I had been wearing my Ghost 12s and really liked them.Obviously I wore them out with the miles I have been putting in.
I had bought a pair of Ghost 13, sticking with what had been working for me.
Unfortunately, they changed the design of the shoe enough that I can't wear them anymore.
They changed the heel cup and the part that rides up the achilles tendon.
I was developing a raw spot on the back of my tendon where it was rubbing the skin off.
So, I had to go out and find some other shoes.
I did a lot of research online but it is hard to tell what will work without trying them on.
Talked with my brother, Squigman, and he suggested a couple of stores.
My other choice, River Valley Running , was a bit further and I had other errands to run that made Burnsville a better choice.
After explaining what I was looking for, some of the issues I have had in previous shoes, and verifying my size, the salesperson as the store started bringing out shoes.
I would try on a pair and if they didn't feel good right away, they went into the discard pile immediately.
If they felt good initially, I would fully lace them and jog back and forth a couple times in the store.
I slowly worked thru over a dozen pair of shoes and had 2 pair that I liked.
I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised at how helpful the salesperson was in bringing that many shoes out for me.
He also suggested a couple other variations that were not quite "equivalent" to the Ghost.
These had more cushion or in the case of 1 pair, a nylon plate.
In the end I chose 2 pair since I was basically down to 1 newer pair that I wasn't super happy with and 2 pair that were older.
I like how they feel and have been able to put miles on them without a real break in period.
Overall I am satisfied with them and don't have any complaints but there is nothing special about them.
They seem like a basic pair of shoes for me.
They will do the job of letting me run in them.
I would rate them a 6.5 of 10.
They have a lower drop, 8 vs 10 or 12 in most other shoes.
They also have a nylon plate that works as a rebound plate for your stride.
I was able to start running with them without a break in period.
Personally, I don't think shoes really need much of a break in period anymore, maybe 1 or 2 shorter runs but that is all.
Anyway, the lower drop isn't really noticeable to me.
I didn't have any stretching or calf issues so the drop hasn't negatively affected my running.
What I have noticed after doing multiple runs, is that every one of my runs has been faster and seems easier.
With my walk/jog/run method, I am normally in the lower to mid 13 min miles on my morning runs.
While wearing these shoes, every one of my runs has been in the mid 12s per mile.
On a whim, I did a 5k and was within 10 seconds of my PB.
I might have been able to beat it, but I wasn't really paying attention and had started slower with my normal warm up pace for the first mile.
I think with minimal extra training, I could beat my PB, which is still on my list of goals for this year.
Right now I am still doing long distance training overall with occasional shorter faster runs.
I would rate them a 9.0 of 10.
More color options would help with the rating.
Working thru what I want to have in my drop bags.
Just realized this morning I will need to have lights in the bags for the overnight portions.
Wish the battery packs were interchangeable and not hardwired to the light itself.
Might try to play with one to see if I can convert it to have a plug in connector on the power wire so I can switch out the battery pack.
I also need to stage more headphones since the longest any of them will go is 7 hours or so.
And battery for the phone.
Battery and charging cable for my watch.
I have changed the watch to default to UltraTrac.
Not worth purchasing the Coros watch yet (maybe).
I will admit I really like the idea of having it.
Only having to charge my watch once a month is a really nice feature.
But, is the battery worth the $600??
Guess I need to do some research on drop bags and what people recommend.
Then figure out what I will actually think I will use.
Do I switch shoes? or stick with 1 pair for the event?
Might be ordering some bags from 'Zon to put stuff in.
Can't decide on color tho.
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