Nobody told me

that running would make me so hungry or that it would turn out to be so expensive!

Well, I'm only guessing that it's the running that's increased my appetite. It could be one of the other culprits, like stress, anxiety, or boredom. Except I don't think I'm bored. I'm going to reexamine my plan, because it occurs to me I need to schedule more frequent meals as my body really seems to need them. That seems quite doable, it will just take a little planning.

As to expense, well, for some reason I thought that once I had a decent pair of running shoes, I'd be ready to go. That and some decent socks, although why a pair of socks should cost $15 is beyond me. And I was fine for a while. I found lots of good advice on the Internet and on SP, and many of you experienced runners gave me excellent tips.

C25K was a struggle but I got through it - I used coolrunning so that didn't cost me anything. I signed up for a 5k before completing it, and that wasn't too costly, especially since I didn't sign up for the competitive run and it was a local run. I can handle a race once in a while.

Then I decided to sign on for a group training session, and that was a real bargain: ten weeks of coaching, a nice red shirt, and my very own medal midway through after week 5. How cool is that? And I'm told that if we have perfect attendance, we'll get a nice surprise at the end.

The next training session I signed up for is a lot more expensive, but it's also much longer. 20+ weeks, I think.

I had already purchased a heart rate monitor, so I won't count that as an expense associated with running. But I now needed a watch I could use for interval timing, so I finally settled on the Timex Ironman watch. Thanks to a certain SParker, I even figured out how to use it.

Then I signed up for another 5k, and decided to go for the competitive run, just slightly more expensive, not much. And I also did a run with Sophie, which necessitated a new leash since they didn't like the retractable ones. And since it was for the Humane Society, I added an additional donation. Next planned purchase: a harness for Sophie so we can run together some more.

Now one of my inspirations for running in the first place is my granddaughter who did the Girls on the Move program last year. When I found out she was doing it again this year, I signed up to run the 5k with her at the end of her program in May, so that also means airfare to St. Louis.

I've also challenged PALMTREEGIRL to find a race in her neck of the woods that we can do together: more airfare, but the chance to finally meet my SP friend in person!

And then there's the issue of picking up your race packets. I'm one of those people who cannot wait until the last minute and pick it up on race day, no indeed. I have to pick it up early, so that means going to the running store. Well folks, the store knows what it's doing by volunteering its space. Oh my goodness, all those lovely running shorts and tops in all those luscious colors!!!!!! My head was spinning from the riot of colors, but a glance at the price tags sobered me up. Oh so tempting......

I decided to check out Academy Sports for the low-end version. The fit is not as nice, the fabrics are not as comfortable, and the colors are a little less inspiring.
But still better than my dance attire or my painting shorts - you know the ones, we wear them to do all our dirty chores around the house, and they are permanently bleached or paint-spattered.

Then I ran a slightly larger 5k, and decided to go with the chip timing. No big deal, but this race had professional photographers. Keep in mind that I run alone, and no one goes with me to these races so far, except Sophie and she doesn't know how to take very good pictures. So the only way to get a picture of me or us is to purchase one. I'll say two things for the professional pictures: they're really good, and they're really expensive. But I just had to get a picture of me running with Sophie.... I'll scan it and post it when I get it. She looked great!

I dread the day when I sign up for a race in another city where I don't have relatives or friends. Airfare and hotel! And I know the fees will go up when I tackle the half-marathon and marathons.

So much for just needing a pair of shoes.....