I'm a little obsessive over what I expect in a running shoe.

I don't so much crave arch support, as I just need my feet to be cocooned in cushions.

Meaning, I want to feel like I'm trampling clouds. Like I'm thudding on top of chinchillas.

And the shoes should be light. So light I forget they're there. Like I nabbed Mercury's self-flapping footwear and my feet kick forward almost on their own.

See, the more comfortable my run is, the less burdened I am with that annoying real world. If my legs propel swiftly, pent-up frustrations just drain away.

If an awkwardly designed shoe gets in the way of that, I don't wear it for long.

So I was giddy when I slithered my feet into Brooks' new Cascadia 8 trail-running shoes, sleek and eye-catching with splashes of blue and red.

They were snug. Comfy. And my legs hefted up as if there was nothing encasing my feet at all.

I was eager to take them for a real test.

I headed to Tubbs Hill, where I prepped with some hopping to feel the shoes' reliable bounciness.

When I set off, I wasn't disappointed. I didn't just run up the slope. I plowed up. I bounded.

I felt like a fit mountain goat. Like Wile E. Coyote finally gaining on his prey.

The best part: The easy tread meant I could reach my running Nirvana. I set my legs on autopilot and let my brain off its working-day leash.

I meditated on the breeze, the shadowed forest, the peeking sun.

All in all, a nice, solid run.

But the shoes might not be for everyone.

It's best to caution, these trail-running shoes are best for plodding on just that. Trail.

The bottom surface of the Cascadia 8 are oddly slippery on other surfaces... So I felt a little skittish stepping on rocks. And even a little nervous when I tried them on a treadmill.

When I ventured some weightlifting with the Cascadia on, my feet kept slipping off machines.

That said, the shoes perform just as they should when they're doing what they were designed to do.

So if you need a mental release in the form of pounding some earth, the Cascadia 8 will make a peaceful run complete.

The Brooks Cascadia 8 for women runs about $120.