New shoes. It’s like Christmas morning.

Last week I opened my beautiful new Wave Rider 18s in deep lavender. See unboxing video here. I am starting to get over that feeling of loss I was experiencing when I first retired my previous Wave Rider 18s. What a peculiar feeling … so happy to be running on new, springy, smooth shoes, but sad to let go of those familiar, worn-down old shoes.
Running shoes are such a symbol of hard work and dedication. They honestly almost feel like some sort of a companion to me. My new shoes feel like a new acquaintance right now. I’m still getting used to the feeling of them. I have a sort of tentative touch with them. Still figuring out how tight to tie them and still getting used to the feel of the stiffness of the laces and the tongue. Still staring at them a beat longer than normal because at first I don’t recognize them as mine. There are no stains on them yet … those will come. These shoes will be with me for several months and hundreds of miles. They will go through puddles and through mud. They will go over concrete and asphalt, grass and crushed pebble. They will go over bridges and through parks. They will run the streets of my neighborhood and unfamiliar out-of-town streets. They will become my running companion just as all the others have and then it will come time to retire them too. I will mourn the loss of these, but I will welcome the next pair, tentatively, until they too feel familiar and natural.