Colby - if I could just stretch my metaphor to the breaking point, you might be one of those folks who is most efficient running on the "hard packed wet sand" of life. It sounds like your shoes break down until the cushion meets your needs and they feel fabulous, then they continue to break down to the point the function is getting interfered with (the shoe is distorted in some way) and you begin getting blisters.

Have you tried running in sandals? One of the reasons I love my sandals so much is that width is such a non-issue. I run in Chaco Z1 mostly. www.chacousa.com They come in widths, and I run best in women's wide or men's regular. They might be too cushy for you still, but perhaps worth trying on a pair next time you see them? (the side view of the sandal's medial and lateral counters makes it look like they have a built-up heel, but I measured with a caliper at the actual heel cup and at the ball of the foot and they are only about 1 mm different)