The conspiratorial side of me is thinking that running shoes are getting more expensive and lasting half as long. The shoes I had have worn out considerably so I bought a new pair, which arrived today. So I’m officially marking the date.

Auto-generated description: A pair of gray Brooks running shoes with yellow accents is displayed in an open shoebox with blue printed graphics and text on the inside lid. Auto-generated description: Two pairs of grey running shoes are placed side by side on a carpeted floor, with one pair appearing more worn than the other.