Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Hoka Skinnay Skinnay

As part of my ongoing quest for gear that will help me run with less acute pain, I ordered me some Hoka Vanquish road shoes from REI garage last week. Got them yesterday, and have to say, they are some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever put on. I so wanted them to fit, because they just felt that good. But, unfortunately, the toe box feels like it was cast for a Smurf. I don't think my foot is even that wide, yet I was straining the uppers, and making them bulge out over that huge sole like a mushroom. As comfy as they are, I know that the slightest bit of foot swelling is going to make me want to start cutting holes in them, so unfortunately, I will be taking advantage of REI's generous return policy today. I did briefly consider having my two smallest toes removed from each foot so that I could keep them, but my wife talked me out of it.





Of course, before buying, I had read everything I wanted to read in the reviews: like how they were super-comfy, that they cured people's pain. That people walked away from their Asic's and never went back. I conveniently ignored most every review that said they had a tight toe-box, that they were too narrow, that they were snug across the top. Reading the reviews for their other road models, that seems to be the going theme. Too narrow.

So bummed. These were almost the shoes I was looking for.



UPDATE 4/19/17: Walked out of REI with the Bondi 5. Much wider toe box, much roomier, mucho more expensive. Since I'm a bit injured, I dropped my daughter at Girl Scouts and hit the treadmill at the gym next door for a three-mile walk. Not too shabby! Roomy, SUPER cushy.. A little of the new-shoe-on-the-bottom of the feet "hotness", but that will fade. So far, so good! Can't wait to run in them. A guy on Facebook says he gets 5-600 miles out of his Bondi's, so they actually will be cheaper than my Asic's in the long run.

These might just be the shoes I am looking for.


David Roche agrees!  ðŸ˜ƒ





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