It pays to take care of your things. They last longer. When I was a kid, that was easy with your shoes. Just do like Dad — polish your leather shoes and throw your Keds in the washer.

For whatever reason, that doesn’t work as well with the way they make athletic shoes these days. The fabric and mesh of your running shoes gets stiff and seems to wear out even faster.

We went whole-hog and got a handful of Nikwax products to clean and condition shoes. The Footwear Cleaning Gel worked well cleaning running shoes that had been through a trail half (I rinsed them pretty thoroughly first). The mesh, in particular, stayed soft and breathable.

The leather cleaner did well on my leather work boots (this is Texas — everybody with a garden learns the importance of wearing work boots), which I confess to having neglected. After applying the waterproofing wax, I think I will get another year or two out of them.

The sandal wash also did a good job cleaning a pair of men’s leather sandals, which I also waterproofed.

Hey, I think I just one-upped my Dad. I don’t think he ever saw him cleaning his sandals.

After a longer than two year break from running (it’s a loooong story), I’m back – I started running again on January 1st. That’s right – I started running smack-dab in the middle of a very cold, very snowy Canadian winter.

And so it goes that, as I found myself out there trudging along in the snow, I began to question the sanity of choosing to start running in – of all months – January. You may be surprised that there is an upside to the choice. No, really, there is! I can think of five positives:

1. Big Clothes: Hey, I’m about 40 pounds heavier than I was at the peak of training for my last marathon and, while I was a near-skeleton back then, I am nowhere near to resembling “slim in the waist” now. Winter running means winter clothing, and said winter clothing covers me in all the right places (basically, everywhere). I like that.

Winter Runner - via A. Guandalini's Flickr Page

2. It’s Dark (for much of the day): Same basic reason as in #1 – people can’t see me. I like that.
3. Almost No One Else Is Running Outside: Yet another variation of #1 and #2 (you may be noticing a trend). That said, it’s not just that I don’t like the idea of showing how round I’ve become, it’s also about not showing the world how slow I’ve gotten (Mother of Mercy, have I ever gotten slow!) and the fact that there aren’t many people running outside to bear witness to all of that. Me and my  out of shape, slow self have some solitude (you won’t find that in any gym). I like that.
4. Snow Is Soft: If you’re a new or returning runner – especially if you’re carrying some extra weight – you’re probably not very light on your feet. Take it from me, a cushion of snow on the ground is a good thing – that cushion is going to feel a lot less punishing than running on the bare concrete or pavement you’d be running on if you started running in the summer.
5. It’s Quiet… and Beautiful: The tranquility one can experience from running on a fresh blanket of snow is hard to explain. Winter running definitely has its charm. You just have to try it to know what I mean.

So, there ya have it – the upside to starting to run in the winter. Can you think of others? Leave me a comment and, please, get out there and enjoy the season with me!

What motivates you when your in a race be it a triathlon or running event? Do the signs of your friends and family keep you going or distract you?

The photo is a collage of signs myself and Karen’s family made to keep her going during the Alberta Challenge Triathlon. Karen was competing in her first Olympic Triathlon. More photos from the event available over at my Flickr site and you can read about the event on Karen’s Blog or mine.

Got a photo you would like featured? Then leave a comment with the details. Thanks for dropping by.

Running along the water’s edge almost always creates a cool photo. The reflection in this photo is so clear it almost appears as if you have a twin running upside down below you.

From my email: Dawn, I would be very happy to have you use my photo of runners along the water. Please credit it to me/my photostream. It is of a 10K run which is put on by the Holyoke, Massachusetts Elks Club which uses the money for various charitable causes. It takes place once a year on the saturday following Thanksgiving and is called the Talking Turkey Cross Country Run. Takes place at a reservoir on the hill above Holyoke. Quite a spectacular spot to run or observe. Thanks again, Jim

Thanks again Jim for letting us feature your awesome photo!

Got a photo you would like featured, leave a comment with the details.

“Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” – Dean Karnazes, Runner