Had To Save the Feet!

Friday I miss my train by 2 minutes! That’s it! Two minutes. I left my office at 5:21. I have 9 minutes to make my train. I could either run eight tenths of a mile in 90 plus degree heat or I could take the T and chance it.

I took the T. I went in the State Street entrance and as I am coming down to the platform, a train pulls in. I totally have a shot at making my train now! We all pile into the T and head towards North Station. We stop at Haymarket and no one gets off. The doors close and I am psyched that we are on our way. Every last second counts right now.

As we approach North Station, people start lining up at the door in their “On your mark. Get set. GO!” stances. People are already telling people to get out of their way so they can run to the train. I look down at my feet and realize I have flip flop gladiators on. I am sporting flip flop gladiators because I was a dancing diva at a wedding the previous weekend and obtained some awesome blisters (and by awesome, I really mean hideous and painful) and the only shoes that would avoid making my blisters worse were flip flop gladiators.

I am instantly bummed. I am probably not going to make my train. I refuse to run amongst the herds in open toed shoes… period and I will tell you why.

A few years back, I was in a similar situation. Everyone was in the “On your mark. Get set. GO!” stance on the train. Including me! As the doors opened, we all dart out toward the escalator. I am almost to the top when a guy in a suit throws me out of his way and my foot got jammed in the escalator. My big toe got mangled! I continued on running and  I did make my train that particular day. I was so enraged with adrenaline that I pushed through my pain to make the train. There was no way I was getting an injury like that and being left behind on the platform. NO WAY!

When I took my seat on the train that day, I grabbed a tissue from my purse and threw it over my toe. I am squeamish so that was all I could do. I didn’t feel like passing out on the train so I waited until I got home to deal with it.

After I got home and cleaned up my toe, I was a hobbling mess. I informed my husband that after dinner that night, we’d be going out to purchase a pair of steal toed boots. He then told me that I was over reacting and that steal toed boots didn’t exactly go with skirt suits. In the name of fashion, I agreed with him and we settled on finding a cute pair of rubber toed tennis shoes.

Since that day, no matter how hot it is, I have worn closed toed shoes every day! Every day until last week! So, to reduce further injury to my feet on Friday, I speed walked to the platform behind the herd of runners from the T and I missed the train by the skin of my teeth. My big toe thanked me but my weekend started about 20 minutes later than usual. I guess ya gotta do whatcha gotta do!

Steal Toed Shoes For Flip Flop Season

Spring is upon us and so is flip flop season. However, I will not be sporting fashionable flip flops during my train commuting. I will be wearing fashionable rubber toed or close toed kicks and here’s why:

Last year was my first year as a train commuter. Once flip flop season arrived, I’d kick off my stiletto’s and throw my flip flops on for the commute home. A few days into wearing flip flops I was pulling into North Station on the T very close to the departure of a few commuter rail trains. The T stopped and opened the doors and it was like running of the bulls. People charged out of the T and to the escalator. When I got on the escalator I realized I wasn’t able to sprint in flip flops so I walked up the right side. The slow people or people not climbing up the escalator generally stay to the right while the sprinters are on the left. Well, one guy decided that the left side wasn’t moving fast enough so he decided to go around on the right side. The only problem was that I was on the right side in his way. He grabbed my back pack and pulled me back. I lost my balance because at that time I was also trying to take a step up. My footing was off and as I tried to catch my balance, my foot got caught in the escalator mangling my freshly pedicured toes.  

My toes hurt so badly that I limped to my train. No idiot was going to make me miss it. I got to the platform at exactly 5:10 which is exactly when the train is set to leave. Luckily, the conductor liked me and saw me limping down the platform. He held the train while I made my way. So, basically if I limped to my train and made it by the skin of my teeth, this guy had no reason to be shoving! That night I went out in search of steal toed shoes! My fiancé told me that I was over reacting so we settled on cute rubber toed shoes instead. I will never wear flip flops during the trains’ rush hour again. I may wear flip flops on the weekend or during the day when no one is around to push me but never during rush hour because it took nearly all spring and summer for my toes and nails to fully recover.

So that being said, ladies- I see your flip flops and how adorable they are. However, I worry for your feet and I hope you little tootsies never experience what mine did.