I'm slow to respond to this post, but not because I don't have love/hate relationships with my shoes... good, bad, or otherwise, I keep track of their mileage (and race resume), and I photograph each pair before I retire them. I just added pair #95 (the new Inov8 Mudtalon Speed - which by the way performed brilliantly in the WY high-country mud at Bighorn 100).
It's just a spreadsheet and an album in Photos. And now of course on Strava, too (they should probably add a photo field to go with the gear lists on athlete profiles). But I've always kind of thought it might end up as a coffee-table book (with a title pretty close to the title of your post 🙂)...
I wish I could tell you it's different when you work for a shoe company, but I have my fair share of "worn once" models taking up closet space from many brands. Alas!
I can't believe you remember the details of shoes that long ago so well! I was an early adopter of Hokas around 2012—I had their first unisex pair—and have worn Hokas ever since, so I can barely remember the Asics, Sauconys, and Brooks before that. The worst shoe I ever experienced was the Montrail Masochist, which I got for free because Geoff Roes (remember him?) gave me a coupon after I attended his camp. The Montrails had a super-duper Gortex-like waterproof coating called Out-Dry. When I wore them in the 2013 Way Too Cool 50K, I had to go through several stream crossings, and they filled up like buckets that refused to drain. I sloshed around these heavy water-filled shoes with frustration.
Hah! Thanks! I gotta find a microphone with a spitguard I think! 😆
I had the opposite problem at Way Too Cool in, I think, 2012. I wore a pair of ultra thin adidas marathon flats—felt every stone and bobble in the trail. Hardly needed those speedy shoes anyway since I booked and basically walked it in!
"They felt like running in ski boots and, as an added bonus, looked like the ejaculate of the T-1000." = poetry
The 1990s loved liquid metal. You can’t explain it. You just had to be there.
...and the 70's liked heavy metal and vans painted in airbrushed wizards...is there any way we can go back there?...
I'm slow to respond to this post, but not because I don't have love/hate relationships with my shoes... good, bad, or otherwise, I keep track of their mileage (and race resume), and I photograph each pair before I retire them. I just added pair #95 (the new Inov8 Mudtalon Speed - which by the way performed brilliantly in the WY high-country mud at Bighorn 100).
I love that. Where do you keep that resume and photo, Jeff?
It's just a spreadsheet and an album in Photos. And now of course on Strava, too (they should probably add a photo field to go with the gear lists on athlete profiles). But I've always kind of thought it might end up as a coffee-table book (with a title pretty close to the title of your post 🙂)...
This is wonderful! I should probably share a photo of my husband's shoe wall... It was a requirement when we moved into our new house.
Once you go Yak...so funny! 😄
I wish I could tell you it's different when you work for a shoe company, but I have my fair share of "worn once" models taking up closet space from many brands. Alas!
I can't believe you remember the details of shoes that long ago so well! I was an early adopter of Hokas around 2012—I had their first unisex pair—and have worn Hokas ever since, so I can barely remember the Asics, Sauconys, and Brooks before that. The worst shoe I ever experienced was the Montrail Masochist, which I got for free because Geoff Roes (remember him?) gave me a coupon after I attended his camp. The Montrails had a super-duper Gortex-like waterproof coating called Out-Dry. When I wore them in the 2013 Way Too Cool 50K, I had to go through several stream crossings, and they filled up like buckets that refused to drain. I sloshed around these heavy water-filled shoes with frustration.
Nice job on the voiceover too!
Hah! Thanks! I gotta find a microphone with a spitguard I think! 😆
I had the opposite problem at Way Too Cool in, I think, 2012. I wore a pair of ultra thin adidas marathon flats—felt every stone and bobble in the trail. Hardly needed those speedy shoes anyway since I booked and basically walked it in!