Current Equipment Setup - Running Shoes

I thought it'd be nice to make posts of the gears, equipments and parts that I'm currently using for running and cycling so as to keep a record of the stuff I've used and see how I progress as far a equipment usage goes. Plus, I could do a little review of each item in case there's someone out there who's interested in knowing how these things perform. Now, before I continue, I would just like to say that the following are my own personal views and opinions on things, I gladly welcome differing opinions but these are purely my own thoughts and I am in no way affiliated with any brand or company (I wouldn't mind being sponsored though if anyone out there is looking for a new brand ambassador or promoter *wink*)

Someone once told me that in life, one should invest cleverly in things that separate you from the ground; a good pair of tyres for your car or bicycle, a good chair to sit on at work, a good mattress to sleep on at night, and of course, a good pair of shoes for running. Hence the first item I will be touching on will be my current pair of running shoes. As my 'shoe resume', I've been fortunate enough to have had the pleasure of using various brands and models since I first started jogging regularly more than a decade ago. Adidas, Nike, Brooks, New Balance, Ascis and Brooks are some of the more well known brands I've used, with shoe prices ranging from RM180 to RM350 (about $40 to $90 according to current exchange rates).

Nowadays with the ridiculous amounts of money that certain companies spend on marketing, doing your homework before buying a new pair of shoes will increase the chance of you getting your monies worth rather than 'paying for the brand' or buying gimmicks. I typically do a decent amount of research before buying a new pair of shoes and I never pay full price. What I mean by that is I usually buy either when there's a sale, or more commonly with a shoe voucher thats typically included in goody bags from race sponsors; Adidas and Brooks are the brands that come to mind the quickest in this regard. So a shoe on display for RM480 can easily be chopped down by a RM160 voucher to RM320, which was the price of my latest pair of shoes.

My Brooks Adrenaline GTS 14 running shoes. I bought these shoes around August of 2014 and I've used them for just over 2 years now and they've been great. Now, I'm sure this is very subjective as no two pairs of feet are the same and other factors such as body weight, running experience, current heath statuses and so on may influence a person's running experience. However, I personally favour shoes with broad bases and a good amount of cushioning and support so as to allow what I call 'lazy running', which essentially is being able to run without putting too much stress on the intrinsic muscles within your feet and the stabilisers of your ankle and subtalar joints to maintain stability when running.

They're light as far as shoes go with a claimed weight of approximately 314g (11.1oz) although I don't know of anyone who's ever complained of having heavy running shoes before. The uppers are made from a mesh-like fabric, allowing for good air entry as well as reduces odour build up. It also facilitates quick drying in the event the shoes get wet from rain. However, from personal experience, the old newspaper-stuffing-in-your-shoe trick will get the job done with just about any shoe regardless of how severely damp they are. The laces seem pretty conventional although, despite only tying a single generic butterfly knot, I've never experienced them ever coming loose before.

The midsole contains 2 pieces of rubber shock absorbers per shoe, one underneath the ball area of one's foot while the other beneath the heel area. Both my feet have moderate arches, neither high nor flat and while I can't objectively say they work as claimed as I am not an scientist nor do I have a sports laboratory which can test out the shoes to crunch out actual numbers, but based on feel an experience, I'd say they're legitimate as far as dampening shock is concerned to produce a more comfortable running experience than compared to most shoes I've used with a plain foam-like midsole. In addition, the white foam material used is not conventional EVA but rather Brook's very own BioMoGo which is claimed to be 50 times more biodegradeable than normal foam EVA, plus point for those of us who are concerned about our carbon footprints. 

The outsole rubber has held up well, it's still has a screechable amount of traction and has not worn into the midsole yet. Just to paint a picture of their use, I run about 3-4 times a week when my schedule is relatively free and 2-3 when it's not, usually about 5km per run with the occasional 10km. If I'm training for a particular event, say a half marathon or duathlon, I'll adjust the training accordingly. Apart from running, in the event I'm making short trips out of town, say for the weekend, my running shoes will usually be my shoe of choice of casual footwear. So I'd say I use my shoes a decent amount.

To sum it all up, they're a good pair of shoes if you can get them at a price closer to RM300 ($75) than RM400 ($100). Anymore than that, you'd be better off looking for something else. I'd highly recommend the latest iteration of them, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16. Here's a link to the model on the Brooks website.

Picture taken from Brooks website

Thanks for reading. I'd appreciate any and all feedback. Please feel free to leave any question or query you may have in the comment section down below and I'll try my best to answer them.