Check Your Shoes Before It's Too Late

Every now and then, I come across the following situation on any given sidewalk - a lone rubber outsole lying on the sidewalk or in the grass by the sidewalk. I took the following photos this morning as I was walking on a sidewalk by a large field. Can you see the rubber outsole on the grass?

The outsole is still in one whole piece! It must have come loose from the shoe while the wearer was walking on this very sidewalk.

I can imagine that the wearer might have suddenly noticed a change in his walking gait; then, he might have stopped walking to inspect his shoes and discover that the outsole was flapping loosely at the bottom of his shoe. Then, realising that he couldn't walk comfortably any further with the shoes in that condition, he might have peeled off the loose outsole away from the midsole and then toss the outsole onto the grass. I wonder whether he might have continued walking with the shoes still on his feet.

You can see that this outsole once belonged to a Nike sports shoe. It would have been a cross-trainer; the outsole is familiar to me. Judging from the thread pattern of the outsole, this particular cross-trainer was not worn very often. It probably lay unused for much of the time.

I suppose the humidity and temperature of the tropics contributed to the deterioration of the glued bond between the outsole and midsole. I reckon that sports shoes should be kept in an air-conditioned climate if the shoes are to be left unworn for a substantial length of time.

In any case, it's always a good idea to inspect one's collection of shoes every now and them to make sure that the shoes are still suitable for their intended use. It's really awkward and possibly downright embarrassing to have one's shoes fall apart like the one shown here.