give them a fair shake, and I'm still wearing them here and there, but this was the first one taken out of the competition. 

Pros - These shoes are extremely light in weight.  They are pretty dang awesome looking.  They don't spring too hard, and they're pretty easy on the knees because of that.

Cons - Quite simply they hurt my feet.  They're good for short runs, but anything more and it feel like I got my midfoot beat in with a hammer.  I start to feel that happening while I run, so to ease it, I would revert back to my old heel-striking ways just to take off some of the hit damage to the midfoot.  Even early in runs I can just feel the pavement through the shoe, which I know some of those barefooter people love, but it didn't do me any favors.

Other - Chances are a big reason these aren't working is they are for people with flatter feet than me.  I can see that being the reason that my midfoot, and later my heel, got beat to death by this shoe

Puma Levaio


Pros - Like the Nike's, they are super light.  They have about the best airflow of any shoe I've ever had, and they're also one of the least restrictive shoes I've worn.  No matter how you have to run around and contort your foot to avoid things or however you land, they won't fight you back to hard.  That can be both good and bad at times, but I don't require a ton of support these days.  My ankles have stopped rolling themselves with their newly found strength.  These are also very easy on my knees, and that's always a plus.  At some point I will have to try these on a trail run.

 Cons - These have the opposite problem from the Adidas that spurred this search.  I feel like I'm only running on the inside of my foot.  I realize this is just a foot-type issue, though, and some insoles may make these work incredibly for me.  I can't go anything more that 7 or 8 miles without them becoming a bit of a problem.

Other - I really don't have anything else.  I mean I like that they have a super-kitty on them.  That's about all I got

New Balance 467 All Terrain 


Pros - For as built up as they are, they are super-light.  This shoe is built as tough as my initial impression and it has held up superbly.  I've taken them out just as much as the other 3 pairs, and they don't seem to wear yet.  If I were going for the most economical, long-lasting shoe I could buy for a big guy that puts up some fairly decent miles, I would go with these.  I also think you could run with these in about any given situation, and I've tried to do just that.

Cons - To be honest I haven't found one, other than they aren't perfectly molded to my foot.

Other - Maybe it's just another pro, but what happened to just normal shoes?   I really like how these are just a classic, normal-looking shoe.  I'm not really a flashy man...even though I say there's nothing wrong with liking a flashy man.

and now, your delayed March Madness champ...

Saucony Grid Cohesion 5


Pros - The comfort level of these shoes are out of this world.  The slight arch of my foot is cradled almost perfectly in these shoes to the point where they were nearly made for me.  I've been able to go long distances with them and not have any soreness in my feet.  I actually ran over 13 miles in these just for fun, and that's just not me.  They are also very fashionable for weddings (see last blog).  The shoe doesn't bounce me around too much and is the easiest on my knees out of the 4 shoes (with 2nd going to the Pumas).

Cons - My only complaint is with the durability, because I've already put a lot of wear on these, and it's only been 2 months (and I've been mixing in other shoes).

Other - In all fairness I've probably used these for a lot of the longer runs because of how much they've worked for me.

I will also mention that I reserve the right to change my opinion on these shoes at any time, as I try to find their niches within my running needs.  It may turn out that one is really really good for me running a 5K and one is perfect for something else.  I'm sure I'll wear all of them into a flat-soled death.

P.S. - I'm not compensated in any way for my opinion on any of these.  I don't think there's any company out there that would roll the dice and waste money on me, anyway.  Even if I like something and talk it up, who's going to listen to my opinion enough to influence what they buy?  That is unless there's some horde of fat runner people out there following me anonymously and hanging on my every word, and if there is, I'd like to know why you've chosen this particular fat guy, because there are a lot of better success stories out there.

I mean, I run alright, and I've dropped a good 60 pounds along the way, but I did just eat popcorn for dinner at the movies (the "The Five Year Engagement" was painfully hilarious) and just finished eating some pudding (at least it was fat free!).  I'm still closer to roll model than role model, but if I told you I was doing everything perfectly and you didn't see me get thinner or faster you'd just get discouraged.  I'm fine with people knowing I'm not a master of will and I struggle with doing simple things to make myself healthier.  Yep, while people struggle with busy, important lives, medical issues, family life, spouses at war overseas, injuries, deaths in the family, etc. and get out there and run and blog about it, I struggle with not eating pudding at 11pm.  Not exactly the epic embodiment of the human spirit, there, but at least I'm honest.

Besides, the blogosphere already has its superheroes.  I'm fine with being your Billy from Family Circus: usually lame, sometimes funny, and off in my own world playing by myself and too oblivious not to love every second of it.