Goodbye, Old Pals

You don’t say goodbye to a pair of running shoes everyday, but it can be a slightly mournful day when you have to send those tired runners to that great shoe pile in the sky. I like to think that those worn out shoes are chatting up a storm in that mountain of a pile as they compare tales of their adventures and where they’ve been.

My most recent pair that gave up the ghost had holes where my feet had burst through the sides on both shoes on both sides. Also, the nails of my big toes had pierced through the front. Needless to say, these trail shoes no longer kept the grit out of my feet. And the cushioning was long gone. I couldn’t even use this pair for a backup. I had worn them too long.

We had been through a lot together. Those shoes had summitted mountains, logged hundred of miles on trails, run through small creeks, and not-so-small creeks. They had run cross-country races through the ice, mud, and snow. They prepped me for my longest race ever – 87km last August. They took me through my December run streak. They lasted through my Spring buildup this year.

They were my first pair of ORANGE shoes. Me, in orange shoes? I never would have thought. I think my teen daughters were jealous but they wouldn’t admit it. The orange shoes that are currently in the entrance way are not mine. I must have started a trend.

My next pair isn’t standing out quite so much among the mound of shoes in our house, except for the fact that they are still shiny. And I do like new shiny shoes. A new pair feels so good when the old pair really has nothing left to give. But the new pair doesn’t know what it’s in for. It doesn’t know where it might be headed tomorrow and what kind of runner has brought them home.

So I am ready to introduce myself to the new pair. There are trails to be run and adventures to be had. We can’t be mourning that old pair for too long. Let’s get out there!