These Asics Gel-Cumulus 11 shoes are so comfortable, I feel like I’m not wearing shoes at all.  They have a good bounce, and I don’t feel the gel packs under my feet, which is a good sign that the gel is spread evenly.  I didn’t have any trouble breaking them in whatsoever.  My first run was 7 miles through the streets of Washington, DC. They ran over pavement, metal, dirt, grass, asphalt, wood, and cobblestone without problems.

By the second run, I felt they were fully broken in, and I ran 17 miles without any pains or sores from having new shoes.  I threw the old ones out immediately.   In fact, writing this review reminds me that I want to buy another pair of these, so I can alternate the wear between pairs, in case something happens to one pair during training.

I have wide feet, so these shoes work perfect for me.  My feet have plenty of room to expand once I get into double-digit runs.  They breathe very easy and are able to whisk away water with ease.  Also, they have yet to untie themselves while running, so the laces stay intact.

Even for casual wear, they look stylish.  And they are comfortable, especially with running socks.  My feet feel a bit snug with regular cotton socks.  And since people generally don’t untie shoes when taking them off, these are easy to pop off the heel.  No worries though–they don’t feel like they’re going to pop off while running, since they have a firm grip around your heel.

I also wore them while taking a class in curling (similar to shuffle board on ice), and they kept my feet warm even when I was sliding around on ice for a couple hours!

What else can I say? They are the perfect running shoes, and I plan on buying them over and over again until they are discontinued or until I can run no longer.

I purchased them from Zappos.com‘s online store.  Here’s the website listing.  I am training for a full marathon at the Las Vegas Marathon in December 2009.