The “Shoe Genius” and Christian Spiritual Formation, Pt. 1

Running never intrigued me. Growing up I enjoyed running around bases and up and down a wood court. Running for the sake of running did not attract me in the least. Age has a way of imposing its will on a person. Either you find ways to accelerate your once aggressive metabolism or you decide “girth” is not a problem. Add potentially high cholesterol numbers for the sedentary lifestyle prompted by creaking joints and aching muscles and the specter of not making a single flight of stairs becomes very real.

Now before I go on I want you to know I play full court basketball most weeks for about an hour. I have worked with weights semi-regularly for a few years. My blood pressure numbers are outstanding only to be exceeded by my resting pulse rate. Years of intense activity does pay some dividends. But as I age, I am looking for more ways to exercise not less, especially something not quite so “full contact” as “old guy basketball.” So, I have become intrigued by running, running outdoors especially. So, the motivation is really to stay in shape more than anything else. It has taken me some work to get over my reticence to “just” run. (Eddie told me tonight to just wait until I reach that “runner’s high.” Now that is a thought, the pastor getting high.)

My exercise shoes caused my feet to hurt running on the treadmill for my early morning workout. On the recommendation of a couple of friends I decided to visit OK Runner. The young man simply asked me to take off my Toms. He looked at my feet. Made a comment about a weak arch, noticed my “Morton’s Toe“, and suggested a shoe size. No shoe scale from childhood days. Just his keen eyes. He disappeared and returned with two boxes of shoes. I put one shoe on my right from one box and another on my left from another box. He told me to run down the sidewalk and return letting him know which felt better. I did. The shoe with the best fit – New Balance 768’s. At that moment I felt like Forrest Gump – I was running. I called my wife and told her they felt so good I would just run home from Norman (about25 miles).

This was my encounter with the first “shoe genius.”

to be continued …