Taking it easy

Sometimes even the best intentions can fail. Yesterday I'd taken an earlier train into London so that I could get to Runners Need E1 for their 8am opening. Normally a venture to a running shop is expensive, but this one was a complete freebie.
I was picking up a pair of Brooks Pure Cadence 3 running shoes. I'd seen a tweet a few weeks back, Brooks had partnered with Runners Need to find some guinea pigs for their latest releases. As I'm looking to move away from my current Adidas Supernova Sequence range once they're spent it seemed like a good idea. Pick up a pair of trainers, test them for a week & then take them back with no obligation to buy.
The early start meant that I'd missed my usual morning run, not a problem though as I'd be in the office early and had a bag full of kit ready. Midday was the perfect time to run, but the weather looked miserable and my schedule meant a later, post 3pm run would make more sense. Typically the moment I had a bit of lunch to fuel the later run then sun parted the clouds! By the time I was next free, the will to run had departed.
I resolved to not let the run just fall into the abyss & headed out the door this morning at 6am instead. The plan was up to forty minutes of completely easy running. That was a good thing as I felt useless at the start of the run! It was like I was sleep running, it took me a good few minutes to shake the cobwebs and wake up.
Once I did I could start to assess the new trainers. The Cadence are the most stable of the Pure range, if these don't suit me then nothing of this ilk ever will. I'd attempted to run in Newton's at the end of 2012 and found I couldn't adapt my running style to make most use of them. In theory the Brooks shouldn't need an overhaul of my technique. That said, I felt they were working my calves and achilles, though regular readers will know this could just be my horrific calves being useless.
The trainers certainly felt nice and bouncy, much lighter than my usual choice. With just 5km in them it's too early to tell if they will work for me. I'm intending to get some speedwork, a parkrun & a long run done before I hand them back. Only a range of different activities will provide a decent amount of feedback.
The run itself was nothing special, one of those mornings when it felt like a slog. Nevertheless, to run is better than not to.