expiration date 

about a week ago, i caved in and bought a new pair of running shoes. my Brooks PureConnect pair was at the end of its lifetime, and i was looking for the replacement. it is actually fairly comfortable, except for the collar that keeps pushing my achilles. it’s fine during runs, but when used for standing and walking, the collar becomes really annoying.

i love my other running shoes, the Merrell Dash Glove. even though it took a while for me to adjust on its zero drop and minimal cushioning, i finally can take them on long runs. and after wearing the Dash Glove, i realize that i prefer wider toe boxes and the PureConnect toe box feels cramped.

after doing some research here and there, i decided to go for the Merrell Bare Access Arc 2 for women. most reviews say that the fit is identical to the Dash Glove and i looove the Dash Glove. the thing is they just came out, so it’s gonna be a while until they’re available in Singapore. but i could wait.

or so i thought.

a week ago, i found out that Brooks warehouse was clearing their old models, and some models were on 50% discount. so i paid the Queensway Mall a visit and came back with the pair above: Brooks PureFlow… (actually, i came back with FIVE pairs of PureFlow, because a few of my friends couldn’t pass up the discount either).

so far, i’ve only tried it on two runs, so this is definitely a preliminary report… the toe box is definitely wider than PureConnect, although not as wide as the Dash Glove. but i’m okay with it.

the shoe tongue is thick! actually, the whole shoe feels thick. maybe i’ve been wearing barefoot-style running shoes and PureConnect has very thin uppers, so this PureFlow feels really thick, cushy and soft.

and it has thick soles, too. unlike the two shoes with roundy soles, this one feels very stable. it’s like standing on a pyramid. but once again, it’s probably because i’ve been running with my Dash Glove lately.

one thing that’s really obvious from the PureFlow running quality is that it’s very bouncy. it’s not that soft like the Nike Free marshmellow-like cushion, but more like springy. boing, boing. i’ve read a few reviews saying the same thing, but they say that the bouncy effect will slowly disappear with increased mileage on the shoe.

one thing that’s annoying though. everytime i start running with these shoes, my right shin starts to hurt. it feels like i’m having posterior shin splint all over again. but usually, after about 10km, the pain disappears. i hope i’ll get used to these shoes and the pain goes away all together.

other than that, the shoes is quite comfortable. my legs are less sore after long runs compared to when i wear the Dash Glove for long runs. so, the plan is to use the PureFlow for long runs, and Dash Glove for everything else. i hope it works.

oh, and i looove the look! i think the purple & silver looks really nice. the silver part is not so obvious, making them look like one-color shoes. i prefer one-color sports shoes… my Dash Glove is also one color (orange).