August 23, 2011

Ruby

My run yesterday was AMAZING. It was a cool 52 degrees outside, and a very quiet morning. Before I even reached a quarter mile, I saw a mama cat and her kitten, who looked about 5 weeks old--a puffball! We have quite a few feral cats that live in the land across the street from us. The mama cat was a kitten herself last year, and now she has two little babies.  At about 2 miles into the run, I saw a mama duck and her 3 little ducklings, who crossed my path. They were adorable.  My legs were feeling really good, and I think it's probably because I've been going really easy and slow on my easy runs, like I'm supposed to. Five miles flew by.

When I got home, my dad called me and asked me if I could help pick out a gift for my mom's birthday tomorrow. He said she had mentioned a ruby ring, so he'd like to get that for her. (I knew she was hinting at a ruby ring for their 40th anniversary last month--the "ruby anniversary". I didn't tell him that that train had left the station a month ago! Better late than never, right?)

I told him that Sam's Club is the way to go for jewelry, because they have really nice jewelry at good prices, and a fail-proof return policy. I've returned a leather couch and love seat after 8 months of use because I broke the frame! (Yes, I was 253 pounds, and broke the couch when I sat down on it too hard). I didn't even have my receipt, but they refunded a few thousand dollars to my credit card. Whenever I want to make a large purchase, I usually go there first.

This is the ring he ended up buying, and I think it's GORGEOUS:

So I took the kids out with me, and we first went to the running store so I could get some new shoes. I have about 400 miles on my Brooks Adrenaline 11's, so it was definitely time. I've always had Brooks Adrenalines, but this time I ended up getting Brooks Ravenna 2's. I never choose my shoes based on how they look--how they feel is MUCH more important--but I love the green laces on these!
I just have an easy 3-miler on the schedule today, but I'm excited to try them out. I also bought a much-needed pouch to wear around my waist that is just big enough to hold my phone and car key. It's super small, but it can stretch to accommodate quite a bit. It's called a Spibelt, and I'm sick at myself for spending $22 on this tiny little thing! But I needed it:
I can probably fit my camera in there, too. A lot of times I see things that I wish I could take a picture of--like the kitten yesterday morning!  After the running store, we went to David's Bridal so that I could pick up my bridesmaid dress.

Then I took my bike into the bike shop to fix the issue I was having with it on Sunday. The man was extremely helpful, and he put air in my tires for me too (apparently they really needed it and I had no idea). He told me to check the pressure in them once a week. He said that my seat looked really low for me, so he put my bike on a trainer thing and had me get on it so that she could adjust it for me. He ended up raising the seat quite a bit, and I was surprised how much better it felt that way. The kid man who sold me the bike was supposed to do that, but he didn't. I think he must have been a new employee or something. I wanted to buy a bike helmet, because I still don't have one, but they were $45-60!! I couldn't bring myself to spend that much. I'll just buy a cheap one at Wal-Mart.

Spent the afternoon with Jerry, because he was off work, and then I went to Renee's for wine. I missed her--it's been a while since just the two of us got together for wine! So it was fun to catch up with her.

Jerry's off again today, and he has a softball game tonight that I'm going to.


Do you spend a lot of money on exercise/sporting equipment? My bike and treadmill were obviously my biggest expenses at around $500 each, my Garmin was almost $300 when I first bought it, running shoes are $100 every 6 months or so, and my Under Armour running clothes aren't cheap! Definitely worth it, though, as expensive as this stuff is. Oh, and the cost of races? Yikes!

21 comments:

  1. Spibelt is completely worth the $22 - you will see once you use it more. I spend way more than I should on exercise - shoes 4-5 per year; Garmin - $300; energy; running clothes, bike stuff. Good thing most of this stuff lasts - quality is usually very high.

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  2. I still feel like a bit of a "newbie" to this running biz, so I haven't spent much money thus far. My total expenses so far have been $46 for an ipod shuffle and $60 for shoes. I have chosen to follow the "minimalist" theory (right word?), so I likely won't be purchasing shoes often. Truthfully, the biggest expense appears to be all the races I love entering!!

    I do have to tell you my husband is completely addicted to purchasing exercise equipment. A friend refers to our house as the "As Seen on TV" gym. We have a male shake weight, perfect push-ups, perfect pull-up, some bendy thing that I don't know the name for...Iso 7x...dumbbells, etc. We have owned about 3 Total gyms over the span of our 6 years together. It's terrible! It would be fine if he actually USED these products. However, he just likes the idea of them. It's like walking through a play area for adults...you can swing from the kitchen to the living room on the pull-up bar hanging on the door frame! You can dodge dumbbells on your walk from the playroom to the house! It's very exciting. Our kids love to play with this stuff, too, so I guess they sort of come in handy?

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  3. It's 57* right now, but I'm not running any time soon since my husband is home until 10:30 this morning, and then my daughter's BFF is coming over... Gotta get out there and try the new toy, though!

    I'm on my 2nd pair of running shoes right now. I have to agree with Audrey. The biggest expense has been entrance fees for races. Thankfully they're all associated with charities so they're considered tax-deductible! Our 5k in Yankee Stadium was a $40 fee and then you were required to raise at least another $60. Since I just got finished raising $3,300 with my Relay For Life team, I was not asking for anymore money. So, $200 between me and my husband for that race, then add on all of the expenses of the mini-vacation between the race and the game... $$$$ But I can't wait to do it again next year!!

    About the Spibelt: I usually carry my phone and tie my key to my laces, but I do need something for my iPod! I carried my camera throughout the Yankee Stadium 5k and the strap was soaked through by the end! Nasty.

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  4. P.S. The ring is gorgeous! Get a picture of her face when she opens it up!!

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  5. Yes! I spend quite a bit on fitness. My elliptical, my bike, my polar FT4, new shoes about every 6mos and of course all the ridiculous North Face and New Balance clothes I love. When I discovered non-cheap "moisture wicking" clothes, I about died, they changed my life! I had no idea the walmart versions I had been buying were so low qualitly!

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  6. You'll love the spibelt - worth every penny! I spend WAY to much on exercise stuff too. Race entries (will spend about $300 on entries this year), shoes ($100 - 5x/year), fuel belts (replaced my old one this year), gatorade, energy gels/bars, socks ($13/each - LOVE the Experia's), new music for ipod (it adds up), and then the clothes.....we won't go there. :)
    P.S. The ring is beautiful!

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  7. Don't cheap out on the helmet. That is your HEAD! And while life can go on with some body parts broken/injured your head isn't in that category. I'm an equestrian and our helmets vary widely on price. But generally the cheapy ones are just not worth it in the end. Again comfort and fit here are key cause you want the helmet to stay in place when something happens. My husband and I also have a harley . . . in a non-helmet state much to my dismay!!! We wear our helmets. We get funny looks sometimes. I tell people to think about your loved ones - husbands/kids/parents - and what they would go through if you did have a serious head injury. My motto is your head is priceless! Your helmet is worth it.

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  8. i buy new sneakers about 3-4 times a year, i just recently started trying to run (i can go about 2 minutes before my heart rate is like NOPE) so it might be more often now.
    i love the under armour stuff but OMG talk about expensive, last year i hit a good deal and got a few mens t shirts (the ladies versions dont tend to fit me right-i guess it is cause i have a belly). im always looking for sales around xmas time, and usually i get new clothes for me at back to school time.
    how come the first note gets eaten by your text?
    lessoff

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  9. yes, yes, too much money ....but the kids can live on mac n cheese/pb&j sandwiches for awhile until I get my stuff paid for...ha!

    with certain items I too have found you certainly get what you pay for..so its worth spending a bit more. ;-)

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  10. I agree with what Jen said. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON A HELMET! This is the bucket that you're trusting your brain in if you fall or get hit by a car. Just like all other sporting equipment, it isn't all created equal. Ask yourself if you would wear a $20 pair of tennis shoes to run in? Probably not. So get that expensive helmet! AND, it will last longer, thus making it about the same cost as a "cheap" one in the long run.

    I do spend quite a bit of money on my exercise stuff as I don't cheap out on it. Probably my best expense has been my Garmin w/HRM. I LOVE that thing! It totally suits me cause I'm a data/number junkie. Other than that, the most I spend is on Vibrams for running and on clothing (UA mostly). I absolutely adore running in my Vibrams!

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  11. I haven't spent too much so far, but I am currently saving up for a treadmill. We had one before, but it was a cheapo model and it died about 2 years ago. This time I want to get a top-notch one that has a lifetime warranty on all parts and 7 years labor. You can't beat that!

    I actually got my bike for free when someone left it at my parents' house. It's a decent bike for what I use it for...nothing too fancy.

    I think it's probably a better deal to buy expensive equipment that lasts than cheap equipment that you have to replace frequently.

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  12. Tammy/texzanAugust 23, 2011

    yes I spend alot as well,, I have a spybelt and dont care for it,, it flops around to much if you have anything heavy in it. Wear it way down on your hips that my help,, I have a diffrent one now that I purchased at The Philly marathon expo,, that I LOve but I cannot think of the name of it.. I have way to many workout purchases to list. I have a whole bedroom,, my husband calls the "Locker room". My next purchase is a Concept 2 rowing machine. But I earned $500 through my Health insurance to help pay for that,, its free money,, all I had to do was post my workouts to the website,, what a sweetdeal that was,, easy money !! Love your blogs,, I check in almost daily to see how oyu are doing,, you are to damn cute,, its very refreshing reading your blogs,, thank so much !

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  13. Ditto what Jen and Jenn said. The bike helmet is important. I know, we all grew up without them and survived, but that doesn't mean they're not important - it just means we were lucky. I work for neurologists and read med recs of people who have brain injuries - some that could have been prevented by something like a good helmet! I also live in the Madison, WI area where bikes are EVERYWHERE and almost everyone wears a helmet - I'm shocked when I see someone without! Think of it this way - you paid $22 for a pouch to protect your key and phone...your brain is worth so much more than that!
    BTW - with your sewing skills I think you should be able to make some of those belts to sell to other runners and recoup some of the $ you spend on your exercise stuff.
    I bet you were spending way more on food before you changed your ways - isn't it great to know that your spending on something GOOD for you!

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  14. I agree that with exercise equipment you get what you pay for. I spent $2,000-$3,000 each for my Precor Treadmill and Precor Elliptical. They were pricey but I knew exactly what I wanted. It is is gym quality - doesn't wobble, etc and will last for many years. :) They were well worth the money.

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  15. I would say I spend in the medium range. I think running kicks are the most important so I will spend usually $85 on those. A few pairs a year. Exercise clothes, I hit up Target for Champion apparel. I did pay $500 for my elliptical. My Garmin is the lower model, $200 I think.

    I may have to look in getting a belt like that though. I usually put my phone in a baggie and stuff it in my sports bra strap. Not the best place for it. LOL.

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  16. We are so worth the $$$ we spend on staying healthy. At least that's the way I look at it. I am saving tons on junk food and eating out, especially at fast food places. Of course I am spending TONS on new clothes. I just can't quit shopping. I keep looking at those bike helmets at Target, etc. They're about $20-$30 there, not bad, but I haven't bought one yet either.
    LOVE LOVE LOVE the ring. I'm a ruby fan, I always wear a ruby ring my Dad got me before he passed away, and hubby got me some beautiful ruby earrings, and a ruby necklace for our 40th last September. Your mom is gonna love it, it's okay that it's a month past their 40th anniversary, it's still frivolous, sentimental and gorgeous--the three most important things about a gift from your hubby!

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  17. I am so envious of your 52 degree weather. I just looked at our upcoming weather and on Saturday it's supposed to get to 107...

    I try not to spend too much money on stuff, but my elliptical, HRM, and running shoes have been worth the cost.

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  18. Wow, gorgeous ring! I guess your mom doesn't read you blog huh?
    I am still new to running so the biggest expense has been shoes ($100) and some tehnical clothing. I really need a belt like yours to carry my iPod!
    I would like a Garmin and a treadmill but can't really afford it right now. Maybe for Christmas ... :o)

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  19. Hi Katie, oh WOW....that ring is SOOOOO gorgeous!!!! Hope your Mom loves it! I think my biggest expense is my gym membership. So worth it though. Have a great day!!!!

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  20. My treadmill was the most expensive at 800 but everything else was garage sale, or department store fabulous! I would invest in higher quality shoes if I could at the moment though.

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  21. I have to agree with Jen. which just happens to be my name too so yay haha. but yeah Helmets save lives! I would rather get a cheap belly pouch and spend the big bucks on a nice helmet instead.

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