They were sleek, silver, and fresh. I wanted to have them. They have since become known as the Air Max 97 (pictured below), but at the time, they were a pair of shoes that I WANTED so bad. I don’t know exactly what it was, perhaps the giant air bubble going from toe to heel or the reflective material I would later use for running. Up to that point, I had been wearing mostly Jordan’s, but the Air Max 97 was the first pair of running shoes that I wanted… looking back, I guess my affinity for shoe game started in high school.
Although I never owned a pair of the Air Max 97’s when they originally launched or when they were recently re-released, the Air Max was always a shoe I had my eye on. When Finish Line reached out to me to tell my story about the Air Max, it almost seemed to good to be true. I thought the Flyknit Air Max was the perfect fit. It had the same air bubble across the bottom, but utilizes Nike’s Flyknit technology for a lighter and almost seamless upper. Since I’m drawn to brightly-colored shoes, I went with the bright crimson/photo blue colorway.
November Project San Francisco tribe post-workout.
When Katie of MomsLittleRunningBuddy.com came to San Francisco and wanted to do join me in a workout with November Project (SF), it was the perfect chance to put the shoes to the test. We would be doing hill repeats up to Coit Tower. I had been wearing the shoes casually for a week or so, but this would be the first time I would be working out in them. There is some weight to the shoe (12.8 oz.) compared to your typical running shoe, but they were comfortable and supportive. Since the workout was hill repeats the weight didn’t bother me too much. I see this more as a running shoe that can be worn as a fashion statement: the “I-am-a-runner-and-sneaker-head-so-check-out-my-fresh-kicks” kind of statement.
It’s been 17 years since I wanted a pair of Air Max shoes, but I finally put on a pair on my feet and I’m wondering what took me so long.
Do you remember when your shoe affinity started? What was the pair?
Chuck Taylor all stars. Does that show my age? :)
When I started on my healthy living journey, my first pair of gym shoes were Nike’s. I still wear them. My fave running shoes right now, Nike Lunarlons :) You have the FUlashiest shoes. They rock.
I think I asked a boy to our Sadie Hawkins type of dance, just so I had an excuse to buy the Air Max 97’s for our matching outfits, of course…
Sneaker-head. That’s totally me. I remember I was probably about 8 or 9 and Reebok came out with these black high tops with different neon colors. I got the neon yellow and I ran through the mall to make sure they “ran fast”. Obviously the rest is history, although now I’m Mizuno loyal.
Thats awesome! I do remember people loving the Air Max. Look at that smile in the photo :D I have no idea what my favorite pair started as….I know I used to love the pegasus! I would say I feel stronger about my Saucony Kinvara than I have any other shoe in the past, I LOVE them! And thankfully I get enough pairs sent to me that I can walk in some, train in some, and race in them too :)
Everyone saw you coming in those kicks! They looked so good going up and down those steps. :) I use to want a pair of those Nike Shocks?!
lol – airmax 95 was my first running shoe I think – that shoe was so heavy haha. Then I bought the Asics 125 shoe – and I couldn’t believe how light they were. Now that shoe would almost seem overweight. I ran in the 125 series until they stopped it, then was on the 2000 series until they stopped/changed that shoe enough.