Interesting post by fellow runner kch from The Web MD on traffic fatalities and marathons
I really can’t believe how expensive running is. I thought that when I took up running, it would be a cheap alternative to any other sport that is out there. I knew shoes wouldn’t be cheap. A decent pair of shoes that you can get from a running store costs anywhere from $95 to $135! And if you’re training for a marathon, those shoes may only last 6 months at the most. If you are serious about running, it is a good idea to go to a running store to get your shoes. They can do tests to see what kind of runner you are and what shoe would work best for you. Or you can try this site from Runners World magazine. But you may have to go to the running store anyway to get those shoes. For Christmas, Diane bought me a Garmin 305 GPS. It is an awesome (and expensive!) tool to help a neophyte like myself become a better runner. My biggest problem when I run a race, is my pace. The 305 will tell you what your pace is, and many, many, many other things.
One good thing about running in the colder weather is that my MS symptoms are pretty much non existent. Running in temperatures above 70 degrees can really make me fatigued and I feel the numbness in my side and my leg much more than normal. I was looking forward to running tonight at The Irish Snug but Denver has gotten a lot of snow lately and it’s 15 degrees. The cold temps don’t bother me, it’s the 8″ of snow I would have to run through.
You need to check out this site, Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy. Funny stuff.
I was diagnosed with MS about 4 years ago and I am one of the lucky ones. I don't have too many problems associated with it, and the disease has actually slowed down. I took up running 3 years ago just to see if I could do it. So far I've run 3 marathons in a year and a half.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Glad to see you eventually got your Garmin 305 for X-mas! Hope you enjoy using it!
Whoah, after reading your comments about how running’s so expensive, I feel like such a cheapskate & a slacker. Hahahaha. Just kidding.
I know I’m not in the same boat as you quite yet (it’ll be atleast another year until I start seriously marathon training), but it does seem that, once a person starts getting truly serious about running there does seem to be a whole other level of financial commitment that people consciously choose to devote to the sport: Magazine subscriptions, RRCA membership dues, travel expenditures (for out-of-town races), high-tech measuring equipment of every sort, constant sneaker buying (!), etc. However, with the possible exception of the constant sneaker-buying, I’m not quite sure how much of these other expenditures are really & truly “necessary,” as a person in a pinch could run races close to home & probably opt out of the magazine subscriptions & just read articles online, etc., etc.
I think it’s the measuring & monitoring-related techie equipment that can definitely rack up a person’s expenses. It seems like most people I know amass their running-related techie gear (i.e., heart rate monitor, hydration system, etc.) slowly over time. Otherwise, the total expense would be totally insurmountable/unmanageable.
But isn’t it still nice to know that in its pure essence, the sport of running requires less gear than so many other sports & thus, is probably less expensive on the whole than these other sports, especially on a long-term basis. And I’m not talking about “exotic” sports like parasailing, scuba-diving, or hang-gliding. Just ask my friend with the 15-year old son who plays football, baseball, & soccer. All that gear to buy, & he’s not even a fully-grown adult yet! He’ll surely be outgrowing his uniforms at some point.
And what happens if he wants to play college sports after that? Just imagine the expense if he had several athletic brothers & sisters! His parents would be in the poor-house. 
While it’s true that I’ve spent a lot of dough on sneakers (i.e., I like to have a few pairs to keep in rotation so it takes longer for them to wear out!), I tend to save on the gear: Erik gives me his running techie gear hand-me-downs (i.e., his old GPS, etc.) when he upgrades his own. Maybe you could save $$$ by befriending someone who’s willing to fork over their gear after they no longer want it.
LOL.
If I was at the point where I was doing serious marathon-training like you (with all of that mileage you do!), I’d probably go broke every time I had to buy a new pair of sneakers.
Heheheheh.
Well, enough kidding around. Hope you have a great New Years!
-C