My dear friend I say goodbye.

You have carried me over 700 miles. You have carried me through many many nap times while getting a defiant Super Hero induced in a stroller coma. You carried me through rain, snow, 50 mph winds and even one tornado. Every single day we are together.

My last race I paused to tie your worn laces. I pretended to. I second guessed myself. But seeing you beaten down and tired, I stood tall and kept going. You are worn, and broken. In someways through my life I have felt the way you look.

Knowing this day would come, I honest to God left you at home on my constant search to find another pair. It took months. I have yet to open the box of your predecessor. 

The miles of back roads, wood trails, and pavement we have covered do not compare to the memories I made along the way. Thousands of times I sat on the side of a road, head in my hands, sweat pouring over you. Praying I could gather enough guts to get as far as possible from the girl that began this personal race 4 years ago. 

There were in fact many that came before you. Bright, shiny, and pretty. You were dull, black and cloth. You were the cheapest of the bunch. I chose you because you were not flashy. You were easy to look over. You also had a feel that was undeniable. 

I am doing this – Is what I whispered to myself in the mirror our first time out. Every joint and muscle in my body hurt the first day. And the second. And every single day after until I noticed, I’m still doing this. My feet never once hurt. I would often forget I had you on.

Why dose shoes don’t light up like mine? – Tuck constantly questions. Some things just glitter and shine son.

It’s a fact. 

I got serious when I slid you on the first time. I changed the way I lived. The way I moved. The way I thought about life. I had a lot of time to think during our time together. The changes we both went through, the sights we both saw, and the permeant reminder I leave on you after every race. A reminder to me.

I did that. I ran. I finished something. 

I will keep you. I may even display you. As a constant reminder to me and only me, I did this. I started something.

And I’ll be damned if I’m finished yet.