Sneaker Stories

I am in possession of probably the last two pairs of Adidas Supernova Classics in size 8.5 in existence. To understand why this is such a huge deal, I have to explain the saga of the running shoe.

When I first started running in 2003 I had no idea about the importance of a running shoe. I ran my first 5K in a pair of Skechers that had a slingback. When I told my aunt she was horrified. She said I needed a real pair of running shoes ASAP. So, not knowing a thing about shoes, I went to where anyone goes to look for a shoe -- DSW. I tried on a few pairs and eventually decided on a pair of New Balance. I think I chose them because they had a lime green logo. They felt good when I put them on but it's not like I was going to run up and down the aisles of DSW testing them out. I also didn't know that it's a good idea to size up for running shoes because of the extra room your toes need. I found that out fairly quickly though -- after my first week with those shoes I watched with curiosity and horror as one of my toenails turned black. If that wasn't bad enough, it fell off a week later. Terrified, I asked someone at work who was a runner if that had ever happened and she said "Oh yeah, all the time. Congratulations. You're a real runner now." While I was honored to have engaged in a time-honored, albeit disgusting rite of passage, I ditched the shoes.

My second pair of running shoes were some ridiculously expensive Asics. By this time, I had learned that you should go to a running store and let someone who knows what they're talking about help you. The guy there was nice enough, he looked at my feet, watched me run a few strides barefoot in the store, and told me I wasn't a pronator so I didn't need a motion control shoe. He had me try on a few and the Asics seemed to have the most cushioning so even though they were almost twice as much as my DSW toenail specials, I got them. My aunt, the one who was horrified at my 5K footwear choice, told me to never feel bad about the cost of a good running shoe since it's the only thing between you and the pavement. Seemed to make sense to me. Once I got past the break-in stage, however, I realized I hated those shoes. First, they were ugly, something I never got over especially for that price. More importantly, they didn't have the arch support that I felt I needed and after a few miles the top of my foot would hurt like hell. I never figured out what the problem was, I tried lacing them a different way, tried different socks, but they just weren't the shoe for me. I still wore them on shorter runs only because they cost so much but I never liked them.

Then I found out about roadrunnersports.com. Their catalog promised the perfect shoe after speaking with one of their reps so I gave it a shot. The guy I spoke with was very nice and, based on everything I told him, he recommended the Adidas Supernova Classic. In the Supernova spectrum, they were the cheapest model so I felt like maybe this guy was actually steering me to the right shoe, not just trying to make a good sale. They came a few days later and it was love at first run. Good cushioning, snug heel, excellent arch support, roomy toe box, and they weren't ugly! I wore many pairs of Supernova Classics faithfully until I stopped running in 2006.

Last year when I was flirting with the idea of getting back into running I happened to be out in San Francisco and went to the Adidas superstore to buy some new sneakers. They were doing a free hi-tech foot analysis so I did the barefoot thing again, this time on an infrared mat, and nothing had changed -- still wasn't a pronator, medium-to-high arches. I asked the salesman for some Supernova Classics and he all but laughed at me. By this point there were 5 or 6 different Supernovas (plus all their other lines) and apparently the Classic was not the way to go with so many new, redesigned models. He convinced me that one of their other Supernovas (can't remember the name) was like the Classic but better. And no surprise, more expensive. But I believed him and got a pair. Take a wild guess how it turned out: I hated them. I wear them to walk the dogs but they are definitely NOT the Classic.

In early Spring I was lucky enough to score 2 pairs of Classics at the Adidas outlet marked down to $39.99 with an additional 20% off. It was like hitting the lottery! When the girl was cashing me out I asked with trepidation if being on clearance meant they were discontinued. She looked up the style number and relayed the tragic news that, indeed, they were discontinued. I was dejected but not overly concerned -- at the time I was just getting back into running. NYC wasn't even a thought.

About 6 weeks ago I had the terrifying realization that those 2 beloved pairs of Supernovas that I currently rotate weren't going to last all through the Summer, Fall, and get me through the marathon. I went onto roadrunnersports.com and they had 2 pairs left in my size, I put them in my cart, checked out, and an hour later got an apologetic email from them saying that they no longer had them in stock and wouldn't be getting them in. Panicked, I went to the last place anyone wants to resort to in desperate times -- eBay. It took awhile but I found 2 pairs and snatched them up. I feel okay now. The panic has passed. I'll start to rotate them in near the end of the summer and they should take me through the marathon.

I'm sad I'll have to find another shoe but I can deal with that after the marathon. Not now. Not in the next 14 weeks. Knock wood -- my feet have felt fine so far. I can't fathom trying to find a new sneaker model to get me through the training. So I will cherish those last 2 pairs of Supernova Classics and I will be terribly sad when they've had their last run.