Recovering from Ankle Surgery, Training for a Marathon, Raising Money to Beat Cancer: Running Shoes and Throw Momma from the Train

I keep a fair share of running shoes around my apartment, about eight pairs right now (see below). Most are retired from active duty, except for my sweet pair of Asics GT-2130’s (also see below) with the Superfeet inserts for additional support. Running shoes, more than any other item, are essential for running. A good pair will keep you pain free, injury free, and hopefully blister free. All of us have a different preference; I’ve tried Nike’s, but they caused knee pain. New Balance gave me horrible blisters. Brooks, Mizuno, and Saucony just don’t fit right and Reebok has never done it for me. That leaves me with Asics, the Japanese brand that uses gel for cushion. These bad boys always are comfortable, never cause blisters, and never let me down.

You may ask why on earth I keep old pairs of shoes. The 1987 classic comedy movie Throw Momma from the Train, starring Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal, provides the answer. About midway through the movie, DeVito wants to show Crystal his coin collection, which consisted of a bunch of random coins ---- quarters, nickels, dimes, etc. Crystal looks incredulously at DeVito wondering what was so special about the coins. Then DeVito takes out a specific quarter, identifying it by the year, and explains that the quarter was change from a ball game at Yankee Stadium that he went to in his youth with his dad. Each coin had a similar story and memory.

In the same way, my shoes look like nothing more than a pile of worn out, well, shoes. When I look at my shoes, though, I see more than laces and cushion, insoles and arch support. What I see is my running history and lots of memories --- finishing my first marathon in Chicago, setting a personal record in the half marathon in New York, walking for the first time after surgery, running the first race in my comeback. Sometimes when my motivation is low and I don’t feel like going out for a run, I’ll look at my old pairs of shoes and usually within a few seconds I’m out the door and making new memories that will last for years to come.