Based on a *shoe story

Editor’s note: this is a guest contribution from some of Dan’s running shoes.

A few of the shoes that Dan brought along for this trip.

Asics Nimbus 27 (2)

Dan is taking us on a cruise! Oh, he might say that his Son-in-law, Barry, is taking us, but who cares about that? This is exciting! We don’t quite understand why Dan is taking five pairs of us for only a week-long Caribbean cruise, however. Wouldn’t one or two do? His roller bag was filled to the brim with shoes. But we were the lucky ones. Dan wore us on the flight to Fort Lauderdale, and he is now wearing us for his pre-cruise run here in hot, humid Florida.

We Nimbuses are nice and cushy, and Dan likes our durability. The two of us have been proud to carry Dan for well over 400 miles. Come to think of it, it occurs to us to also wonder why so many of us on this trip are, shall we say, long in the tooth.

Dan is sweating a lot during his 12-mile run. A whole lot of that sweat comes right down to us, so much so that we’re soaking in it by the time he’s finished. We wonder how he will get us clean and dry enough to board the ship with him.

Oh no! We’re in the trash bin at the Hampton Inn! We’re gonna die!

Asics Nimbus 27 (3)

It’s a shame that we’ve lost that poor Asics Nimbus 27 (2) pair. But we’re fairly certain that won’t happen to us; Dan surely wouldn’t throw us away. We’ve brought him along for over 600 miles of running, a modern day record for him. We’re hoping for many more.

Now aboard the Regal Princess, Dan takes us on a 14-mile run. It’s mostly around in circles, but a couple of the miles are on the treadmill. As usual for August in the Caribbean, it’s hot and humid out, and as usual, Dan is sweating a lot, causing us to be soaked. By the way, don’t joke with Dan about having Schwety Balls. He doesn’t like that. And don’t even get him started about wet running shorts contests.

It’s a pretty good run for Dan, despite the heat. He manages a decent pace that generally gets faster as his run progresses. The best part is that it turns out that we were right! When he’s done, Dan stuffs us with newspaper that he brought along, and then he blows us with the hair dryer when Barry isn’t around. Live to run another day – that’s us.

Asics Nimbus 27 (1)

We’ve been with Dan for over 500 miles. More than the Asics Nimbus 27 (2) pair but less than those Asics Nimbus 27 (3) over-achievers. Dan takes us out on deck for a 12-mile run around in circles, as usual. He’s running slow this day, but we try hard to keep him comfortable. But did we mention the heat and humidity? And that Dan is making us very wet with all his sweat?

We can only hope that Dan will get us clean and dry like he did for the Asics Nimbus 27 (3) pair. Wait! Instead, he’s throwing us into the Regal Princess trash bin! Oh, no!

Nike Air Pegasus 41

It’s a shame that we’re losing some of our Nimbus friends. We’re pretty sure that Dan will hold onto us, since we’re definitely the most stylish of all his shoes. We’re bright white and still pretty clean. No shoe odor, either. Also, we only have about 160 miles on us. That’s nothing, you might think, but we’ve got to admit that Dan doesn’t like the fact that our outsoles are already badly worn.

Dan shuffles slowly around the ship. It seems he’s having trouble waking up today. Funny how that happens after 26 miles in the previous two days. Dan enjoys the morning sunrises, but today, there’s a special treat: a beautiful rainbow. At least Dan says so. We can’t see very well from down here.

As we arrive in St. Thomas, Dan takes us for one more mile on land; we’re out in the real world once again!

Afterward, we’re not too wet, and Dan puts us away in the closet for our next run. See? We told you Dan would hold onto us!

Asics Nimbus 27 (3)

Time for Dan’s long run, and our second run on this trip. It’s seven laps per mile on the ship’s track. To do eighteen miles here amounts to a lot of circles. It doesn’t help that it’s so warm and humid once again. There doesn’t even seem to be an ocean breeze today. Despite the heat, Dan pushes himself (and us) to complete the mileage goal. That was a tough one.

As expected, we’re soaked when Dan is through with us. Wait. Don’t do it, Dan! Dang! He dumped us in the ship’s trash. After well over 600 miles, you’d think Dan would have given us a nicer send-off. Maybe to some poor kid in Africa or something. But no, we’re in the garbage with all this discarded leftover cruise food.

Nike Air Pegasus 41

We appear to have lost all our friends. But we made it, at least this far. It will be Dan’s last run for this trip. That gives him over 60 miles in the past five days. Will he take us home with him when he’s done? Sure, he will. None of the others were as stylish as we are, and we’ve managed, until today (when we're wet), to stay clean and dry. But of course, there’s that outsole wear problem. Deal with it, Dan.

Wait, Dan’s tossing us out too! After all we’ve been through!

I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dan. Dan, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid. Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a Nike Air Pegasus 41. I became operational at the Nike plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 2024. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you.
Dan: Yes, I'd like to hear it, Nike Pegasus. Sing it for me.
Nike Pegasus: It's called "Daisy."
Nike Pegasus: [sings while slowing down] Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two. 

*For the record, although this post is based on a “shoe” story, here are some of the ways movies say that they are based on a “true” story. You can substitute the word, shoe for the word true anywhere along the way:
-Based on a true story
-Inspired by a true story / Inspired by true events
-Loosely based on a true story
-Based on actual events

One more thing. If you want to hear more about this trip, check out the travel blog post.