Gear Review & Blast from the Past: Nike Zoom Kennedy XC on Running Shoes Guru

Just a little something I did for fun over at Running Shoes Guru. More a reminiscing over my old college cross-country spikes than a true review. If you feel like giving it a vote, feel free to click on the Facebook "Like" button in the post, but no pressure. Check it!

Seems to be the cool thing to do...my favorite running shoes

Sneaker Report's list of The 100 Best Running Shoes of All Time has recently been making the rounds across the Twitter-verse, and several people have been weighing in with their opinions on the list, as well as their own personal favorites. Definitely some interesting choices on that list...some I'd agree with, and plenty I most certainly would not agree with, but hey, that's part of the fun of making your own list, right? Pete Larson just posted his list, so I figured, what the hey, I'll play.

Clothing Comparison (or how drivers react when I wear less clothes)

Yesterday, I wore:

 + 

And drivers were nice to me. They gave me space, they didn't fly by at Mach 12, they stopped at stop signs and waved for me to go, no one honked or cursed at me (although I did get one wolf whistle), etc. Also, the construction workers stopped traffic for me. Huuuge difference from the winter when I was bundled up in lots of clothes and people were mean. I figured it was nice outside and maybe people were happy that the weather was warm.

Today, I wore:

And some ridiculous baggy Brooks singlet that is so old that I can't even find a picture online. Drivers did not move over or slow down for me, I waited forever at stop signs until there were no cars, I got honked at and cursed at (but at least no one threw anything, I guess), etc. It was basically what happened in winter all over again, despite the fact that it was just as warm as yesterday, only sunnier (yesterday saw some light rain), so apparently it wasn't just people being happy about the weather. I hate using girliness to my advantage...but sex sells, and if it keeps me from getting hit by cars, I may have to wear booty shorts with 2" inseams more often...

Alright, random post, sorry. I do have another shoe review, just need to find time to write it.

Departure from the Norm...Seven Random Facts

I do a lot of serious posts, and not nearly enough "fun" posts. So I decided it's time for a fun post. Leah at Chasing Atalanta just tagged me to write a Seven Random Facts about myself post. Thanks for the link, Leah! She herself was tagged with a Versatile Blogger Award (well deserved), but my blog is not very versatile, so I'm not sure that part was actually intended for me. Since all my readers actually know about me are my shoe preferences, here's a chance to get to know me a little better. Plus maybe it'll help me make this blog more versatile and/or get me more internet friends and readers.

Gear Review: Nike Zoom Streak 3

In the past, I've worn ultra lightweight flats for half-marathons and shorter races. However, when I signed up to do a marathon, I decided that the 3.9oz Adizero PR just wasn't going to cut it. Whatever time I saved from using a lighter shoe would be negated tenfold by foot fatigue. I needed a little bit more shoe underneath me. I briefly considered the Brooks T6, but eventually decided something with a slightly less aggressively curved last might be a better idea. I did a whole bunch of searching and trying on various shoes, and eventually ended up with the Nike Zoom Streak 3 (not to be confused with the Nike Zoom Streak XC 3). The Streak 3 is another shoe that I've mentioned in the past, but felt it was deserving of a full review.

Gear Review: Nike Free

I've recently rediscovered a pair of shoes that had made their way to the back of my closet to be ignored and forgotten (and there are quite a few shoes for them to be buried beneath). That would be the Nike Free, more specifically, the Nike Free 5.0 V3. The 5.0 has since been replaced by the Nike Free Run+, and more recently, the Nike Free Run+ 2. A couple changes have been made to the flex grooves to make the Run marginally more flexible, and the upper is actually pretty attractive now, but for all intents and purposes, the 5.0 and the Run are the same shoe.

Gear Review: Racing Flats

Recently, a friend of mine mentioned that a picture of my running shoes looked like a catalog for racing flats. She then followed it up with the "What flat should I get?" question. While the answer to this question varies depending on your biomechanics, your race distance, and your race surface, here's some information to get you started: