Friday, December 14, 2012

Farewell, old friends.

Tis the season to get your ducks in a row for all the gear you might need for your next race.  Usually that means replacing your shoes if they need replacing.  Depending on the shoes and the runner, a good pair of shoes should usually last you the 18 weeks of marathon training, followed by the marathon.  After that, you have usually reached 500 miles, and they are ready to retire.  (Of course some of the thinner minimal shoes wear out much faster.)

As i am no speedster, i wear pretty average shoes, and usually say goodbye to them once i finish whatever marathon i bought them for.  That usually puts them around 550.  Luckily, since i seem to run fairly evenly, there usually isn't severe wear and tear, and the only indicator that they are dying is some minor knee pain when i run in them.  For my last marathon i ran in my Mizuno Elixirs.  I hadn't trained with them the whole time, so they probably could have handled at least another 100 miles.  Then IT happened.

My lunch popped open and spilled giardiniera all over my running shoes.  I'm talking a fine shellac of super spicy oil and chopped peppers.  A tragedy, as you can imagine.  

I cleaned them up, and have even run with them a few times since, but i just can't get over the fact that i smell like an italian beef sandwich every time i run (especially indoors where there is less ventilation!).  The oil also never completely washed out and keeps staining my socks.  Life is so hard.

So, with that, i bid you farewell dear friends.  Like a candle in the wind, you have been extinguished too soon, all because of my love of spicy, oil-based condiments.   You will be missed...

Have you ever had to say goodbye to running gear before it's time?  
Are you accident prone like me?  
Should i get better tupperware?  
Isn't giardiniera AWESOME??

11 comments:

  1. I love your questions at the end of this post.

    I am accident prone, like you. I stepped in wet concrete in a pair of my "walking to work" shoes, but luckily the concrete just chipped off over the following few days and now they look good as new.

    Oily things are hard to properly contain in tupperware. If you find a better solution, please let us all know. (and yes, giardiniera is amazing.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL. You are having a lot of issues with your lunch lately!!! I am very accident prone as well ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry to hear about your shoes. I just spilled my coffee all over my desk/hard drive/mouse, luckily the electronics did not get fried. For yogurt, soups, etc., the Ziploc containers with the screw on lids work really well for me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. there are worse smells, Sara...........great, now I'm getting hungry!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am really accident prone and have butterfingers. I only let myself have water at my desk at work if it has a lid of some sort on it. I once ruined a cell phone by dropping it in a (clean) toilet. I'm sure I have more stories but have blocked them from memory.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your questions are awesome. I say that if you've got 400+ miles on your shoes, they have most definitely served their purpose. I usually retire my shoes around 300 miles. And I once spilled water on my brand-new laptop within 24 hours of starting a new job. Way to make a great first impression, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  7. That smell would kill me. Did you ever go get an Italian Beef post-run because of it? I would. Every time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. C'mon! Don't toss the shoes! What's the worse that will happen with beefy smelling kicks? You might attract dogs... But they could be your entourage for your runs and keep you safe and provide you with entertainment.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I keep my old shoes to wear around....I have a slight addiction to running shoes, and am too in dire need of new ones!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have kept running gear far past due date. I have a problem with letting go. Time to go shop!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your poor running shoes, lol. I have had my lunch spill open, but in my zipped up lunch bag so it just made a contained mess that I was able to clean up. I get super attached to my shoes because each pair means something to me. I could never part with the shoes I ran Boston in or the shoes that got me to my marathon PR. I am going to be on hoarders some day with a house full of running shoes! And I have no idea what giardiniera is. I must be missing out on something awesome.

    ReplyDelete