Michael: Toys

 Monday, April 27, 2015

The birds are calling,
But just like everyone else
They’re not calling me.

I have a shoe problem. Athletic shoes are expensive but I want them. That problem is exacerbated here in Volcan by a very limited lack of selection. If what I’d like to see is not in nearby David, then we have to hop on the bus to Panama City, which is a long and arduous trip we’ve decided to limit ourselves to once every three months. And even there, there’s no guarantee I’d be satisfied. Ordering from the states is problematic because of the expense of duties and shipping and you can forget about returning them if they don’t fit.

But it’s been nearly 5 months since I’ve tried on any new glass slippers and with my birthday just around the corner, I decided to bite the bullet, roll the dice, not look a gift horse in the mouth and hopefully avoid shooting myself in the foot, or at least jamming my toes in a narrow toe box - which I’ve heard can be just as painful. And today, yes today,  we’re hopping on the bus to David and picking up  three pairs of shoes and a new pack that we ordered from the states about three weeks ago.

We’ve tried to minimize the gambling and cost by going with a tried and true brand for the both of us, Asics, buying shoes on sale, using discount codes, doing our due diligence in net research, and having my sister bundle the packages stateside to consolidate shipping.

Kimme has just about eliminated her risk by purchasing a new pair of shoes of a model she’s already used - the Asics Fuji Racers. I’m going out on the limb a bit by trying a new Asics model - the Fuji Runnagades, and a model I’ve never tried before - the GT 2000 2’s. 

The Runnagades are going to be used for the Quetzal and similar muddy, treacherous trails. They’re going to replace my Saucony Kinvara TR’s and Salomon Speedcross 3’s. The Kinvara’s are a great shoe. They’re just beat up after two years of use and don’t quite have the lugs of a true mud racer.
The Salomon’s have the lugs and are a very comfortable shoe. I just wish I hadn’t purchased the waterproof version because once they’re swamped my feet feel like a kid who’s supposed friend is holding their head underwater. The Runnagades appear to be the ideal cross between these two shoes with both grip and breath ability and they just have a cool deep green vibrant orange kick ass jungle look.

The GT 2000 2’s are replacing my well worn Kinvara 2’s as my road work shoes. That was a tough decision - not going with an update of the Kinvara’s, but after reading the reviews, I had serious doubts any update of the Kinvara’s would fit the same as my 2’s. So despite the bland blue and gray appearance, and also being a little weighty compared to the shoes I’ve been running in, I chose the Gts. Since I’m doing consistent road work for the first time in decades, I decided to go with a shoe with a little more cushioning than I’ve used in the past. Previously I was predominantly training on a treadmill and could get away with far less support. They also get great reviews, were on sale, and with the additional 10% discount code from Running Warehouse are a relatively inexpensive gamble.

The pack, the Osprey Rev 1.5, I got at Back Country for 20% off  and is meant to overcome the obstacles I talked about yesterday. I  also expect that it will allow me to go from wearing a pack and a small belt to an all in one pack set up. Talk about that after we give it a test go this weekend.

For now, it’s off to David where Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or my ma, have a package waiting for me to open. I just wish I wasn’t an adult so I wouldn’t have to wait to jump up and down with excitement and run outside and play with my new toys.