As an avid runner, having the right shoe is paramount. Comfort is key. It blows my mind that I used to run in my actual tennis shoes, which are like bricks: they’re sturdy and have no flexibility or cushion whatsoever. Great for stabilization on the court, for explosive moment and cutting type maneuvers…but for running, not so much.
As I increased my mileage in college during my junior and senior years, I knew I wanted, needed, a true running shoe. I had zero knowledge about actual running shoes, but I knew I needed something much lighter and flexible. As my senior year approached, my answer for running shoes was solved…via my grandma! I was visiting my grandparents for a few days in August 2013, two weeks before classes started. On the second to last day, my awesoma Grama Brenda came into my room holding a shoe box.
“Leah, darling,” she said with her beautiful English accent, “your Grandfather gave these to me for my birthday, but they don’t fit me. Would like to have these if they fit you?” Whereupon she proffered me the box.
Inside was a pair New Balance shoes, of a medium gray color with blue laces and trim. I’d never worn New Balance shoes before, but recognized the brand’s distinct “N” emblazoned on the sides. I quickly laced them on.
Right away I felt the difference: these shoes were flexible, comfy, and best of all, light weight. I knew I’d found an actual shoe for running.
“They’re a perfect fit! Thank you, Grandma,” I exclaimed with a hug. She stepped back and took in the sight of my new shoes. “They look wonderful on you, my dear. Glad to know they’ll be put to use!”
****
And were they ever. With my 2014 resolution to just, well, run more, I wore my New Balance 401s EVERY SINGLE DAY. With them, I practically flew. The difference between them and my tennis shoes was night and day; no longer was I clomping by. As I exponentially increased my mileage and frequency that year (I ran 6-7 days a week, 7-8 miles per run on average), those shoes practically became attached to me. In addition to running, they served as my gym/ strength conditioning shoes. I wore them to class and for walking. Unless I was dressed in my other outfit of t-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots (Ariat or Justin), you were hard pressed to find me wearing other shoes.
In May 2014, I went to study abroad for a month in Spain, and you guessed it, those shoes came with me. Running along the streets of Barcelona, these shoes provided comfort on the often cobbled pathways and roads. Once back home for the summer, those NB traversed plenty of local trails, as well.
There’s no doubt I wore those shoes waaay past their lifetime. One day in late 2014, they just felt…flat. My feet felt like they were slapping the pavement. The cushion was long gone. I stopped, looked at the underside of one shoe. The tread under the ball of the foot and toes was worn smooth. Setting my foot back on the cement, I noted how my toes, particularly the right foot, had poked holes in the upper mesh of either shoe. They were so bad you could tell what color my socks were. I sighed. “Time for new shoes, I guess,” I muttered, before resuming the rest of my run, my feet noticeably whining, as I brainstormed the where and what for a new shoe…
~LMC