I signed up for the Sydney Marathon because I was injured with plantar fasciitis for most of last year. When I got better, I decided that I would go for a marathon. I tried to get into the Berlin Marathon via the lottery, but I told myself that if I didn’t get that slot I would sign up for Sydney. I didn’t get the slot into Berlin, so that’s how I ended up doing my big project of 2024.
So here’s the story of how I picked the shoe I’m wearing for this marathon.
It might have been just bad luck or coincidence I was wearing a certain shoe brand when I got injured, so I just went back to an older shoe I had which I had no issues wearing: the adidas adizero Boston 8. In 2023, the Boston was already in its 11th and 12th iterations so I was definitely way behind.
I thought I should probably get a newer Boston model, but maybe not the latest model. Reading the reviews though, it seemed like the shoe had changed drastically after the 8 so I didn’t know what to expect from the 10 or 11.
Then I read the reviews for the 12, which said that the 12 brings the shoe back to what the Boston is meant for: a training shoe for a marathon. I was able to buy one through a discount from a friend and then began using it in my races. I really liked the experience that I got from the Boston 12s and the shoe has continued to give me some really great support considering it was a neutral shoe, and great energy return, considering it doesn’t have a carbon footplate.
I’ve already put a few hundred kilometers on my Boston 12s, and I’ve been able to approximate some of the times that I need to target the finish time that I want for Sydney Marathon.
I do have a good shoe rotation: I have two pairs of Adidas Supernova Rise which I use for most training and mileage runs. I know that adidas has designed their shoe lineup to be something like: train in the Bostons, and then race in the Adios Pro. However, I think that the Adios is too light for me because I land heavier than most elite runners — because I’m not an elite runner. So I’ve always raced in what are normally considered training shoes, like the Bostons.
As a training shoe the Supernova gives me enough cushioning and a plush upper, so they’re super comfortable logging daily mileage, are a bit more rugged than the Bostons so they can take a beating, and can perform up to tempo runs as well.
I also use the Reebok FloatZig1 for recovery days, because unlike the Bostons which feel like they need to be run fast, the FloatZigs are not as aggressive and they allow me to take my foot off the pedal, so to speak.
With 10 more weeks to go until until the Sydney Marathon, I don’t want my Bostons dead when I have to race. So I wanted to gift myself another pair of Bostons for my birthday.
I put a pair of Boston 12s in a size 8 in my cart on the adidas Philippines website, but didn’t buy it yet even if I had a 15% off voucher from signing up for a free adiClub membership. I wanted to see the colorway in store first before pulling the trigger, which I did. But when I went to check the shoes out that afternoon, they were sold out.
I thought I would probably have to wait until either they released some new stock for the 12s or until Adidas launches the Boston 13, but I couldn’t find any release information.
I had given up all hope but my friend asked me to go out for lunch to celebrate my birthday. Afterwards as I was wandering the mall because I’d had two mojitos and didn’t want to drive home just yet, I dropped by the Adidas store again.
At this point I was fully prepared to pay retail for my Boston 12; I was just desperate and wanted to buy the shoe I wanted to make sure I had the shoes that I needed for my race.
I saw one colorway that was kind of okay, so I asked them to find it in my size. Then I saw another colorway that I actually liked it — was the colorway of the shoe that I had put in my cart! Then I saw a sign on the wall that said something like “sign up for adiClub and get 15% off your in-store purchase.” They said they would check if the Bostons were eligible for the voucher I already had.
And they were!
I ran 11 miles or 18 km straight out of the box with my new Bostons yesterday and the ride was impeccable. I’m so happy it all worked out!
There has been discourse in the local running community about whether or not to buy top-of-the-line shoes if you don’t have big performance capabilities or goals. Some people are into running for performance; others are in it for aesthetics. And then some confuse aesthetics and performance!
I’m here to say: buy what you like, but also buy what you need for whatever your goal is. If like me, your goal is to run a marathon with a target time, then buy the shoe that realistically is in your budget that will give you the best chance to perform.
If you’re running for fitness’ sake or for the social aspect and to be seen, and you have a lot of disposable income, I won’t blame you if you buy an AlphaFly or whatever hyped-up kicks are in vogue right now. Just know that it’s not a requirement when it comes to performance, because even mid-range shoes used with the right training can deliver your goals.
