I broke in a new pair of Vibram V-Runs this morning. It’s my 4th pair since 2020. I bought my first two pairs at roughly the same time in 2020, but didn’t start running regularly in them until spring 2022. Both eventually developed holes in the heel, and after holding on to them for way too long after I retired them from running, I finally tossed one pair last winter, and the other just last week. I bought my third pair at the beginning of 2024, and they’ve been my go-to running shoes for the last year and a half. No holes yet, but like the previous two, I suspect I used them a little bit past their expiration date. The featured image shows the soles side-by-side with the brand-new pair, and you can definitely see the difference in wear. I bought the new pair back in March, and they’ve been sitting in the closet waiting for me to decide it was time to switch. Today was the day. Assuming I keep up with my running, I should probably plan on replacing these every year or so. I’ll likely end up buying another pair around the end of next winter or so.

Really tough run for me this morning. I got my 7 miles in, but I seriously hit the wall at around mile 5. Saturday, I made it 11 miles, but was totally wiped out at the end. Not sure whether it’s a hydration/electrolyte issue, a mild virus, or something else. My diet has not been the greatest over the past few days (eating out a lot) but I doubt that’s the sole cause. It’s not the weather, either, as it’s been much nicer the past several days than most of the second half of July. I am also still dealing with the calf tightness and outside-edge-of-foot achiness on the right side that has plagued me for most of the summer. As with previous years, everything will probably eventually resolve itself as mysteriously as it started.