Running Gear

People always ask me what’s a good running shoe or why my shorts are so short, well I’ve decided to review the running gear that I use everyday so someone looking for that perfect pair of shoes or those comfy shorts can find a pair that has been reviewed by an everyday user not a salesman trying to make more money by selling you the most expensive thing on the shelf.

Shoes – A necessity for any road runner. Hills in bare feet are pretty nice in the rain…

Mizuno Wave Rider 9 – The Mizuno Wave Rider 9 is a very good and comfortable shoe. This was my first trainer in XC and I also used it for racing. It is light enough to be used in races yet has enough comfort to be used as a trainer. The upper is very breathable, though not as breathable as its Asics counterparts. The Wave technology provides a very comfortable ride, but the large hole in the heel which was made to save weight can became rather annoying as rocks, leaves, and those spiky balls often get stuck in it. Much better than the newer Mizuno Wave Rider 10, lighter and better looking in my opinion.

Asics Gel Kayano XII (12) – By far one of my favorite running shoes of all time. Great fit with the memory foam heel, amazing stability thanks to Asics Gel systems and still very light due to Asics Solyte midsole. Good upper and nice lacing system, very durable and a great shoe to take on trails especially with all that support. There aren’t many, if any bad things about this shoe, the price was pretty steep at the time ($135) but now you can find overstock 12′s for close to $60, a great bargain for such an amazing shoe. Difference between this and the Mizuno Wave Rider 9 is that this is solely a training shoe and would feel very chunky in a race whereas the Wave Rider would be light enough for an XC race, but what you gain in speed you lose in stability and durability. Between the Kayano 12 and 13, I would take the 12 any day just because of its slightly chunkier feeling, much more planted and less flat, also you gotta love the Japanese Onitsuka logo on the tongue.Asics Gel Kayano XIII (13) – Another great addition to the Asics Kayano family and my second shoe from the line. There aren’t many significant differences here between the 13 and it’s predecessor, the Kayano 12, most noticeable is Asics’ attempt at making the Kayano more like its lighter GT series counterpart. The newer shoe is definitely lighter but there is a difference in ride which you can feel on a long run on the road where cushioning is crucial. Also missing is the Japanese logo on the tongue. A new lineup of colors is available for the Kayano 14, I chose red/white but it was also available in Blue/White, Orange/Gray, and Lime Green/Dark Gray. A great shoe that can be found at around $60-$85 today, it carried the same $135 sticker price the Kayano 12 did when it came out.Asics Gel Kayano XIV (14) – The fourteenth edition of the Kayano restores Asics reputation as the king of stability shoes with even more gel to provide maximum comfort when pounding out the miles. No real complaints as this shoe is seriously good, a bit heavier than the 13 but way more cushion and a nice thicker feel to the shoe. Very well built and also the last shoe in the Kayano lineup to feature normal lacing as the new Kayano 15 uses asymmetrical lacing which I have yet to try out, but as far as other shoes go, I’ve always preferred the standard symmetrical lacing setup. A good shoe which you can still find today for around $95, this was also the last of the Kayanos to carry the $135 price tag as the new 15 received a $5 price raise to bring the price for the flagship Asics shoe to $140 a pair.

Asics Gel Nimbus 9 – This must have been a great shoe as it did win a few shoe of the year awards when it came out but it is not the shoe for me. The Gel Nimbus is a shoe for high arch runners which I thought I possessed, even after doing the wet foot test, but turns out I’m a normal arch and that my pronation requires stabilty shoes instead of neutral shoes which is what the Gel Nimbus is, a great neutral shoe. Compared to the Kayano though, it is much rougher and not as comfortable. I found it hard to get a nice stride out of it as it seemed to always be cutting my stride a bit short. A nice shoe, but not great. Can be found for between $90 and $100.

Asics GT2130 – The Asics 2000 series are built on the same platform as the Kayanos but with a bit less gel and cushioning to provide a much lighter shoe. This is a great shoe and is very popular among the stereotypical 120-130 pound skinny like a stick distance runner. It provides great comfort  and stability at $40 less than the Kayano, a plus in anyones book. The only things I feel a need to address are the thinness of the upper material and the slight lack of gel. To save weight, the upper is a very thin mesh material but in doing so it has also become very fragile. If you don’t cut your toenails every week (I don’t) you’ll find yourself with holes where your big toe is after 100ish miles. These shoes feel great on dirt and in the hills but on long road runs you can feel the difference in cushioning and can sometimes lead to sore knees. Overall a great shoe available for $50-$60, $95 when they came out.Asics GT2140 – Another great shoe from Asics. There isn’t much new to this shoe, only thing is the comfordry sockliner which is a bit softer that the old sockliner but isn’t very noticeable while running. A nice and solid shoe, again great stabiilty and cushioning, but I did experience the toe-hole problem after about a month of use and they still don’t feel as good as a Kayano on the streets. If you’re torn between Kayanos and the GT series, before considering the price, remember that the GTs won’t feel as good on the street as the Kayanos and will need replacing sooner than the Kayanos. If you are in the 120-135 pound range, the GT2130/40 should be just fine for you, but anyone above 135 pounds should seriously consider the Kayano as it provides better foot-strike and cushion on those long runs. Also anyone who has an awkward foot-strike, or takes heavyish steps (I do) should consider the Kayano even more as it is hands down the best running shoe I’ve ever slipped my feet into and laced up.Asics Gel Kayano XV (15) –  It feels great to be in a pair of Kayano’s again. I though the asymmetrical lacing would ruin them and the shiny new finish would prevent me from getting that nice light brown coating on my shoes from the countless run in the hills, but those things really don’t change anything. Yes I do prefer a traditional lacing setup and I do prefer the original orange color scheme they had on the Kayano 13′s, but there are in no way a bad pair of shoes. The cushioning is amazing, I even had to take out my heel lifts because there was already so much cushioning in the heel. The price did go up to $140, which does seem like a lot, but if you are a runner that either loves having a ton of cushioning, or has a really heavy foot strike, these are the shoes for you. Good job Asics, now just bring back that orange and I’ll be completely satisfied with your lineup of shoes.

Shorts – Even though running nude probably feels amazing, and I most likely try it some time, the prudish American society we live in requires that we wear them, so here are a few that feel great and still show off those runner’s legs

Nike Dri-FIT Race Day – Easily my favorite running short in my closet, breathable, light, and very practical due to the rear pocket. The liner is also very comfortable and never really pinches your jewels, it is also nice and tight so nothing will pop out, making these shorts easy to wear commando (come on, you know you want to) the only problem being the amount of smell the liner picks up from sweat coming off your souther regions. The pocket on the back of the shorts is also great for keys, iPods, or anything you find on the trail. The pocket is nicely sized and easy to access. These are great shorts and if you’re not willing to wash them everyday (once again I don’t) you’ll just have to man up and accept it when your friends tell you how bad you smell, but then again the point of running isn’t to smell good. Can be found for around $20 now, a great price for such a great pair of shorts.Asics Eikoko Split Running Shorts – Very close to the Nikes in comfort, better in looks but the letdown for these shorts is the complete absence of a pocket to store keys and the such. Even though its not much, it can be very annoying when you find yourself in the hills and you’re driving a car where you can’t pull the old “keys in the gas filler cap” trick. For this reason I give the Nike shorts the edge over the Asics, but bear in mind the Asics ones are a much older model which was handed down to me by my coach, the newer Asics running shorts are much better than the Nike ones as 3″ inch inseams are easier to find in Asics, mostly due to Nike being an American company where showing too much skin is considered bad. Japan 1 USA 0.

Miscellaneous Running Gear – To run you really only need a big a heart and a pair of legs, but along with the society imposed requirements of shoes and shorts come a few extras that are optional.Shirts – I always start my runs with a shirt on, but by the end of any hill run in the spring of summer, (or winter if I feel really good) i’ll end the run without one.

Running Shirts - Basically you can run in anything, I’ve always avoided the expensive “running shirts” that cost between $30 and $60, solely because they really don’t make a difference. If your shirt gets sweaty, take it off, you don’t need a million microfibers wicking away your sweat, thats what your hands are for. I prefer to run in shirts that have something to do with running, mostly my LHS XC t-shirts but also some other shirts I’ve collected from past races and teams. A running shirt shouldn’t be too long as that can interfere with your stride, nor should it be too short as that can be annoying as well. For me I find medium size shirts to be the best, and small sizes are also okay as long as its not a company who’s small size shirts are XSmall for other companies.

iPods/Headphones – Not a necessity, but nice to have on longer runs, and the music can really help you push through the pain and conquer the hills you run up. I’ve run with the original iPod Shuffle and the 2nd generation one, but I have to give it to the 2G as the clip makes it very useful for running. The controls are easy to access and it is small enough to fit in your running short’s pocket if you need to take it off. The Apple headphones are decent but seem to fall out of my ears a lot and since for some weird reason my right ear-hole is smaller than my left, I can’t fit in ear headphones so the solution is over-ear headphones. A pair of Nike Sport headphones I received a while back are perfect, good fit yet they leave enough room to hear the outside world in emergency situations. Much cheaper than the Apple ones and way more durable (going on 5 years now). Also the Nike+ iPod system is a cool thing, but can become rather annoying and is only compatible with the Nano and the iPod Touch, my advice buy a 2nd Gen Shuffle, cheap and easy to use.

Watches – I never run with a watch, it gives my run a sense of confinement and measurement whereas a run without a watch is a run without worries. Just run. But if you really feel the need for one…

Timex Ironman Triathlon Watches - Basically the best option for any kind of runner, Nike offers some nice simple watches but if you’re looking for something with 30+ lap memory, 100m water resist, and a recall setting, these are the watches for you. They range from $30 for a basic model, or up to $140 for a watch with more features such as distance tracking and a heartbeat monitor.