Running (Shoe) Retirement

My running story told in shoes and four of the toes that have worn them because I don't know how to crop the photo.

My blue pair of running shoes were retired in late October after getting plantar fascititis in my left foot. Only after a few people asked did I realize I had run about 700 miles in those great Asics. 300 miles later my pink Asics are being transferred from my “runners” box to my “old runners” box on my closet shelf. Did you catch that?! I’ve run 1,000 miles since December 2011!!

700 miles was much too late to retire shoes and I was worried that 300 was too soon, then I started having knee discomfort when I ran and saw that my soles were wearing unevenly. After looking into it, I discovered 300-500 miles is the right time for retirement. Mine are opting for early retirement.

So, what’s life like for my “old runners” you may wonder. Oh it’s a good life. They get to take off my Road ID and let the laces underneath breathe. They get worn for walking, living and playing, no longer just for running. Although they are too worn for running in, they feel like a great pair of new sneakers. Today, for example they get to experience what it’s like to play soccer.

I keep two pairs of old runners at a time, and then donate them so they can live on. This last time it was to the local Goodwill, next time I hope to donate them internationally. 

I already have my next pair of running shoes in my closet and I can’t wait for my next run in my new rainbow runners!

8/5/13

How Far Did I RUN?!

I wore out a pair of running shoes! They looked good, they were comfortable, how could they be worn out?

Okay, let me back up a bit. A few weeks ago I hurt my foot near the beginning of a long run, yet it didn’t hurt bad enough to stop my 9-mile run. After going on a nature walk field trip with my son’s class and standing for 2 hours waiting for and watching a parade following fore mentioned run it became obvious that my foot was injured and those were not good choices to have made. Long story a bit shorter was that I had tendonitis and until I actually spent long periods of time off of my foot (harder to do than I expected, since my husband was out of town), iced my foot a few times, and took ibuprofen (apparently not just for headaches!) every few hours it was on the mend.

Two weeks later, I decided, hoped actually, in a somewhat selfish new pair of shoes kind of way, that if I bought a new pair of running sneakers that I’d be all healed. See, I got my running shoes for Christmas 2010 to kick off my serious dedication to running. I also received an iPod with a Nike plus system to track my runs. My husband supported my new shoe idea saying that I’d probably exceeded the 500-mile lifetime of running shoes. Yeah, right!?! I thought. Thanks to Nike plus I knew exactly how many miles my shoes hit the pavement, road, and trails…..703 miles!!!! I was in awe of myself, unbelievable I kept thinking. Seriously, I could have run somewhere really far and vacation-like rather than in circles and lines around town! (Although I did put on those miles in a few different towns and cities and even in Canada!)

A few days later I ran six miles in my new, tighter fitting sneakers and my feet thanked me for it. Now my good-looking, comfortable sneakers have become my casual sneakers, so much more comfortable than my last pair. Really what’s more comfortable to walk in than running shoes?