Has anyone else experienced the agony of finding THE PERFECT RUNNING SHOE only to have it discontinued?

This is exactly what happened to me when Mizuno discontinued the Wave Elixirs back in the summer of 2013. Luckily, I was able to make it a while without needing to search for a new shoe because I ordered new Elixirs when they announced they were being discontinued. In hindsight, I wish I would have ordered 10 pairs!

After years of running in Brooks Adrenalines and then a short stop over in some Asics after a terrible Adrenaline redesign, I found the Wave Elixirs when Mizuno sent me a pair to test in 2012. I fell in love.

They were the most perfect shoe I had ever run in. It turns out, I didn’t need a crazy stability shoe. I was really okay in a neutral shoe. Maybe that’s thanks to all the yoga and strength work I did over time. Me and my Elixrs made a lot of memories in our short time together.

Countless runs around the neighborhood and while traveling to places as close as Georgia and as far away as Mexico.

Many 5K road races including a new 5K PR and my best race performance ever.

And a new half marathon PR and my first sub-1:45 finish ever!

During my half marathon training my Elixirs were really starting to show some wear so I tried out the Brooks Ravenna for a while but started experiencing some foot pain during my training. The first question my doctor asked was if I had switched my shoes recently to which I replied yes. With the race only weeks away, he instructed me to go back to my Elixirs and worry about finding another shoe after the race.

I like the Ravennas and I still rotate them in occasionally for runs but they’re just too much shoe for me and a bit clunky and not quite right. Recently, it’s gotten to a pretty dire point with replacing my shoes. When I arrived at the beach to visit my parents, my mom asked what I’d like for my birthday. I told her I was desperate for new shoes so on my first day here we visited a local running store, Run With It.

I explained my situation to the woman helping me and she was very knowledgeable and had some great ideas for me. She brought me about six pairs of shoes to try. Three pairs I put on and took off immediately, I could tell by just standing in them that they weren’t for me. But three other pairs I actually LOVED and had a hard time deciding between.

Initially, I was between Brooks Pure Connect 4 and Saucony Kinvara 5. I loved both shoes but they were completely different. The Brooks had a lot of cushioning and arch support and wrapped around my foot very snugly. The Saucony felt roomier in the toe box and had a little less cushioning.

I took them for a run around the store a few times. First wearing each pair on its own and then one on each foot. I was tempted to buy both of them! (Yes, my hair is that huge at the beach.)

Then they threw a huge wrench in my shoe buying when one of the other associates recommended that I try on Newton’s. I tried on two different pairs and loved the Newton Fate. It was like no running shoe I had ever tried on. They feature “lugs” at the forefoot of the shoe to give you a little help in propelling you forward. It’s a totally different feel but I liked the shoe a lot. They’re very roomy in the toe box and feel really great overall. I decided to go for something different and give them a try.

I took them out for a spin last night and did a 3.5 mile run in them. So far, so good. I will keep you posted! All that said, I’m probably still going to order a pair of the Kinvaras or Pure Connects to rotate in so I can really make sure I find the right shoe for me. You can still get the Kinvara 5s on a nice discount (they’re onto the 6 model now) so I’ll probably start there.

So there’s the latest in my quest to find the NEW perfect running shoe!

What are you running in these days? Have you ever had a shoe discontinued? Any other Newton lovers out there?