I’ve run in a lot of different brands of shoes, but I’ve never run in Brooks before.

I have to admit, I was a little worried I wouldn’t like them, but they are definitely one of the best pair of shoes I’ve run in.

I bought the Brooks Glycerin 8 because they fit really well and they were slightly discounted since the 9s were out.

My feet are odd in that I have wide feet plus a narrow heel, which makes finding running shoes a bit of a challenge.

With my wide forefoot, it is critical I find a pair of shoes has a mesh toe box area along the sides.

The narrow heel means I have a hard time finding a shoe that will not slip off my heel, but these fit like a glove.

I have really enjoyed running in these and they have held up very well. I have about 400 miles on them so far and they still feel cushiony and well supported. (I usually wear my shoes until 500+ miles because I am a cheapskate.)

I honestly don’t have any legitimate complaints about them. The only thing would be the cosmetic design: they aren’t the cutest pair of shoes I’ve ever owned, but I’ll get over it.

This was my 5th winter in Alaska and up until this winter, I have never put studs in my shoes to provide more traction when running on snow and ice.

I have used my YakTraxs previous winters, but I wore them on a 11-miler this winter and got two black toe nails from them. Since them, I’ve been giving them the silent treatment and ignoring them. Plus, all the hard-core runners up here give you the “stink eye” for wearing the YakTraxs, so I became a “real” runner and got some studs in my shoes.

These studs are simply screws from the hardware store inserted in the bottom of my shoes.

I really wanted to install the screws myself, but I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I let the experts at Skinny Raven do it for me.

Love the Brooks slogan on the bottom of the shoes.

Yes, I do believe running is in my DNA.

Right now I am switching between these Brooks and a pair of Saucony Hurricane 14s, and I’m really loving the Saucony Hurricans as well. I think they may be my favorite pair of shoes I’ve ever run in!