“How do you know why a pair of shoes was returned?” I asked the REI associate.
“It’s here…on the ticket. It says, ‘returned because they fit differently at home’,” she read.
I was looking for a good pair of running shoes and had been put off by the $120-plus price tags on the new stuff. I was heading for the door to go to Dick’s for something cheaper when I’d spotted the ‘garage sale’ room. REI has a fabulous return policy for all members, which costs $20 and lasts the rest of your life. Bring anything back, regardless of how worn and used, for up to one year and receive a full refund. They take these items and put them out for sale at more than 50% off for bargain hunters like me.
I tried on the shoes which were like new and walked around in them. I was looking for something with a lot of arch support to help combat my tendency towards plantar fasciitis injuries. And all of this because, as I head towards retirement, have decided I’m too young to retire from running.
Running – or ‘a runner’, which am I and what’s the difference? Anyone who runs for exercise or as a sport knows. There are plenty of people who run as part of an exercise routine, but because it isn’t their only form of exercise and don’t do it religiously, will say that they run but don’t call themselves runners.
For many years, I was ‘a runner’. It began when I joined the track team in ninth grade, thinking I was fast and would be doing something in the sprint events. I found out quickly I possessed simply average speed. The head coach sent the team out one balmy, early spring day to run five miles. Everyone except the distance runners groaned, including me. I ran the first lap with friends in the middle of the pack, but as they began to tire and drop back, I moved up to join the distance runners. By the third mile, I was leaving some of the distance guys behind and running with the varsity. I finished five miles with that group no worse for the wear and with a new understanding of my running talents.
I’ve run marathons and competed in triathlons. I’ve run over 70 miles in a week and through the years managed to win a road race and win and place in my age group several times. Nothing great, but certainly above average and plenty good enough to be considered ‘a runner’.
Then injuries, other interests, and father time set in. I enjoyed hiking and backpacking, cycling, and kayaking so much and when I put the Survival Workout into my routine, decided that the constant problem with injuries meant I should give up running and stick to the things that didn’t seem to bang me up so badly. Probably a good decision.
But once a runner, always a runner and with all the runners I see in my new location in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, it’s hard not to dream of doing it again. And so, thinking how to do it correctly, I found myself at REI.
I took the shoes home, laced them up and dressed appropriately for a winter run, and headed for the towpath. The plan in my head was to run five minutes and stop. As I thought about where I would be in five minutes, I changed that plan. I did, however, limit myself. I had done a run late last summer while training for my hike of the Northville/Placid Trail. At that time, I was in good shape and when I started to run one day, found it to be so easy that I went for 30 minutes before stopping. The next day my plantar was inflamed and walking was difficult. My goal was to avoid a repeat of that stupidity.
I jogged down to the farmer’s market – about ¾ of a mile away, turned and came back. I ran a total of 11 minutes and called it a day. I wasn’t done though, picking up Dakota and doing a 6.5 mile hike. My legs were sore afterwards, but it was that good kind of sore that was only letting me know I’d done something, but not too much. I’ll wait three days and try it again, sticking to the 11 minutes and very gradually moving it up. I will be ‘a runner’ again.
Run: 11 minutes.
Hike: One hour and 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running and 70-90 bpm hiking.
Calories Burned: 850.
Bonus: 22,000 steps
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