5 months in with my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 22 shoes

Summary: my Brooks trainers have worked miracles in the last 5 months and I couldn't be happier with them. Well, maybe if they'd been cheaper. 😉 And maybe a bit lighter.

About 6 months ago, I splashed out a small fortune on the most expensive trainers I've ever bought. It was purely in the hope that they'd help with the pain I felt in my feet during and after running on even slightly uneven surfaces. That pain had made life outside of runs a bit miserable, with me unable to go around the house in stocking feet. After a run like that on the Town Moor, with its stony tracks, it could take months for my feet to get back close to normality. Even just walking on those surfaces in my old shoes caused pain. This was seriously limiting where I could run too. It was time to try something new, especially as my Nike Runallday were starting to feel like they'd suddenly lost a lot of their cushioning.

In the end, I ventured into Start Fitness in Newcastle for gait analysis and advice on what type of shoe might help. My main requirement for the shoes was that they had more cushioning to help my feet over uneven ground. After trying on pairs from various brands I'd never owned before, I walked out over a hundred quid lighter with a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 22 (sounds like a car or something!).

On first use, I stuck to routes that mostly were fine for my feet anyway and the thing I clocked most was the weight. They felt noticeably heavier on my feet than my old Nikes. I guess it was to be expected with the added cushioning, but I felt a bit clumsy in them — my feet have always flapped about a bit anyway — and it took a bit of getting used to. Other than that, I didn't notice a great deal of difference. Maybe I was expecting miracles and some kind of amazing sensation of running suddenly being easier, but it wasn't there.

Over time, I tried them on more and more challenging surfaces... and my feet still felt fine. I was amazed that I could feel I was stood on an awkward stone, for example, but the instant pain wasn't there. Unreal! 😀 

Now, it's got to the point where I feel I can tackle any parkrun again, whereas previously I'd ruled out the likes of Town Moor (loose stones), Prudhoe Riverside (tree roots) and South Shields (compacted stones). Even Newbiggin (broken tarmac) and Morpeth (uneven paving) had given me grief before, but I honestly feel I can go anywhere now. I mean, if it's incessant uneven ground, it's likely I'll feel it in my feet the next day, but not in the sharp-pain way; just a dull ache that disappears in 24 hours or so. It's a world away from what I experienced before.

There was one other unexpected benefit that came with these shoes: they have the laces of the gods! With my Nikes, I had to be careful to double-knot them securely before running. On my first parkrun, I didn't, and they came undone by the end. These Brooks laces, however, seem kinda elasticated and hold firm even with just a single knot. Very impressive.

Key question to finish with: will I get another pair when these ones die? Hell yeah. I just hope they last a good while, as they're not cheap! 😁