April Shower Runfessions

It's been a cloudy, cold month--I heard that this is the cloudiest April on record for the Chicago area. I figured as much. It certainly has been tough to motivate myself to get out from under the blankets and head outside for a run. But the running doesn't stop just because the sun isn't shining, am I right? Plus, what would I have to runfess? Yep, once again, it's the last Friday of the month and Marcia has opened the runfessional so we can cleanse our soles. 

Maybe, just maybe, May will bring us some sunshine and warm weather?

5 Things I Considered When Buying My First Pair of Trail Shoes and A Review of the Brooks Cascadia 14 XT

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

I almost never post shoe reviews. Why would I? There are plenty of shoe reviews available online, right? Runner's World has become nothing but shoe reviews. I received the new edition in the mail yesterday and yep, 30 new shoes!

With so many reviews and so many shoe companies vying for our business, who can we trust for an honest review? When I was shopping for trail shoes, I came across so many differing opinions. One website gave the shoes I eventually bought 5 stars, another 2.5 stars. I was so confused and I didn't know what shoes to pick.

So, I turned to my running friends for advice. Marcia, who is my go-to expert for all things running and who runs trails regularly, told me to start with the brand of shoes I normally run in--solid, common sense advice. Another blogger, Shiastho, who regularly runs trails with her husband, shared on a blog post that her husband bought the Brooks Cascadia, the model I was considering, and was really liking them. Based on those 2 trusted opinions, I made my decision and bought the Cascadia, opting for the XT model, which is made with GoreTex and provides protection from water.