I finally got my feet into a pair of Atreyu running shoes

UPDATE: Even though they wear out fast and they no longer have a subscription model and they are $75/pair, they're still the lightest and the most comfortable. They end up being $90 delivered, which is still a very good price for a new pair of extremely light, extremely comfortable, performance daily trainer running shoes. I just bought a new pair of  their Base Model version two in garish orange.

Was it worth the wait? I was afraid it wasn't when I first laced them up and walked around. At first, the very basic outsole felt really hard. However, I am committed and I am glad I did. That was yesterday; today, they have softened up and feel really simple and really good. I can work with this. 

They Fit Like a Glove

Actually, in terms of how they fit, the upper reminds me of Feiyue Tiger Claw martial arts shoes. They're not made of canvas or cotton, like a pair of kung-fu martial arts shoes, but they are made of a very simple textile reminiscent of a pair of 80s Keds. The lockdown is really good but it's not because of any padding at all. Atreyus are the antithesis of built-up, Cadillac-upholstered, padded shoes from Saucony, Brooks, Mizuno, and Asics. There are no flywire or flying buttresses or plates or Continental rubber or overlays or underlays or anything like that. Bit I don't think it needs it.  I lie. There is an overlay at the toe and there's a sweet pull-tab at the back (Jami-approved) and there's a nice suede-like material on the pull tab and on the tongue. As you'll see, there are extra eyelets for the runner's knot, but when I used that, I easily cinched the shoe too tight and had to back down, undoing the runner's knot and just tying it like regular shoes. There's nothing special about the laces and they could have been taken from a pair of Keds or my Tiger Claws, but they get the work done and are simple cotton.

I Have Not Run in them Yet

I plan to do my first run in them tomorrow morning. I have only used them so far on my treadmill desk, primarily because I wasn't sure about the EVA foam. Whatever "durometer" means I was afraid the durometer was too hard and not soft enough. Like I said, though, the low drop big-block of vanilla EVA foam really loosened up. Like some Hoka One One shoes like my older Bondis, the midsole acts as the outsole. While we'll see how the midsole/outsole wears, this shoe isn't designed to last me 300, 400, or 1,000 miles, like I feel like some Adidas runners can do, but they only need to last for two months of my slow jogging, my slow running. I am very heavy right now (6'3" and 350lbs) so we will see how they wear and if I break them. Hopefully, in a year's time, I will be a much lighter runner.  Until then, I will do my best to report what I discover as I commit to a series of Atreyus, across a series of colorways, as my daily trainers. I am not training for anything, I am just pursuing a simple running practice. Wish me luck!

Featherweight neutral running shoes suitable for training and racing.