It struck me earlier (as I was attaching experimental locklaces), that this Saturday's race is going to be the last hurrah for my Brooks Ghost shoes. Those who know me better might remember that I managed to go from the age of 17-27 without even owning a pair of trainers, and therefore might be surprised at the sadness I feel when considering retiring these shoes.
Runners might understand better, although most of you probably change your shoes on such a regular basis that you might be thinking why get so soppy over one pair ... move on!
There is something special about these shoes though: their purchase was made after a rather happy hour or so spent in Sweatshop chatting away to the assistant who had the same dodgy tendon problems as me (although less severe) and who managed to sell me quite a lot of extra bits and pieces for not a lot of money. I have had gait testing before - but this was the first time I had actually gone the whole hog and purchased on the back of it (as opposed to getting a freebie from Grandad's running guru).
Secondly, these trainers got me round London. They also got me round quite a few miles in preparation for London (although not as many as I should have done). They were with me at the worst of times, and they were with me as I ran over that finish line with a medal-wielding volunteer in sight. They also got me around the Wilmslow Half Marathon (also done on too little training), which is still my longest run without stopping.
They have run through puddles, through mud, on one occasion waded through knee deep water (South Manchester Parkrun) but have also run through dust and sand and all sorts of other terrain. And this weekend they will run their last race around Coniston. I know I won't be literally chucking them out - they'll still be good for the odd short run, or maybe a quick blast around parkrun. But there won't be any more long runs, and there won't be any more major races for my Halloween Shoes.
As a much-out-of-date model, I can't even find Ghost4s on ebay to replace them - they are outmoded. And even if I could, they wouldn't be my Halloween shoes that got me round when I didn't want to go any further. Thankyou shoes. You were awesome.
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