It’s Not Easy Being Big

The shortest book ever written; runners who are foot models.

My toes look like something Picasso would have painted.  Donning Injinji Toesocks is a real adventure for me.  My feet are relatively large and I have very little arch.  I wear a size 13 EE shoe.  I have tried wearing regular width running shoes, but the result is blisters and lost toenails. 

Some of my foot problems stem from my childhood.  I walked in my older brother’s shoes, literally.  My parents were frugal.  They had to be, raising five children.  Consequently, I wore hand-me-down shoes and many times those shoes didn’t fit properly.  That, I think, is the root of my crabby disposition. 

The issues with my feet come up whenever I try to buy running shoes at any retail running store.  You don’t build a church for Easter Sunday and you can’t run a shoe store by stocking shoes for oddly shaped feet.  That I understand.  It is extremely difficult for me to find shoes in my size.  The running store I entered this Saturday had no running shoes in size 13 EE.  As a matter of fact, Addidas does not make a EE running shoe in any size. 

As a result, I have bought shoes sight unseen only to discover they don’t fit my feet well.  Those shoes then become my “dress sneakers”.  So, when I find a pair of shoes I like, I keep buying them for years.  For about ten years I wore Nike Air Pegasus. 

This month’s RMRR Trophy Series race was held today at Stapleton.  The last time I was in this neighborhood was exactly 17 years ago.  I participated in the American Heart Association - Heart Ride, Roll, & Stroll fundraiser in 1996.  Denver International Airport had finally opened, but the re-development of the Stapleton neighborhood had not yet started.  So, the old runways stood vacant, begging for some event.  I rented a pair of inline skates and traveled several laps around a course the organizers had staked out.  It is hard to forget how desolate that space was. 

Now Stapleton is a community of homes, shops, offices, parks, and schools, with historical, residential, retail, office, sustainability and educational offerings.  I spent the 30:17 that it took me to cover the five mile course staring at Eric Greene’s back as he gradually ran away from me.  I wore a pair of Injinji Toesocks and they were great.

The Colfax Marathon is two weeks away.  This is a time to rest.  I have prepared myself physically for the event and now my thoughts turn to how best to race the course. 

This is also a time of somber reflection for me.  Tomorrow marks the fifth year since my brother last walked the Earth.  I’d give anything to wear his smelly old shoes again.