New shoes (Asics Gel Kayano 19 Review)

I’ve been holding out on you.

I’ve had these sexy new shoes in my possession for over a week now and haven’t mentioned them yet.

Well, today, that changes.

These are the new Asics Gel Kayano 19’s. My last pair of shoes were Mizunos—largely because I kept hearing so much about them and had to know what the craze was all about. Let’s just say I knew I’d made a mistake when I kept secretly pulling out of my old ratty Asics for runs. (Who was I hiding from? The Mizunos??)

Before I met Asics, I was a Nike girl—mostly because I loved the Nike+ device. (Way to go on that marketing campaign, Nike!)

Now. There are several other brands of shoes I’ve never tried that also have super devoted fans (like Brooks), and I’m aware that I could be missing out on a magical shoe relationship, but I’m starting to get sick of the brand hopping. I just don’t know that I’ll ever venture out again.

I think I’m ready to call myself an Asics Loyalist for Life.

According to my self-diagnosis of my stride (I should really get this professionally assessed someday in case I’m full of crap), I have one pretty neutral foot and one super over-pronating one. To deal with the over-pronating one, I need a shoe with a lot of support, and I love the extra cushion many Asics offer. Soooo dreamy.

I’ve only worn the Kayanos on a few runs and walks, but here are my thoughts so far…

–They’re super, super light. I feel like this is kinda cliché to say, since almost every shoe claims feathery lightness these days, but in this case, it’s true. These things are so light, I almost chucked them across the room just pulling them out of the box after misjudging their weight. (Slight exaggeration…)

–They’re not as supportive as I’d hoped. Womp womp. I was IN LOVE with my old Asics Nimbuses, which were like pillows wrapped around my feet, and was hoping these would be similar. (I actually tried to find another pair of Nimbuses to replace my old ones, but of course, I have the same size feet as everyone else on the planet and can therefore never find old shoes in my size.)

–They really conform to your feet. I haven’t decided how I feel about this yet, since right now they almost feel constricting in their snugness, but there’s definitely no fear of heel slippage, and I think they’ll loosen up a bit with wear. If you’re into midfoot stability, these are all over it.

–I’m not going to lie to you and say that the way they look didn’t factor into my buying decision. I loooove the bright hot color trend going on right now and couldn’t help being drawn to it during my search. Pink and black is one of my go-to color combos anyway, and the bright green trim adds just enough edginess without being too flashy. Swoon.

P.S. By “too flashy” I mean…

Yiiiikes.

Bottom line: I’m pretty happy with my purchase, but I still miss my Nimbuses. I might have to play around with thick socks and insoles to achieve the dreamy ride I once got from those.

That said, the Kayanos are still much more supportive than any other brands I’ve owned or tried on. And besides, some people say that too much cushioning makes runners lazy, so maybe this is good for me.

Ultimately, Kayanos are probably best suited to neutral runners—but, hey, at least one of my feet is happy!

What’s the last running shoe you bought?

Are you loyal to a particular shoe brand, or do you brand hop?