Day 293

Women love shoes.  At least that seems to be the popular dogma these days.  First we had Cinderella, then that woman from Sex in the City whose name escapes me, and now there seems to be a glut of TV shows that feature stiletto-wearing law enforcement babes chasing bad guys.

You know, I  actually have an easier time believing that these law-women can take down an international terrorist ring on a Tuesday and still have time for after work drinks at their favorite watering hole than I can believe that they can sprint in pumps.    I have difficulty navigating the 8-inch patch of gravel between the parking lot and sidewalk at work and I don’t even have a gun drawn.

I like shoes, but I wouldn’t say I’m fanatical in any way about them, with one exception.

Running Shoes

Just before The Simple Year started, I bought a new pair of running shoes. Typically in years past, I buy new work out shoes about every 6-8 months as my shoes get a lot of use.   I honestly don’t know if shoe manufacturers design shoes to purposely  self destruct after a few months or not, but they really don’t last that long.    The tops might still look OK, but the soles get all worn down and cause all kinds of aches and pains.

This year, I figured I would stretch it out as long as I could and then find a pair of gently used shoes.  I figured lots of people buy shoes intending to work out and the plan never gets fully implemented.

I wanted their shoes. Is that too much too ask?

My First Attempt

I don’t know if you can tell but these Ebay shoes which were described as “worn only once” are metallic silver and neon yellow.  So not only do they look like a distant cousin of the 70’s moon boot, they also must run a bit small because my toes were crowded.  I did try to exercise in them a couple of times, but I had to stop before I lost a toenail.

The Next Try

Next, I tried some of those minimalist shoes which are all the rage.  I’m not sure WHY they are so popular as I started to call them The Princess and the Pea shoes since I could feel EVERY LITTLE THING underfoot.  Plus, I could never really get past their resemblance to the geriatric slip-on shoes favored in nursing homes everywhere. These were also an Ebay purchase.

I Get Lucky

Things were getting a bit dire and it was looking like I was going to have to either forgo any high impact work outs for the rest of the year or break down and buy new shoes.

Then fortune smiled on me.   REI  has a twice yearly garage sale in which they sell off all of their returns or demo items.  It is usually a zoo with people rushing in when they open the doors to snatch up the good deals. I stopped in their last sale relatively late  and there, waiting for me, under a beam of light, with angels singing was the perfect size running shoe that the tag described as  returned because “arch is too high.”  Well not for me, they fit perfectly and I don’t think they were every really worn.

So, the truth is, I got really lucky.  Honestly, under normal circumstances I don’t think previously owned running shoes in good shape are that easy to find.   After this year, even though I think we will largely continue  to consume less, I think we will probably buy our sneakers new.