"No, I've never done this before" I answered, shying away from his touch. A flutter of emotions raced through me: anticipation, excitement, nervousness....
He winked at me, "Everyone has a first time. How far do you want to go?"
"I don't know" I whispered. I had not even said it out loud, let alone to another person. It was such a fantasy and I didn't know this man. What would he think?
"Maybe 13 miles?"
His smile broadened, "Your first half marathon?"
It was my first time in a 'real' running store, getting 'real' running shoes. I had reached the point in training where if I was going to be serious about running, I would need to be sized.
After taking my shoe size, he disappeared into the back room only to return with boxes. He pulled them out one by one. Each one was its own majestic beauty, designed with technology and style to lighten my feet and make me a faster runner.
I slid my feet into the first pair of beauties, a purple number from Asics and stood up. The clerk tucked and pushed, ensuring a good fit.
"Okay, let's go see you run" he said, standing up.
"What?"
"Go outside, run down the block and I'll watch how your ankles go"
We went outside and I ran down the block while he crouched down to watch my ankles and knees. I don't think I had ever felt so self conscious before. Everything cross my mind, from having the perfect running form to how much my thighs jiggled with each step.
"How do they feel?" he asked. There was no signs of judgment in his voice as I approached slightly out of breath.
"They feel okay" I puffed.
"I don't like how they push your right ankle out. Let's try other shoes" He opened the store door for me.
Over and over again we did this until we were both was satisfied.
"You should buy these" he said.
"Uh, how much do I owe you?"
"You can't put a price on this kind of experience" he grinned moving to the register. "But it's good enough to keep you coming back".
Of course, I did. Over and over again I pulled out my credit card for my newest shoe addiction.
Five years and ten pairs of shoes later, I still remember it like yesterday. It was special. I would eventually go to other shoe stores, have other clerks help me, even experiment with other shoe brands. But my mind often returns to that beautiful store, those magnificent shoes and my first time.
