Know when to wear them and know when to retire them

Every spring I head to my neighborhood running store and treat myself to a new pair of shoes for the season. Let’s set the record straight. I don’t run, never have and really don’t care to in the future. My arthritis is too bad and I enjoy walking so I let it go at that. I didn’t start my active lifestyle until my mid 40’s and I have learned to listen to my body and it is happy with a long and brisk walk.

When I go into the store there are so many choices it’s hard to pick just one. As a chick, I am drawn to the colors of the shoes, can’t help it but it is truth. I have learned through the last several trips that color is the last thing that I should be concerned with. Then there is the high price tag that comes with all the bells and whistles that they try to put in a shoe. When common sense sets in I sit down and tell the clerk what I am looking for in a shoe.

My wish list is simple, fit my foot, stay in budget and hope that the end product is a shoe that isn’t too ugly. I have a bad bone spur on my heal so I have to go with a shoe that has a wide heal.  For the last few years that has meant I left the store with a pair of Asics, but this time I left with a pair of Reeboks. The best fit out weighs brand loyalty for me.

The treads are worn out in my old pair and it is time to retire them. They are like tires so when the treads wear out it is time to get a new pair. Experts say several hundred miles should do it. For runners that can mean replacing them monthly but for me it means just several pairs a year.

I am looking forward to the comforting, cushy feel of the new pair. It is time to retire my old friends and put them in the garage for mowing the grass next spring.