It’s been about a 10 days since my most recent pair of shoes, New Balance 858s, showed up on my doorstep. This is the third pair of New Balance 858s that I’ve owned, dating back to last summer. As I mentioned recently, New Balance is looking for people to review their shoes, in exchange for a free pair of shoes. Since I love my New Balance shoes, I figured this is a no-brainer, so here it is…
I originally got into the 858s after being fitted at our local New Balance store. Compared to the shoes I had been wearing (also New Balance, but 2+ years old), the 858s felt like an absolute dream to my feet. They provided a nice, cushioned ride, good stability, and breatheability. All of my training last fall, and my first two races were run in these shoes. By the time I was ready for new shoes, there was little doubt what they were going to be…more 858s.
Before purchasing my next pair, I did go back to a local running store, just to try on some other brands. I’ve worn New Balance exclusively for several years, and wanted to see what else was out there. But those other shoes ended up being too narrow, or just weren’t as comfortable, and I ended up with my second pair of 858s, this time the all black 858s.
My second pair saw me through 5 more races, my first 30 mile week, and my first 100 mile month. They took me on short runs, long runs, and carried me around the track for 800m and 1600m repeats. Not once have my 858s ever mistreated me with blisters, and for that, I am eternally grateful. But the good times couldn’t last forever, and so it was, two weeks ago, I had to start looking for a new pair of shoes…a pair to carry me most of the way through my half marathon training. Fortunately, deciding which shoe to get was very easy—I went online and ordered the exact same thing—New Balance 858s.