Nu shooz: Brooks Ghost 4

I’m unsure why I write posts about each pair of new running shoes. If nothing else, I guess it serves to highlight the ever and fast changing world of the shoe industry, which itself could be indicative of consumer culture and the durability of modern products as a whole. Regardless, it has become another quirky and automatic Quiet Man series. Every time I buy new running shoes, I am now trained to write about it, however lame and pathetic the post may be. Basically, it is another notch for my post count.

So the Ghost 3 is out and Brooks introduced the Ghost 4 recently. I bought a pair yesterday and took them for a spin this morning. Aren’t they sexy? Unfortunately, the photo does not do them justice. I need to bust out my tripod more often and not use my bed as a staging area.

So what’s the difference? The design and color scheme of the upper portion. The sole foundation remains the same, which is perfect for me. From what I can tell, shoe companies will use the same sole foundation for many of their shoes, but then tweak the upper part to make it appear every series is different. Clever, eh? The $130 shoe for neutral pronators may look different than the $100 shoe for the same foot type, but they are essentially the same.

The Running Wild salesman solved a mystery for me. I told him each pair of Ghost’s have worn excessively on the front and I was unsure why. I showed him the wear, the colorful rubber cushioning worn to the white fabric underneath. My older shoes had worn diagonally, as is normal for neutral pronators.

“You’re a forefoot runner,” he said. “Have you been running hill repeats?”

“Hill repeats.” I had to smile at that. Running argot. But, yes, I have been running hill repeats. A lot.

“Well, that’s why. When you’re going uphill you’re running on your toes. You’re not doing too much toe-to-heel striking on hills.”

That explains it, and I am sure he thought I was a complete idiot for not figuring it out myself. So for the sake of not shredding the forefoot of my soles, I have decided to cut out a couple hills from my route, which I have no problem with. Hills, heat, and humidity form an evil axis for runners, and I will gladly deal with only two of the three on a regular basis.