.JPG "Brooks Pure Cadence")
The Brooks Pure Project was first introduced in Fall, 2011, as their answer to the new minimalist shoe movement (because, let’s face it: every company has their own minimalist line now!) I originally didn’t even acknowledge the line until late winter of this year. I was battling my third go-round with Plantar Fasciitis and was getting super frustrated. It seemed my feet started screaming at me every time I started clocking runs higher than 7-8 miles. In short, I was starting to question whether I should really try to be a distance runner. It was no bueno, my friends.
However, I had many people suggest that I email Miss Zippy as she is an experienced RRCA running coach who has lots of experience with PF. I took their advice and shot her a line, asking her if she had any tips that could help me eliminate my PF problems. In short, she told me that gradually transitioning to minimalist shoes worked for her.
You see, many believe that supportive shoes, such as those that had been common in past years, were allowing runners to rely on the cushioning and support of the shoe without ever developing strong foot muscles on their own. For some, this was resulting in PF issues like mine because I had weak-ass feet (those of you with better genetics probably never even had a problem!) The minimalist movement gave peeps the chance to wear shoes that allowed their feet to work a bit more, and thus, strengthened them. At that point, I figured I had nothing to lose and decided to give it a shot. I mean, I was already hobbling around anyway, so what else could really happen?!
I chose the Brooks Pure Cadence for two reasons: 1) They were a 4mm drop instead of 0 and I already knew that a 0 drop didn’t work well for me 2) They still had a bit of support for my pronating issues. (Oh, and I really liked the electric blue color! Priorities, people!)
Y’all, these shoes were seriously love at first run! Luckily, I never experienced ANY transition period and the lightness of the shoe made it that much easier for me to run in them. I immediately used them as my go-to shoe while training for the Colorado Half Marathon, and I never had a single issue. I do foam roll daily and have noticed my calves get knots more frequently, but as long as I roll it out, I have zero problems.
.JPG "Brooks Pure Cadence") |
| Totally random pic of Cindy and I running….I felt that I needed another one since there are so many words in this post 🙂 |
However, as Kara pointed out in my comments yesterday, I have discovered one major flaw: these suckers wear out fast! I think the material of the shoe is lighter, so by default, less durable. With other running shoes, I’ve always been told you can hang in them for 4-500 miles. The Brooks Pure Cadence longevity is significantly less. As Alyssa said, shoe stores suggest you cap your mileage in the shoes at 250, and I didn’t even make it that far. I have around 220 miles on mine, and they are definitely done. And, at $120 per pair, that is not a cheap investment every couple of months!
However, the Pure Cadence now come in this color, and I am on a mission to purchase them today:
I went to a running store yesterday and they were sold out of my size. Seriously? Do people not understand I need my neon pink fix before this weekend’s half marathon?!