marathon, purple tutu and Frye boots

I ran my fifth marathon on Sunday, the Philly marathon. This was the first marathon for which I wore the purple tutu, and it kept me lighthearted as my brain became foggy and my legs stiffened up when I hit the wall at mile 22. I finished, thrilled with my 21^st-century PR (that’s “personal record”) of 3:54:06. (I did run the NYC marathon faster in 1999, but that was last century and doesn’t count anymore, right?)

The photo may be blurry, but it is the only one I have and nicely captures the movement of the tutu. I also appreciate the pink and yellow hues of the runner behind my right shoulder.

And because I ran a marathon, I get to buy these boots:

 

They are not Frye, but they are so like the then-used, now-vintage Frye boots that I bought in 1986 from a street vendor who set up her wares on a sheet on the sidewalk near the Astor Place Cube in New York City.

Since those boots became unwearable, I kept them in mind when I was wandering thrift stores, but have had no luck. I searched on etsy and eBay. I refused to pay upwards of $200 for a pair of boots that would probably let the rain in, no matter how awesome they were. (You could say, “Don’t wear them in the rain,” and I would probably listen, but as a 15-year-old, I did not.)

The day after the marathon, I looked on Etsy again. And I saw the ones above, sold by cherublover,  ], and they were on sale for a mere $80 (which is still more than I should be spending on anything, if I were to be honest). I actually like them more than the similar Frye ones below, sold by Stellah’s Groove, because the shape of the toe box is chunkier, which I appreciate, on the non-Frye ones.

Another thing I like about both pairs? They don’t have a zipper, which conflicts with the aesthetic and the purpose of the laces. I believe one should have to do the lacing up, not just work around them with a zipper as most modern knee-high lace-ups do.

So they are my marathon present. (This is not to be confused with a push present.)