It's Just Abbey

I am taking this blog to say goodbye to two very good friends of mine.

My running shoes.

They went for their last run on Friday and have now been retired. This was not an easy thing for me. Those shoes and I have been through a lot together. While they were not my first pair of running shoes, they were the shoes I have trained the most in and ran a marathon. The left shoe even has a scar from that marathon. My heel wore a large hole on the outside lip of the shoe. Oddly enough that didn’t damage my foot at all. It was like marathon magic!

(Now… Please excuse my dramatic tone. I really love my running shoes.)

These shoes were with my in different states, terrains, seasons and weather. They have seen ice, snow, rain, mud, pavement, grass and sand. They ran some of my best and worst races. These shoes have well over 400 miles on them. Maybe more than 500 because a lot of runs managed not to get recorded.

I knew they needed retired soon but I have been avoiding it because I hate shoe shopping. I also really hate change. Probably the latter more than the former in all honesty. But after last week I realized they needed to be put down.

Last week I was convinced I broke my toe. I was sure of it. I looked up the specific pain and Dr. Internet told me it was most likely Hallux Rigidus. First of all, doesn’t that sound like a Harry Potter spell? HALLUX RIGIDUS! Totally. I spent the week thrusting my foot at things yelling “Expecto Pa-toe-nus!” What? I thought it was funny? Any way it turns out that all my toes were starting to feel the pain and I knew it was the shoes. It was their time.

So I took the weekend off to let my little piggies rest their little heads and today I went shopping. Now, the closest running store is an hour away and I wasn’t feeling that drive. I went to all the sporting goods stores. Nothing. I ended up in Kohl’s as a last resort. In the sporting goods stores I am sure me bouncing around and jogging didn’t look weird. No one seemed to care. In Kohl’s however, I was a freak. I tried on every shoe there trying to find my Cinderella slipper. I had to find at least a temporary shoe to break in and screw around with. There is no way I could race in my old shoes, bless their little laces.

I narrowed the search down to two pairs. I put on one pair and ran up and down the aisles. I put on the others, rinse, repeat. Then when I couldn’t decide I put on one of each shoe and ran around in those. I was really upsetting the ladies trying on Shape Ups. SORRY! It is a small area. I didn’t have a lot of room to be acting like an idiot but I made do damnit!

I finally decided on a pair and skulked out. While I was excited about new shoes I was still sad I had to get rid of my other ones. I had never had a single issue with my old reliable shoes. What about these new ones? Who knows! They could give me blisters, black toes, or any other annoyance! UG! What if these shoes tried to kill me in my sleep? Huh? Ever thought of that? No. They could be the pair of shoes that I trip and break my leg in. So many things to freak out about! And now these new shoes are going to be mingling with my other shoes before I get a chance to know them. I don’t want to judge them unfairly but if they so much as make a face at my Sketchers sneakers, I will kick them to the curb!

I really hate change guys. A lot.

As I was leaving I did spot something that made me think it would all be okay. Adidas athletic sandals. You know the ones with the little… things… in the soles?

I got a pair of them! Why? Were these popular in anyone else’s school? They were the freaking MUST HAVE OMG I AM GOING TO DIE WITHOUT THEM shoes in middle school. I am not sure if I have gotten it across that I am still mentally trying to shut up the weird little kid I used to be. She has a lot of demons and doesn’t seem to want to die. I was certain they didn’t make these anymore but low and behold, there they were. Eighth grade Abbey squealed in delight. Current Abbey rolled her eyes, saw that they were on sale. We bought them. I mean I bought them! Not, we… I!

Now I am not insane. Not completely insane at least. I kind of need them because other flip flops (the kind with that hook between your toes and cost $3 at Walmart) are killing my feet and what I amounted 10% of my throbbing toes to. (To bad I couldn’t blame those bastards on 100% then I wouldn’t have even been out… Change… Grrr…) So, I left with two new pairs of shoes.

What does this whole post amount to? “Waaaah! I don’t wanna give up my shoes! I don’t like these new shoes, I want my old shoes! Waaaah!” Yup. Just me whining about some shoes I am going to end up loving and then sobbing about when I retire them in 400 hundred more miles. Stupid change…

RIP My old shoes. ::sniffle:: This was their first picture!