Brand new running shoes! Some of you may be aware that I've been known to find strange items on the run, often during out-of-town runs. (I have no idea why - maybe I look down more?) Before you go any further, PLEASE read this post from 2020. I will be here, waiting patiently.
Hope you enjoyed that. Now, on to today's find.
I'm staying in Horseheads, New York. Fun fact: Horseheads was incorporated as a town before the Godfather came out. It's near Elmira and just down the road from Corning. Even Watkins Glen isn't too far. Debbie the Lady Adventurer and I are here in the Finger Lakes region once again to sample some wine and see the sights. The new running shoes are indeed quite a sight.
Before I came across them, I had emerged out of the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Elmira Corning (I guess they don't want to use 'Horseheads' in the name) and into the early morning darkness. As wonderful as the Finger Lakes area is, this part of Horseheads seems a little more like the other end of a horse. It's a freeway stop with a four-lane road and gobs of strip malls and car dealerships. But nowhere to run. I go by all the usual joints: Walmart, Texas Road House, Red Robin, Target, Michaels, CVS, Panera, and so on. It's when I find myself on a street that's more like an alley behind Kohls when I spot the shoes.
They're right there in the middle of the road. They're not in a box; they're just lying there. I look to make sure no one else is around before I pick them up. Yes, they're brand new and still stuffed with paper. Yes, they're some sort of running shoe, although I don't recognize the brand. Yes, they're about my size. I suppose I ought to get out of here before someone else does show up and...
Now I'm running with a shoe in each hand, trying to decide what to do with them. I determine that it would be best to take them back to someplace close to the hotel so I can hide them and continue my run. But first, I examine them a little more. This is a bit of a challenge in the dark and while I'm running, but hey, I've done this sort of thing before. The brand is still unrecognizable. I look for the size on the underside of the tongue. It says '4A' or something like that. I'll still take them and try them on. Even if they're not top-notch running shoes, I've been known to use some strange ones. (Remember the Aldi shoes?)
Having run with them for a little while, I am surprised to see that one shoe is sliced open along the side. Why didn't I see that before - it would have saved me a lot of careful consideration.
Now, I have to find a place to throw them away. I don't want to just return them to the back of Kohls - I don't think they accept store returns that way. Besides, I'm further along now. What do I find now? An Aldi store! Better yet, it's an Aldi store with a trash container. And that's where they wind up.
How appropriate.
No comments:
Post a Comment