One question we ask when we look at clouds as children is, “But will it be possible to get on a cloud? And then will it hold me? But can I use it to fly?”
I still wonder even though having studied physics in school ruined all the magic and made me realize (damn physics!) that you can’t just get on a cloud and fly there from Italy to Canada.
You can run in them, though, and it is no accident that running marketing often uses this metaphor to suggest the idea of what it means to run in a particular pair of shoes.
I don’t know exactly what it’s like to be on a cloud, but I do know what it’s like to run in Brooks Glycerin 18s, and I’d like to think the feeling is the same.
A family of shoes
Among all existing running shoes, the Glycerin has a prominent place among comfortable and protective shoes. One could implicitly describe them as “non-racing and for rugged runners,” and one would not be doing them a disservice: in fact, this type of shoe is often referred to as protective and cushioned because it makes sure to take some of the load that the joints would otherwise have to handle. Which does not detract from the fact that it is also an allied shoe for those who are absolutely at a fit weight but have recently started running.
In fact, the vocation of protective shoes is not to allow those who are more or less weighted to run (not all of us are/are perfectly fit runners and even those who are normally fit can-due to injuries or various accidents-find themselves running again and being down in shape) but instead to take care of their joints. This peculiarity of theirs also makes them perfect for those who are beginners and who, therefore, have a muscle structure that is not yet ready.
And not only that, even those who are trained really appreciate this type of shoes, because they are perfect for more relaxed and longer workouts, when you maybe feel like resting your legs and letting your shoes do the work. Well, yes: even those who are trained do not disdain such runs, let’s face it. Then there are the Glycerin 18s.
You take away yet add substance
Shoes have become increasingly simplified in recent years: they are made with fewer and fewer parts and are lighter and lighter. Complicated by more ethereal materials yet capable of highly effective cushioning, a shoe of recent years is made more simply and weighs much less than one of years ago. The result is that what was taken away in terms of weight added cushioning, comfort, and responsiveness. Matter was taken away to amplify qualities that have no materiality but are perceptible, all right.
Weight, in particular, is not an insignificant factor: once upon a time, protective shoes also had significant weight. Today this is no longer the case: they weigh perhaps a few dozen grams more than a racer but not that much more. The result is that protection is provided without necessarily having to have heavy objects on your feet, which become even heavier perceptually the more tired your leg becomes.
Pleasure
This review is a bit sui generis, I admit. I have not talked about the Glycerin 18 in detail. I did this for a reason: the Glycerin 18s are all of these things: they are protective, they are light, they are cushioned, they are comfortable, and they are also fast. They’re sort of a summary of the state of the art of the shoe in this genre in recent years, as well as being the kind of shoes in your collection that you look at and think, “But yeah, I’m in the mood for something relaxed today, and they’re perfect.”
Because regardless of fitness and preparation, sometimes you feel like thinking about nothing else. You just feel like putting your shoes on and letting them do everything. To run, in freedom.
The Brooks Glycerin 18 are available in the best sports stores or the Brooks store for 170 euros.