There, I broke down and bought a new pair of running shoes!

Why is that news Harold you always used to buy way too many pair of running shoes?

Well… I’ll let you in on a little bit of news on the running shoe front. I have not bought, gotten or anything else a new or used pair of running shoes since September 2025. I know, I know wonders will never cease. However, I was damned happy with the Mount to Coast R1’s, enough so that last year, I bought two pair of them. One pair have been treadmill only shoes and have a lot of life left in them, even though they probably have over 400 miles on them. The other pair, have accumulated outside miles walking, running and just general beat around shoes. Perfectly comfortable and while they ain’t great for running anymore, they have plenty of life left as walkers and beater shoes.

If I was so happy with them, why change things?

At $160 + tax for another pair of R1’s made the cheeks clench pretty hard. Yeah, I know that is the going price for a pair of decent running shoes nowadays, but I’m cheap. Also, if I am honest with myself, running around 10, maybe 15 miles per week doesn’t justify premium running shoes. Especially, when I have a pair of R1’s that I will continue to use on the treadmill and only need the new ones for when I run outside.

Which meant I looked around and found a great deal on a pair of Craft Pacer v1’s for just over $70.00. I have had Craft shoes in the past and enjoyed running in them, so it wasn’t an unknown brand to me. Plus, I had them on my wish list last year before I got the Mount to Coast shoes.

Besides, $70 versus $160+, well… you get the reasoning.

I always try to do my first run in a pair of new running shoes on the treadmill. That way if a hot spot develops, I can hop off and not end up with a “wonderful” blister or deal with a shoe that doesn’t work for me at all.

So, I started off at my usual very comfortable pace and held it there for 20:00 minutes, then I picked it up a little until I got to 2.75 when I picked it up pretty good for .15 and then finished strong for the last .10. My total time was 3.00/31:59.

The Pacers did just fine. No hot spots, had good response when I picked up the pace. They were comfortable and once the inserts form to my feet they will be fine.

Are they as comfortable or fit my feet as well as the R1’s? In a word – No.

But they are a running shoe that I will be able to run comfortably in for the mileage I am presently doing. If I ever get back up in miles, I would most likely go back to the Mount to Coast series of running shoes. They just seem to fit my feet perfectly and I could justify the added expense to myself.