Altra Addict?

Altras were a nearly-last-ditch experiment for me. I wasn't initially impressed. I can't find the pictures, but they pretty much fell apart after three runs totalling less than 20 miles. I had heard great things about Altra customer service, but nobody seemed to care about my shoddy shoes. This made me sad, because they had felt amazing, comfortable, great ground feel, my little toesies weren't squooshed. But after reading claims of tested in the Wasatch range, some pairs lasting over 800 miles, I was pretty pissed that nobody would talk to me about some loose stitching in less than two weeks. Posting pictures of the damage to their Facebook page did get my shoes replaced for free, and I have since had nothing but great service from them.

Altra Superior, my 'first' pair (that actually lasted)

I loved them a lot, but was only just foraying into trail play and still running on the road a bit, and didn't want to wear the fairly aggressive 'checker-board' tread down on them too quickly. So I went ahead and ordered a pair of Intuitions for the road. They only got a few runs as I moved more and more to trail running, and now very very rarely do I run in them. They became my work and gym shoes, and are the only pair with elastic laces (easier to slip on and off at work during a session).

As you can see, they are pretty beaten up. Oil stains, hay seeds stuck from when I go to feed straight from work, super-glued both of them previously to get more time from them, and now have irreparable holes. While it is acceptable for me to work in socks, its not okay to see my socks through my tatty shoes. So these have just arrived:

Instinct - Men's version of Intuition, which I couldn't find on sale in my size

I decided not long after ordering the Intuitions that it would make sense to have a separate pair for riding in. I had made the switch to riding in running shoes a while ago while still working at the ranch and with more short-term endurance goals. So I got my first pair of Lone Peaks - the tread on them seemed a better option for being in a stirrup than the Superior, and I wanted something a little sturdier.

Riding shoes get as gross as trail running shoes

Earlier this year I busted through the side of my Superiors, so ordered a replacement for them. No picture since I threw them out - they were beyond even being spares to keep in the truck for after-work feeding times. The next pair lasted from February until June, where I just needed them to get me through Big Basin marathon, which they just barely did. They broke through at the same spot. A bit of reading found that this was a common weak point on this model and it has been rectified in the new model.

Superiors - Pair 3. My favourite shoe

Since I had some foot bruising after the marathon, I figured I might need something with a bit more cushion for 50k, and definitely for 50 miles. So I got a pair of Lone Peaks for running as well.

These took more getting-used-to than I anticipated since I had been riding in them for so long, but I now have around 300 miles on them and they're holding up well. I declared at the finish line at Salt Point that I needed to figure something new out because my feet were trashed, but they were actually in great shape. I loosened the laces some for Headlands to allow for swelling, and at neither race did I have any blistering, which is huge for me. However, I miss my Superiors. While I like the Lone Peaks, I love the Superiors, especially if Altra have fixed the weak point. They're a bit lighter and more responsive, so for shorter runs I have these guys on their way to me:

It makes sense to have two pairs in rotation anyway, and while I at least need to replace the Lone Peaks before my big race at the end of January, between the two pairs I'm good until then. Maybe... I would graciously accept a gift of the Olympus, of course :)