If the Shoe Fits...

I've tried many a shoe on in my time as a runner. From the latest and sleekest New Balances and flashy Nikes to cushy Asics.

I've measured my foot from all different angles, from the length and width to the arch and where the pressure is when I push off.

I've run, jumped, kicked, splashed and muddied dozens of training shoes, from my first pair in grade three to my well worn trainers of the present, in order to see which shoes fit me right.

Now after years of searching I have found that New Balance is my favourite brand, but one of the best running experiences I've ever had were in a pair of beat up, neon yellow, cross-country spikes.

Our cross country team had a bag of spikes ready for runners to use if they wanted them and could find two of the right size shoes. I never ran in the communal spikes, mostly because our top runners would snatch them up before I could. But one day there were a pair of size sevens sitting in the bag and I decided to wear them for a race.

They were tight, scratchy and smelled like a gym sock that had been bathing in bad milk. The grimace-inducing thought of dozens of other sweaty teammates wearing the same shoes popped into my mind a couple times because no one wore socks with them, including myself. They were really an amazing pair of shoes.

For all the initial discomfort and their bad hygiene track record, the shoes gave me the best feeling while running. They fit snuggly, conforming to my foot. They were as light as air and made me feel more free and natural than I ever had. I felt pretty great in those shoes.

They felt great, and I ran a decent race in them. And I only ever wore them on occasion after that. Now you may be thinking, well if they were so amazing than why didn't you wear them every race you oddball? The fact is, while the spikes felt great, in my New Balances I felt as if, no matter what the weather or the course, those New Balances and I could get through it and reach my personal goals. They just felt right and they made me smile every time I laced them up.

Now while all this wrangling over shoes may seem crazy, I think the whole process of picking the right fit can be seen in life as well.

As we grow up there are hundreds of paths we can follow. Some people pick paths that lead to adventure at every turn, who would be happiest venturing into a foreign environment with nothing more than the shirt on their back and a thirst for adventure. Others pick what seems like the more conventional route these days, at least in the Western world, which is to go to university, get a degree and then find a job.

For me the first lifestyle seems like those spikes I ran in those years ago, refreshing and a very worthwhile experience, but not something I would do every day, while the university route fits me, is comfortable, seems to me to be the best path to my goals and dreams and makes me happy, just like those New Balances. For others it would be the other way around.

The path that is best for you may not neccesarily be the path people are telling you to go on or the path most people travel. Too often people will follow a path in life only because they assume it is the only path to success and thus happiness, just as many people believe Nikes are obviously the best shoes to run in because they the most popular and recognizable brand.

But I say try different paths and see which ones are best, just as you should try on different shoes and see which ones most suits your needs and wants and goals. Only then will you be most comfortable and feel like you can get through anything and arrive not only at success, but also, most importantly, happiness.

If you want to become an actor or an artist don't listen to those people who tell you it's just not practical and follow the path that will lead to your dreams. If you want to become a business person then follow the best path for that. If you want to become a clown go to clown school and become the best clown you can be. Any of those paths will probably include risks and hardships and might include formal education or something else, but the key is to be happy in the end by finding the right fit.

So strap on those spikes, tie up those sneakers or do away with shoes altogether and feel the happiness beneath your feet.

The Narrow Path

Of all the paths and hills and streets I have ever run on, a section at Boyd Park remains one of the only places I would say is dangerous.

I would find myself faced with this path four times every year in high school, twice a race, when running the annual contests at Boyd. After running up over a short steep hill and crossing a paved road runners would come to three foot wide dirt path, with rocks embedded in it. Tall, thistley growth was waiting to scratch you up on the right and a five foot drop straight to a little river yawned open to the left.

Even on the best of days it was hard to keep your footing on the path and avoid the obstacles on either side of you, but when the rain was falling and 200 runners were trying to squeeze through the path all at once, getting along the path unscathed was something to be proud of.

So when I came to this slippery, slick path in a race in grade 10, right on the heels of another runnner, I was a little apprehensive, but I was confident that the path wouldn't get the best of me. Besides, I was more concerned with passing the runner in front of me.

As I reached the path I went to pass my fellow runner. As I made my move the other runner yelled. "I think there's only room for one," he said. I was shocked for a millisecond, and then spurred on by the guy's assurance that the path was too narrow for me to pass him. I did overtake him on the path, without falling or being torn to shreds of the thistles, and finished the race ahead of him.

That race was a lot like some monumental moments in people's lives. When reaching for a big goal or dream the path there is going to seem narrow, similar to that path at Boyd. And just like that actual path, the road to your dreams is going to have obstacles and there's always going to be a chance that you may slip, fall and hurt yourself on the way through, especially because others may be using that same path.

Getting to the end of that path may be hard, scary and dangerous and full of competitors, but once you emerge at the end, it will all be worth it, something to be truly proud of, as long as you don't hurt any of your fellow travelers along the way.

But there probably will be people who tell you that the path is too narrow, that you can't get through or that there isn't room for you on the path at all. There will be those that tell you the path is too dangerous to run on.

But don't listen to them. Don't let those people get you down, or tell you what you can and can't do, because with focus, determination and action you can do anything. Let your own dreams and your friends and family push you forward along that narrow path.

One narrow path may lead to another, but in the end the fact that you even started through on that path in the first place will be worth while, the journey and the scratches and bruises being stories and lessons. And when the narrow path ends and the finish line nears, you will not be able to hold that smile back.