The Finances of Running

I guess since I discussed the politics of running I could also talk about the finances part. This of course is my least favorite part. So here goes. I could spend oodles of our hard earned cash on running stuff. I love the clothes thus Luke's Locker is a dangerous place for me so I just stay away. The race fees can also add up, if I could I would race every weekend just for a fun speed session. That would cost at least $80 right there. Additionally if I race my daughter wants to go, which I think is a wonderful thing for her being as only 32% of girls her age are considered physically fit (but that's another topic). So anyway $160 if we raced regularly. Gas of course is crazy and I live in Clear Lake so 3o-45 min one way trip is the norm if I race in town over the weekend. Coaching is something I have not invested in this season because it is just too much to justify trip cost and program cost. I also have had good results when I train on the treadmill even if I only run short miles so I would fall into the category of not being very "coachable". I do my long runs with BCRR and my membership fee is $20 for the year which is excellent. I only commute to run one day of the week and the rest I run with my friend Jackie in Clear Lake or head to the Y and run before I get the kids at the Y day camp. This season I am following Hal Higdon's advanced schedule which Jackie got free on the website. This schedule calls for several short marathon pace runs during the week, a medium length marathon pace run on Saturday, and a long run on Sunday. This works perfectly for how I have been training and I think it will bring better results for me this season. Now that I have a few years of running behind me this type of self training is possible because I know what works best for me. I have gone from newbie to Boston qualifier to beyond. I realize my situation is different and everyone has to find what works for them.