THE DAY I HUNG UP MY RUNNING SHOES
It was one of those beautiful, crisp winter mornings. The kind that makes you appreciate the stillness before the sun rises. The air was cold and refreshing, and the sky was still a deep blue as I laced up my trusty New Balance 1080s. Looking down at my shoes, I had no idea that this run would be their last.
As usual, I was armed with my go-to running gear: my Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhone, and even a set of coldgear tights (shorts over the top, don’t panic!). It was my usual setup for what I thought would be just another morning run.
At 6AM (ish), I stepped out of the front door, the exercise tracker on my Apple Watch already counting down as I set off. I started with a light jog, feeling the early morning cold bite but enjoying the sensation of my muscles gradually warming up. My route was a familiar one going through quiet streets, past the cows, sheep, and horses who had witnessed countless morning runs. I felt good, energised even, as my breath turned to mist in the frosty air.
As I got halfway down the long residential street, approaching a crossroads on my route, everything changed in a split second.
I didn’t notice the sheet of ice – hidden in plain sight – where the pavement met the road. In hindsight, I should have been more cautious, especially in those conditions. As I stepped off the path, my foot slipped out from under me. Time seemed to slow down as I fell backward, my head slamming hard against the icy ground. The impact knocked the wind out of me, and I lay there for a few seconds, stunned and dazed.
It was then that I heard an unfamiliar sound, a siren, loud and piercing. I groggily looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from, until I realised the noise was coming from my wrist. My Apple Watch, equipped with fall detection, had sensed the impact and automatically started dialling the emergency services. I managed to cancel the call just in time, but the fact that the feature had kicked in was a stark reminder of how bad the fall had been.
I gingerly touched the back of my head, feeling the sting of an open cut, the cold from the icy ground seeped into my clothes, making me shiver. I sat there for a moment, disoriented and shaken, before slowly rising to my feet. The fall had left me more rattled than I cared to admit.
With my head aching and the cut still bleeding, I decided it was time to head home. My usual invigorating run had turned into a slow, painful walk. Each step felt heavier than the last, and by the time I reached my front door, the excitement of the morning had been replaced by exhaustion and concern.
Once I got home, I cleaned the cut and tended to my bruises. Luckily, nothing was broken, but the fall left me with a lot more than just physical aches. As I sat there with an ice pack on my head, the incident replayed in my mind repeatedly.
It wasn’t just the slip or the cut, it was the realisation that I didn’t want to do this anymore. Running was a large part of my fitness journey, and I had always loved the freedom it gave me. But this fall felt like a turning point. I wasn’t as pliable as I used to be, and the risk of early morning runs in the winter with the icy streets and unpredictable conditions suddenly seemed a lot more real.
As much as I had loved running, I knew I needed to listen to my head (spinning; that it was) and make a change. That day, I made the decision to hang up my running shoes for good. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I knew it was the right one. I started to think about other ways to stay active ways that didn’t involve icy streets or the potential for nasty falls.
That’s when I decided to trade my running shoes for a gym membership. The gym would offer me a safer, more controlled environment where I could still challenge myself and stay fit. I could lift weights, try new classes, and use the treadmill if I ever missed the sensation of running.
As I look back on that fateful winter morning, I’m grateful for the years I spent running. My trusty New Balance 1080s had carried me through miles of open roads, early morning sunrises, and countless moments of peace and clarity. But life is about knowing when to make a change, and that fall was a wake-up call. It was time to close the chapter on running and open a new one.
Now, my morning routine looks a bit different. Instead of heading out the door in the dark to start a run, I drive to the gym in a nice warm car, ready to tackle a new kind of workout. It’s a different kind of challenge, but one that I’m always excited for – especially as I have met some great people there. I’ll always treasure those early morning runs, but for now, I’m content knowing I made the right choice for my health and well-being.
Sometimes life pushes you in a new direction, and all you can do is lace up, adjust, and move forward – whether in running shoes or gym trainers. Here are those New Balance 1080s that live on in my office on a shelf as a reminder of the journey I have been on:
