You know that pair of shoes that has carried you through a lot of special miles, the shoes you were wearing on your most epic runs, the shoes that feel like a part of your body, the ones you don't like to think about throwing away someday? My X-Talons are that shoe.

Most of my running is on trails. I am fortunate to live in the Rocky Mountains so I have lots of trails available. The trails I run most frequently are the closest to my house. They include some brutal terrain like steep hillsides, rabbit trails winding through cactus-filled fields, large sandstone formations, rocky inclines, sticky mud when it rains, ice and snow in the winter... you get the idea. I use every bit of traction the X-talon has to offer. When you are jumping boulder-to-boulder on sandstone, you can't afford to slip. Similarly, running down steep hillsides with loose, rolling rocks requires a shoe that can take a beating while still offering reasonable protection for your feet.

On demanding terrain, the X-Talon takes the question marks out of "go a little faster?"... "push a little harder?"

From time to time, I lace up different shoes because I don't want my feet and legs to get too adapted to running in a particular shoe. (Lazy feet result in "overuse" injuries.) When I wear other shoes - all of them "minimalist" as I don't even own a pair of classic trainers any more - I have to be much more aware of the limitations of the shoe on my foot. With the X-Talon, I can be confident that next time I eat dirt it will by my fault, not the shoe's fault.

The X-Talon is my unstoppable go-to for anything other than roads, treadmill, or very-groomed trails. Even on groomed surfaces and pavement, the X-Talon is a fine shoe, but there are lots of good running shoes for tracks and neighborhoods that couldn't last a week on tough trails. I can't believe how good of condition my X-Talon's are still in.

The X-Talon is really in its element when you get away from the noise. For those runs, it's just me, some old running shorts, and this shoe. Maybe that's why I like this shoe so much: it's the only thing I would miss if I left it behind on a long, epic trail run... shorts notwithstanding, of course, but who thinks about their shorts when they run?