Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

It's over. For a while there I really thought we had something but things don't always work out like we planned, I guess. Maybe I got caught up in the initial excitement of a new relationship and didn't see the warning signs. I thought I had finally found exactly what was missing in my life. I gave it everything I had but in the end, it just wasn't enough.

I've officially ended my relationship with my Sauconys.

The inside of the heels of my first pair practically disintegrated. I figured it was because I was too lazy to untie them and all the sliding on and off had worn down the lining prematurely. When I bought my second pair, I was more diligent - always making sure to take them off and put them on properly but it didn't take long to realize that irregardless of my efforts, these shoes were doomed to the same fate.

Obviously my feet and my sneakers weren't getting along as well as I had initially thought.

I was heartbroken. These sneakers were the first shoes to make me hate running a little less. They were comfortable and made me feel like I could conquer the world. Well, maybe not the world, but at least a half marathon.

I knew I had to do what was best for me and so I took my inserts out of my Saucony's for good. The next few weeks were tough - I had to stop myself from going back and giving them one last try. Maybe I ended it too soon? What if I never find another sneaker? Will I ever be able to run in comfort again?

Time is a great healer and eventually I summoned up my courage and figured it was time to get back on the saddle. I decided to start looking for my newest shoe relationship at a different location so I wouldn't be tempted to return to my old habit of buying Sauconys. As I walked into the store and made my way to the shoe section. I was grateful to note that while there were several pairs of Sauconys, there were more pairs in other brands. I scoured the wall, trying to decide where to start. 

Almost immediately my eye was drawn to a section of trail runners. My first thought was "I run trails - maybe this is a sign." I sized up each pair, rejecting shoe after shoe for various reasons - they were Sauconys, they were a hideous color, they looked like something grandma would wear - until I came to a pair that were a wide width. 

If shopping history has taught me anything, it's that my feet enjoy a wide width shoe. This particular display model was also my size so I figured it couldn't hurt to give them a try. They were black, which is a little boring, but maybe boring would make a nice change. They felt pretty good on my feet but the real test would of course be how they felt while I was running,

Unfortunately the store didn't have a treadmill, but the clerk assured me that I could return them after I tried them on my own treadmill if things didn't work out. I bit the bullet and bought them. 

Sugar was paying attention to my feet that evening as I laced up my new sneakers. He informed me that I was tying them to tight. I've always tied my sneakers loosely (or so I thought) but Sugar insisted that I have them even looser. He's been known to be right at least once before, so I figured I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. 

As I ran, my feet kept coming out of the shoe slightly with each step I took. All I could think was "I'm going to get blisters the size of Montana", but by the end of 5k, everything was still feeling fine. No blisters, not even any hot spots.

All in all, it was a pretty successful first date. I felt slightly optimistic that our second date could possibly go just as well.

Now that we have run almost 100 kilometers together, I have to say, I am very happy with how things are working out. I'm ready to commit to running my next half with these shoes. June 11th - be sure to save the date.