Tah-Dah! My Brooks Glycerin 8 Shoe and Short Review!

Ain't she a beaute. This here's the Brooks Glycerin 8 running shoe I received in the mail last week and couldn't wait to test drive. I waited til' after my sprint triathlon...to give me a lil' running incentive for the week. And I've taken them out for a spin twice, and overall am impressed with this shoe.

Here's what they say about the shoe (which was a Runner's World Editor's Choice in Spring 2010):

'Cushioning gets cushier in the new Glycerin® 8. Brooks DNA makes its debut and raises the neutral bar by delivering a customized ride for runners of all sizes and speeds. Working with BioMogo, Brooks DNA responds to your every step, dispersing impact and providing ideal comfort and protection as the pace changes. If asked for the secret to your improved endurance, just tell ‘em it’s genetic. Weight: 10.3 oz.'

Okay, from their description I'll be honest, I was a bit hesitant if this shoe would be 'the one' for me, as I'm more of a minimal style shoe gal. Yes, with my PF diagnosis and aftermath, I've been using more cushy style shoes for my longer runs, but these past 2 months have had me LOVING my more minimal running shoes. So the Cushioning gets cushier had me a lil' worried they'd be too marshmallow feeling for me.

Well, I slipped em' on, and it wasn't the case at all! I was very pleased. I was impressed with how the sole felt and it's ability to disperse impact in a supportive manner w/out feeling cushy. yes. score. 

I took them out for a ~6 mile threshold run Tues, and a ~10 miler run this morning, and loved the DNA Brooks sole feature. I'm sold.

However, while the new Brooks DNA feature of the shoe was spot on, I had a problem with the tongue of the shoe, particularly my left foot. The tongue kept sliding off to the side- here's a pic of what I'm talking about:

Can ya see how it's sliding of to the side? It did the same on both sides, but bothered me on my left (huh?). So today half way through my run, I relaced the shoelace through the most outter hole up top, and it made a big difference. I think I'm on to something. And I think this situation will be solved with a few more runs and adjusting the lace. 

And now...for the HVAC Synergy Short! I was so excited to get my hands on these! I gave them a whirl this week. Heres what they say about them:

 Function: Our most technical short is ready for extreme runs in the Mohave desert—or Manhattan. Ventilating mesh and soft inner lining with X-STATIC®, The Silver Fiber™, regulate temperature, wick moisture, and fight odor. Sherpa pockets tote gels.
Fabric: Main Body: 100% lightweight textured polyester with a wicking finish; Splices/Yoke/Pocket: 100% moisture-transfer polyester; Liner: 81% polyester 16% spandex 3% X-STATIC®
Fit: Semi-fitted
Features and Benefits:

Now...here's what I loved about them.

1. Yes, they are very Lightweight! and loved the textured moisture-transfer split shell. I felt speedy in them.

 2. Love, love, loved the waistband! Supportive yet flattering all in one. Here's moi above;-)

3. Liked the dual back pockets with lil tabs to easily find/open with out having to turn your back and look for the pocket opening.

And my 2 concerns with them:

1. They were a lil' pouchy in the front. Tried to show it in the picture, but it's not translating. It just felt like there was a lil' too much material in the front.

2. The bottom white band that surrounds the short felt a lil' restrictive. You can see the white band in pic above. I kept wondering why they used that binding as it seemed to slightly restrict an otherwise extremely light and fabulous short. And then...I read it's 360 degrees of 3M™ Scotchlite™ retroreflectivity! A-ha! Now I understood, and it made sense. So yes, these would be a great early morning or evening lightweight run shorts!

Those are my two cents on the shoes and shorts. This was my first 'official' review of a shoe and short, so it was fun to micro-analyze their performance and features. I enjoyed the ride and look forward to many future runs in these both. Thank you BROOKS for letting me test drive and review your goods!

Now my questions to you: Have you had shoe tongue slipping issues before and how did you solve it? And do you think I can manage to do any more self pre/post run iphone shots for this blog??;-)