I’m not much of a shopper when it comes to clothing. I treat it as a chore that I do every season as a necessity. The one exception to that rule is running gear. For some reason I truly enjoy shopping for gear that I use while training/racing.

So, I was more than a little excited when the Massachusetts Association For The Blind and Visually Impaired presented me with a $100 gift card to Heartbreak Hill Running Company for being one of the biggest fundraisers for the Boston Marathon. I headed to their Tremont Street location which is across the street from my work .

I was well aware of HHRC’s adorably logo’d gear. I wore one of their tops in the 2016 BAA 1/2 marathon & got a big surprise. HHRC also has it’s own running club called the Heartbreakers. So anyone who knows about them yells HEARTBREAKER when you run by (nice bonus). But, I already had plenty of running clothes so I decided to check out their footwear.

I’ve run in the Brooks Ghost since the 6 & am currently running in the 9 (10 is out in July). The salesperson suggested I try the Hoka Clifton 2, which I realized I already had run in & decided I didn’t love. The toe box isn’t wide enough for my Barney Rubble shaped feet.

Next he had me try the Saucony Ride 9 Reflex, which felt super comfy immediately. They also looked great. They feature 360 reflective material that make them great for people who run evenings. I wear the currexSole inserts in my shoes and they fit perfectly so I snatched them up.

The only thing left to do was go for a test run. I wore an all HHRC outfit knowing I’d probably do a post about it and set out. The Ride 9 definitely feels different than the Ghost 9. Similar weight, but I think the Ride 9 has a more cushy ride. I settled in at my 5K pace and headed to Boston Common.

As I looped around at government center and back to the Commons I saw a large group of female runners who were cruising at a fast clip. I’m working on getting faster switching from marathon to shorter distances so I picked up the pace and tried to stay with their group. They were running in the high 6’s which is really my max, so it was really fun. As we headed towards Back Bay a group of super fast men blew by us. This is when I realized I was in the middle of the Heartbreakers speed workout. My outfit immediately had me like 😱😱😱. I guess I’m just going to actually go take one of their classes now so I don’t feel like such a poser. Oh, and I love the shoes.