The little red dress and the yellow shoes

We women are always on the prowl for the little black dress. That one that works for a variety of occasions and goes with everything. I have one, but the dress with the real story is my little red dress. No, it doesn't have that implication of being a "lucky" dress in the dating world...
I bought this dress in 2002, my sophomore year of high school at Old Navy for I think $20. It was in anticipation of a band trip to Quebec and I wanted something special to wear for our end of trip reception. It was comfortable but pretty and I could wear a jacket with it. It since has been worn for:

Thank you, Old Navy!

• Piano competitions
• College interviews
• My high school senior picture
• Conference paper presentations
• Freshmen move in day at CUA when I worked in Residence Life
• The past 6 opening days of our gifted camp
• The day I found out I got a TA grant in grad school
• And the day I got engaged!

So, the dress has told many stories. It certainly has gotten its value. And it is definitely still going to be put to use. I'm not retiring this dress until it either doesn't fit (and I'm hoping to stay this size forever) or it just gets worn out. 11 years in, and it is still standing.
Something else with a lot of stories did just face retirement. My first pair of racing flats, which I got in the summer of 2011, went to a shoe donation bin in Santa Cruz right before I left. They had accompanied me through track workouts, some tempo runs, but most importantly, in about two dozen races in CA, NY, PA, and VA.
My times from before then
5k 20:45
10k 44:45
13.1 1:34:32


And after
5k: 19:21
10k 39:28
10 mile 1:05:52

Obviously, the shoes didn't do all of that work. But they did mark a turning point, marathons were put on hold and t was time to work on speed. I'll be breaking in a new pair soon, but it was definitely a sad goodbye for that first pair. I always felt good to go in those shoes and loved putting them on to race.

Saucony Racing Flats

So, the red dress and the yellow shoes: each tells a lot of stories and holds a lot of memories. One has helped me run my best races, and one has helped me to run my life on the right path.