Mizuno Wave Inspire 7

After Thursdays disastrous run I was determined to get back in the groove on Fridays run. Leanne and I decided to head out without Wayne just to prove that we were capable of a decent run by ourselves and that it wasn't just Waynes presence that was making us run without stopping.
Seems it actually IS Waynes presence that keeps us going.
We started off well (as usual), we ran the forest track anti clockwise to reduce the hills and we were going great guns for the first 3 k, then I made an excuse to stop. Yes, I admit it, it was an excuse. I did have tight running shoes and I did need to loosen them a tad but to be honest I could have continued with them as they were. Once I had stopped I struggled to get going again and stopped within another 10 minutes - we pretty much walked from that point on and felt like crap because we knew we were going to have to explain ourselves to Wayne who's put all this effort in to help us get to this point.
I considered not telling him but I've never ever lied to Wayne and I don't intend to start over something so trivial, instead I threw myself on his mercy and claimed I just cannot run without him lol. Hey, don't judge - it worked!
Following our pathetic run Wayne suggested that maybe I should enter him for both the 10k's we're doing this month just to ensure we get round, he's now officially running the Baillie windfarm 10k on the 15th and the Baxters Loch Ness 10k on 29th.

I think we should maybe take a break from running the forest tracks because I think we're over doing the hills, the problem is it's such a nice place to run

That ground is pretty tough to run on as it's so slippy, hence why Leanne is walking lol.

The start! Fabulous scenery.

This is where the hills get hard.

Remember those new trainers I said I bought - the Mizuno Wave Inspire 7? They arrived!
They looked fabulous in the box and I really didn't want to disturb them from their packaging. This is the first pair of Mizuno trainers I've ever owned so I'm looking forward to trying them tonight but first impressions walking around in them is that they're very comfortable. They feel bigger than the Asics and the Saucony and I think I would have got away with a 6 or a 6.5 and not actually needed to size up as you do with the other two.
Due to them being stability shoes they feel slightly off centre when I walk in them so I'm intrigued to see how comfortable they're going to be to run in.
The only thing I don't particularly like is the Mizuno badge - for some reason it reminds me of Flash Gordons badge which then gives them a tacky kind of feel - just me I know.

Flash a .. ahhh! Still just me?

Weird heels, see how long before they start coming apart.

The mesh holes are bigger than Asics and Saucony but hopefully they won't be weaker.

Choosing a running shoe

I haven't actually run for 4 days now! It hasn't been a deliberate aversion to it but life has just got in the way over the last few days. Tonight is the night though and I'm really looking forward to the 3 of us getting back up to the forest and tackling that track again (the wind is picking up as I say that).

I've been reading other running related blogs lately and am always interested to hear about what gear other people run in. My interest of late has been trainers in particular because I'm in need of a new pair, I came to this conclusion upon reading that trainers are only good for a certain length of time and should be replaced every few hundred miles or less. I was kind of taken aback at that statement because I had assumed that my running trainers would last until the rubber was removing itself from the bottom or until my toes were suddenly peeking through holes - though having taken a look through more knowledgeable eyes at my current trainers it would seem both scenarios are not that far away.
The problem with buying trainers here in Caithness is mainly one of distance -there is no decent running / sports department within a 2 hour drive of where we live and being a Narcoleptic the thought of that kind of journey freaks me out, which means I have to be content to purchase from the tinterweb. That of course holds it own problems not least of which being that I can't try the trainer on for fit and suitability and I can't get on one of those fandangled machines that tells you your running style and needs.
So what do we do?
Well in my instance I looked at various shops online and googled information about each trainer, the problem there was that I ended up looking at so many I got all discombobulated, couldn't remember what each one was and ended up so fed up that I gave up and decided my current trainers would suffice for a few more years on top of the 4 years I've already had them.
But then I had a cunning plan (said in Baldric tones), I decided to google information about my current trainers and replace them with new, that way I knew they were suitable for me - though when I first bought them I only got them cos they were cheap on EBay (I didn't know anything about running styles at that point).

My main running trainers are Asics Gel Virage2. These are my go to trainer for roads and/or tracks though I suspect they are not built for tracks as such, but they do give me the little bit of stability and support I need.

My second pair of trainers are Asics creed, again these offer me a little support and stability and seem to be a better trainer for forests and tracks as they feel a little more cushioned - though this could simply be because they're slightly newer.

I also have a pair of Saucony Pro Grid Jazz.  I initially bought a pair of Saucony Pro Grid something or other from EBay and although they were amazingly comfortable they were too small (this is where I learned to go up a size in running trainers) so I sold them on. I got the Pro Grid Jazz before I knew about running styles and found straight away that I could not run in them without leg pain. The Pro grid Jazz are a neutral shoe where my other 2 are stability shoes so this is how I learned my running style.

My daughter now runs in the Pro Grid Jazz so I guess she's a neutral runner.

Anyway, armed with my running style I went back onto EBay, searched running shoes in my size (7) and then just googled the running style of each one until I found a trainer I liked at a price I could afford (as little as possible basically).
I really wanted to stick to Asics but I settled on a pair of Mizuno (a brand I've never tried) Wave Inspire 7. This particular model is a couple of years old but it's a good stability shoe apparantly and I'm quite looking forward to trying them out.