Montana Jones

Shoes

Ever have one of those self awareness moments where you suddenly realized you were doing something you did not know you were doing? I recently caught myself stumbling over this pile of crap in my living room. I have to laugh at myself for stumbling over some crap again and again and not doing anything about it. I'm going to file that one under 'things a bachelor can get away with.' The part that really caught me off guard was that this pile of crap was all shoes.

Who the hell lives here? Imelda Marcos?

The reason that all these shoes are in a pile in my living room is because I have worn them all recently. It's not like I have a closet full of high heel, open toe fashion accessories waiting to be worn once and put aside. I freakin' use all these. Is that weird? Is it unmanly? Are there people that can get by with only a couple pairs of shoes? I dunno.

1. The new running shoes. Not too many miles on them yet. Used most recently for playing racquetball.
2. The old hiking boots. The sole is worn, the waterproofing is shot, the stitching is breaking apart, the lining is torn and ratty. But much loved and have carried me many a weary mile. I am now trying to figure out where old boots go when they die.
3. The new Christmas gift shoes. Comfy and easy to slip in and out of. An easy shoe for wintry weather.
4. Converse all stars. Cool, hip, fashionable, and fairly new. Perhaps these should be in the closet. I probably won't be wearing them again until the weather warms up and dries out.
5. The old running shoes. These dudes carried me through the Seattle Marathon several years ago. They are now my everyday sneaker.
6. I pulled these sneakers out of the closet to make some winter skydives. Boots with hooks for the laces are a poor safety choice and I needed something heavier and warmer than a running shoe for landing in the snow.
7. The new boots. Brand spanking new hikers. I just spent the better part of a week waterproofing them and sealing the seams. They went for the first walk across town the other day. I can only hope they will carry me as far as the old hiking boots did.

I just made a cursory glance at my closet, only five more pairs of shoes in there. Dress shoes, sandals, field cleats, worn out trail runners and some sneakers that never did fit right.

Ladies, for the record, if you have in your closet a pair of high heel, black leather, calf high boots that you almost never wear but they go oh-so-well with that one skirt… That is okay with me. I understand. I was window shopping the other day and saw a pair of cowboy boots and thought to myself "Oooh!" Is that bad?

Labels: boots, closet, crap, hiking, photo, running, shoes

Posted by: Montana Jones / 9:36 AM 2 comments

From the Spokane Half Marathon

• The best way to see a new city is to run a marathon in it. (Half marathons are good too.) Spokane, I salute your beautiful city.
• I swear, the next race I run I will train for the last miles as much as I train for the first miles. (I think I told myself this after my last race too.)
• Do not fear the hills.
• It takes about a quarter mile to go from cold and underdressed to hot and overdressed.
• Hey race organizers; how about taking a ten cent piece of chalk and drawing a line on the sidewalk where the finish line is. Do the same for the starting line too. And get a gun or honk a horn or make some sort of loud noise to indicate the start of the race.
• More volunteers stationed in the last third of the course please. More cheering spectators would be good too. It's lonely near the end.
• It sucks when your watch battery dies at the starting line.
• Not knowing the time did not really affect my pace.
• Not knowing the time gives me less to think about while running.
• Who in their right mind thinks that watermelon is a good flavor for a sports drink? Are your really trying to make me barf mid race?
• In the latter portion of the race I asked all the volunteers I passed if I was winning. Some of them said yes, some of them said no, I don't think any of them found the question as amusing as I did.
• Some people run funny. How is it possible to move forward at a run while holding your knees together and throwing your feet out to the side? Also, dude, don't shuffle your feet. Pick your foot all the way up off the ground and then put the heel down first and roll across the ball of your foot and launch with your toe.
• I finished this half marathon in half the time of my last marathon back in 2003. Not bad for being under trained and having a nasty cold.
• Sorry girl right behind me at the finish line, but there was no way I was going to let you pass me in the last 100 yards of a race.
• Extra special thanks to the girl at the race start that directed us to the empty public toilet just out of sight from the hundred person long line for the port-a-johns.
• The next day I had almost no pain at all. That is good clean living right there.
• If you are ever passing through Coeur d'Alene, Hudson's is the best damn hamburger joint anywhere.

Labels: Coeur d'Alene, half marathon, hamburger, list, marathon, race, run, running, Spokane, time, training

Posted by: Montana Jones / 6:00 PM 2 comments

Ultimate

I have a weird muscle ache on my lower right side.

My legs stiffen up when I sit still too long. I limp when I start walking.

My feet hurt.

I have strange red scrape marks along my right forearm

It hurts to move too fast.

My ankles are sore.

I feel generally beat up.

Yeah, I found a place to play Ultimate near home.

Can't wait to do it again next week.

Labels: ache, excercise, fitness, hurt, play, running, Ultimate Frisbee

Posted by: Montana Jones / 11:39 AM 2 comments