Big Shoes to Fill

 Well, actually I don't have the big shoes yet, but I do have big feet to fill them with!

After my last long run, I came to an uncomfortable realization - my shoes weren't comfortable.  They seemed comfortable - plenty cushioned, not too wide, and all that - but the longest toe on my right foot was definitely NOT happy.

I have that wonderful feature (or is it a FEET-ure?) called Morton's toe.  There's nothing wrong with that; all it means is that my big toes aren't my longest toes, but rather their immediate neighbors are.  Actually, everyone in the house has the same feet-ure, except the cats, of course, including That Man, and he's not even a blood relative!

Anyway, the end of my poor longest right toe was sore all day after that fateful long run.  It's slightly numb, even now.  It's entirely possible the nail will eventually turn black and fall off.

Sexy.  I know.

So I've concluded that once again, my feet have grown.

This is not fair.  I'm too OLD to outgrow my shoes!  And I already have big feet.  Not wide, but LONG.  I thought I had big feet when I wore size 8 1/2 in my twenties - larger than all my friends' shoes.  Then in my thirties, after delivering The Boy, I was forced to replace every pair of shoes I owned with size 10s. In my forties, for no apparent reason, after losing 30 pounds, I started needing size 11s.

Today I had the fun of trying to find size 11 1/2 running shoes.  Most stop at 11, after skipping over 10 1/2.  A few come in 12s, but that's just too long.  Too much slop leads to blisters.  Been there, done that, got several t-shirts thankyouverymuch.

However, I'm in luck!  The shoes I've been buying do indeed come in 11 1/2, but not the deeply discounted ones from last year, oh, no!  Only the newest version (which costs $60 more than the relatively cheapoid ones from last year) or last year's Special Order version (which costs "only" $50 more than my cheapies).

Ouch.

I bit the bullet and ordered new shoes.  It made my hair hurt to contemplate it.  Particularly because I had TWO PAIRS OF BRAND NEW RUNNING SHOES IN THE CLOSET, ON THE SHELF, IN THE BOX.

Thank goodness for Road Runner Sports.  They have a 90-day love 'em or return 'em guarantee.  I had bought both pairs less than 90 days ago, so they are packed and ready to ship back home to meet their maker!

I have a message for my feet, though:

Stop. 

Growing. 

NOW!