Shoe Review: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I'm trying out a new training shoe. After a couple of delays, I finally got them and have now had a chance to take them for a good half a dozen runs, including a long run, a tempo run, some track work, and a couple of easy runs. Here's my take on them so far.

Observation #1: They are effing HAWT. Telling you; there's just nothing like Speedybitch Red (tm) to make you feel fast and fabulous.

Observation #2: They feel stiffer than my Asics Kayanos (even compared to when they were new). I'm sure people can debate whether this is a good or bad thing, but the uppers definitely felt more like they were holding my foot in a specific position.

Observation #3: The mid-soles feel stiffer (ie, less cushion-ey) and there is noticeably more arch support. (I wonder if this is has anything to do with why Dr. Saxena put them on his list of recommended running shoes in the stability category.)

Observation #4: The mid-soles also feel springier, which makes me wonder if indeed my Asics are shot for whatever reason, even though they have less than 400 miles on them.

Observation #5: I am always wary of assuming causation based on correlation, but I've had noticeably fewer shin splint issues in the last week and a half. Not zero, but just a little bit of mild, achey pain. No idea whether this has anything to do with the shoes (or if it's even possible for changing shoes to make a difference that fast), but I'll take it.

Observation #6: They're comfortable! This was the main thing I wondered about with regard to changing to a different shoe after so many years. I was afraid I might have gotten so used to my Asics that something new would seem uncomfortable just because it was different. So far, though, that has not been the case; once I got past that first paranoid test run, the Brooks felt great.

Observation #7: The part that wraps around the back of your heel is red, so that when you try out a new pair of running socks and they turn out to be too low-cut and you rub a giant bloody hole in the back of your heel, the bloodstains blend right in. Ha-ha.

I'm trying to add a little more mileage this week since my legs have felt so good, so we'll see how the Brooks hold up. I can't tell you how exciting it will be for me if I can get up to over 30 miles per week and stay there for a while without getting injured -- it's been a while. (It would also bode well for this marathon I keep debating...) :)