Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Something a lot of you probably don't know about me is that I'm a runner jogger who wants to become a runner.  I started jogging probably four years ago to manage my weight.  See, I was uber-active when I was a kid and all through high school, then upon graduation, like a lot of people, my exercise/activity just completely stopped.  And my over-eating didn't.  The freshman fifteen was a reality for me, and then I got married(translation: I gained an additional ten pounds)!  I weighed more four years ago than when I was nine months pregnant.

After looking at some vacation pictures of myself, I decided enough was enough, and I signed up for the 2008 Houston Marathon.  At the time, I couldn't run for thirty minutes without stopping, but I figured there was plenty of time to fix that.  Unfortunately, I am the world's worst procrastinator.  That's why I end up writing these posts at five every morning.  That's also why on the morning of the 26.2 mile race, the farthest I had ever run without stopping was 10 miles.  But I figured I could handle it.  (Mom, if you're reading this, did you drop me on my head as a child?  Because that might explain my "reasoning".)

About fifteen miles in, I was starting to reconsider my training program.  Maybe I should have tried actually using a training program.  I made a few race-day buddies that helped me finish.  They helped me pace myself, they explained what a bad idea it would be to try energy gels for the first time on race day, and they told me what to do with the vaseline.  One of them (I really wish I could remember her name) even hung back around the 18 mile marker after "meeting" Patrick and told him that there was most likely no way I would finish the race, but that just in case he should go buy me a Gatorade and power bar and get them to me as quickly as possible.  Of course, she was nothing but encouraging to me; I didn't know about her dire prediction until after the race.

I did finish the marathon, but there was a lot of walking and a lot of pain.  I don't remember my time, just that I scraped in under the 6 hour limit.  To this day, I believe that if it had not been for the elderly power-walker that kept popping up behind me, I would not have finished in time.  (Be honest, is there anything you wouldn't do to avoid being passed by a 78 year-old woman at mile 25?  I was fully prepared to trip her if necessary.)

Wow.  That was a really long tangent that had very little to do with my original reason for posting.  Long story short, after the marathon I kept up with my jogging, using the same shoes I bought for the marathon.  By my estimation, those shoes have well over a thousand miles on them.  But they don't look a foot over 999. : )

I think Pat and I will be going shoe shopping pretty soon. 

I'm curious: what's the most worn out item you still use?

-Kelli