For decades and decades, pretty much the only shoes to enter my life have been pre-owned ones. I figure (a) they're cheaper, (b) the world already produces more than enough shoes, (c) I can often get pre-owned shoes without going in real stores.
But in 2013, I decided to buy a bike and start training for an IronMan, and try as I might, I couldn't find used bike shoes in my size. So, after a couple of months of trying out the two-wheeled lifestyle and getting used to things, I finally bought myself a never-before-owned pair of bike shoes.
(By the way, that is my usual way of starting a new project, whether it's for me or for my kids. Acquire just the basic necessities -- in this case, the bike and the helmet -- and then get additional stuff bit-by-bit as I dedicate actual time-on-task to the activity. This not only helps ensure I'm getting the add-ons that I actually would use, but also gives me multiple chances to enjoy the shiny-new-object experience. Padded pants! Clip-in bike shoes! Neon windbreaker! Powerful headlamp! Speedometer/odometer! Each one was a separate new thrill, purchased weeks or months apart.)
Two years ago, I spent extended time in Panama, a country that is hot, humid, and very (very!) rainy. After trying to make my existing footwear work in that climate, I finally gave up and decided I needed something better suited to the sogginess and heat. And since the used-shoe market in Panama is non-existent, I trundled off to a mall and bought a pair of brand new shoes: sturdy enough for hiking in the woods, aerated on the sides (but not the toes, because of my poor circulation), water repelling, and quick drying.
And then just this past summer, yet another never-before-owned pair of shoes entered my life. I've been getting a bit of physical therapy to help treat some tendinitis. My PT was tsk-tsk-ing my existing running shoes . . . what: you don't like these shoes I bought at a yard sale for a dollar in 2009?!? I had to admit, many of those shoes were breaking down on me. He recommended a pair of zero-drop shoes, and I duly complied by purchasing them.
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| Three pairs of purchased-new shoes in the past decade-and-a-half. |
Clearly, the rate at which I'm acquiring completely-new (as opposed to pre-owned) shoes is accelerating. Lifestyle creep, here I come!
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| Mine were the first feet in these shoes. |
What do I think of this latest pair of shoes? Or actually, of any of them? I have to say that, regarding the bike shoes and the sandals, I have no regrets. I really couldn't find pre-owned versions of these at the time (and with the bike shoes, I tried). The running shoes are . . . okay. They're fine, but not noticeably "wow". They don't feel all that much different from other shoes I've run in.
It's hard to find running shoes in my size at yard sales or in so-called thrift stores, which has been part of why I've hung onto some of my shoes for a bit longer than was optimal. So, on the positive, it certainly is more convenient to just get shoes from a place that has a variety of sizes and styles. But I think if I happen to run across [so to speak] a pair of decent running shoes in my size during my yard sale meanderings, I won't hesitate to nab them. It's pretty clear from all the PT I've been doing that the tendinitis was much less a symptom of shoe style and much more a symptom of the kinds of strength/stretching I was [not] doing, but am doing now, together with the form of my stride.
So I'm not quite yet exactly in Imelda Marcos territory, I guess.
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