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2018 Races…TBD!


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Fastest Guns in the West

Okay, more like fastest shoes in the Midwest.  And, I use "fast" very lightly.  And, the Midwest has been acting more like the artic circle as of late.  But you catch my drift.

Last night was a good ol' fashioned Shoe-down!  Oowee, it was gettin' ugly! 

Tumbleweed rolled across the living room, dust swirled around like miniature cyclones, the faint sound of a banjo in the distance.  As the dust cleared, the two cowboys appeared...New v. Old.  Shiney v. Salt-encrusted.  Beauty v. Brains.  Novice v. Tried and True.  Who was going to come out victorious?  Who would go down in flames?

As I opened the Wilderness Running box, slowly and with much anticipation, peeling back the La Sportiva tissue paper, I was suddenly struck by the distinct scent of brand new Sporty Cats.  My how I've missed you old friend.  It was like the box was back-lit, glowing from within and suddenly everything was moving in slow motion.  Checking the tongue, yep both size 41, I removed the paper fillers and slipped on a brand new pair of heaven.  Ahhhh, bliss, they fit perfectly.  (I was a tad nervous about the fit as I was sizing down a full size from my last pair.)

But, suddenly, I was struck with a pang of guilt.  What will my old Sporty Cats think of the "new guy"?  Oh no!  I can't have three pair in the same closet!  I was going to have to make the hard decision...and get rid of a pair of my beloved Sporty Cats. 

The Shoedown beings, laces drawn, insoles ready, and rock shield prepared to strike...
 "There's a new sheriff in town..."

Well, in the end, the new guys came away victorious.  C'mon, you saw that coming.  So, it was time to retire my very first pair of Sporty Cats.  We've been through so much together in the last year, and shared 367 beautiful miles.  Just moments ago I marked them as 'retired' in my RunningAhead training log, and also noted that I got them down to $0.27/mile (the log keeps track of the mileage you put into a shoe and how much you paid for them, then calculates what the cost per mile comes out to :)  I know, total geekdom).  That makes them my cheapest per mile shoes so far.  I'm so proud :)  I am looking very forward to breaking in these puppies.  My most recent pair are a touch too big and caused some grief during a recent run, so they have graduated to the role of 'hiking shoe' and may even be recruited as my 'it's mile 70 and my feet are swollen and achey' shoes in my next hundred mile run.  We'll see.  I haven't given up on them yet.

By the way, Wilderness Running has most of their ladies' trail running shoes on mega sale right now (which is ending tonight at midnight!) so get 'em while you can!  I got my Sporty Cats for a screamin' good deal when they went on sale last week as part of their Midweek Markdowns, so if you think you're going to need some new kicks soon, or in the relatively-near future, get them now while they are dirt cheap :)

Crash, out.

3 comments:

HappyTrails said...

Mmmmmm, the sweet smell of new shoes. That's just about the best, isn't it? Stay warm and have a great week!

SteveQ said...

Oh, I've got the record for most miles per dollar. Had a pair of running shoes I did 24000 miles in (once around the equator!) before making them walking shoes and then lawnmowing shoes. When I hear someone say a pair should last 400 miles, I remember "Old Green."

Last year, while working an aid station, someone saw my shoes and said, "I used to sell those. In 2007." Yep, still got 'em.

Paige said...

Thanks @HappyTrails, you too!

@SteveQ, ummmm, that's just amazing. 24,000 miles?! Or did you mean 2,400? Either way, that's an incredible feat and I bow to you. The best I've done so far is $0.17/mile. Your shoes are sort of like when someone gets solar panels installed and the electric company starts paying the CUSTOMER because they use so little energy, lol! Is that considered 'negative' energy 'output'? Hehehe

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