As long as the alphabet and numbers remained separate, I was a content kid. Life seemed easy peasy, doable, uncomplicated.
And then came (a + b)² - 2ab. Life hasn’t been easy since then.
When you visit old markets to shop, where clothes aren't displayed like in malls, the shopkeeper takes them out one by one as per your choice, liking, requirements, etc. I'm the kind of customer who says, “Bhaiya, bas aur mat dikhao” (“Don’t show anymore, I will choose from these only”).
Because options drive me crazy. I'd prefer to abort the mission than choose.
So, imagine my plight when I have to make a life-altering decision to buy running shoes. Running shoes!
Before the onslaught of social media information, I was perfectly happy with my purchases. I began my running journey in 2017 with Sketchers shoes. Great shoes, no issues. I must've logged over 1000 km in those shoes. I wore them until they begged me to let them go.
My second purchase was a Nike Pegasus. Again, I made this purchase without any research. I went to the shop, saw a few shoes around, chose “the pink one,” and was out of the shop in 15 minutes tops. I used these shoes until they looked like those of a homeless person.
In between, I transitioned to being a barefoot runner too, but that story is for another day.
Once I realized I didn't have the feet or genes of the Tarahumara tribe (The Raramuri runners), I went back to shoes. ASICS had built their brand by then, and so did the overflow of information on each shoe.
I tried to read about each one, but the more I read, the more confused I became. So, I thought, let me just go, try some, and decide. I ended up buying ASICS Kayano 29 and fell in love with it. My feet felt cozy and comfortable; it was delightful.
Needless to say, “shoe rotation” was also an alien concept for me. So, I ran in my Kayano for more than 10 months, clocking over 1500 km, and trained and ran two full marathons. Then my heel pain returned, and my coach suggested changing my shoes.
Hmm! Okay, “let’s do some research.” I don’t know why I even bothered, but I did. The first page of a Google search threw me different links to the top 10 best shoes for women, and none of the lists matched.
Now it wasn't about what brand of shoes I wanted; it was “what kind of shoes” I wanted. I was introduced to terms like “Neutral shoes” and “Stability shoes.” I had to answer questions like “Do you overpronate?” Since when did running become so hard?
From the day I mentally decided I wanted new shoes to the day I bought them, more than a month had passed, and the only reason I acted was because of my heel pain.
But unlike my previous shopping, this time I Googled and YouTubed a lot and ended up buying GT2000. Major regret!
In conversation with my sister (who lives outside India), I tell her my sob story of spending a fortune on shoes I don’t want to wear anymore. She says, “So what, just return them.” I roll my eyes and tell her I've already used them. “So, what, here we can return even after using them.” This makes me feel even worse, and I hang up the phone.
I go to OLX and put my shoes on sale. Out of 5 queries I got, 4 were fake users, and 1 wanted to buy them for 1000 rupees.
Putting all this heartbreak aside, I still need shoes. And what's with this world,
where things are upgraded every year? It's difficult for someone like me to keep up.
In my delusional self, I talk to the poor shopkeeper, asking him why the need to upgrade. I don’t want Kayano 30, what’s wrong with 29?
Him – “Mam, the company decided to upgrade and make it better.”
Me – “But it was already the best. Why change something perfect? Now what if this new one doesn’t suit me?”
Anyway, this time I stick with what I used before, so I bought Kayano 30. It's nowhere similar to the 29, but the first run I did in it, despite a slight heel pain, felt wonderful. I was finally relieved. Oh, finally, I got my match!
The happiness of finally having that perfect pair of new shoes made me dance like a little girl who just found her perfect doll.
But seriously, why upgrade something that is already perfect?
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