It is said that the first step to curing an addiction is admitting you have a problem. OK, here goes:
I am a hoarder. Probably of too many things, but to be clear, I am a hoarder of race shirts.
I have more race shirts than I know what to do with. At the start of each winter, I heft my short sleeve shirts and singlets up into the attic for storage, and bring down my long sleeve shirts, quarter zips, etc. Recently I just reversed the winter storage process, brought down my summer race shirts, and was somehow astounded by how many containers I now have of race shirts. How did this happen?
I know that when I go to registration to get a race shirt, no matter how ugly I feel the race shirt, no matter if all they have left is extra-large, no matter how unlikely that I will ever wear the shirt, I take it. It's like eating a meal at a restaurant; I may be full, but I paid for the dinner, so I have to eat it all. Time to stop this nonsense!
Anyone else have a race shirt problem? I'd love to hear about it. Here are just a few of the shirts that made the recent toss pile to go to charity:
I am a hoarder. Probably of too many things, but to be clear, I am a hoarder of race shirts.
I have more race shirts than I know what to do with. At the start of each winter, I heft my short sleeve shirts and singlets up into the attic for storage, and bring down my long sleeve shirts, quarter zips, etc. Recently I just reversed the winter storage process, brought down my summer race shirts, and was somehow astounded by how many containers I now have of race shirts. How did this happen?
I know that when I go to registration to get a race shirt, no matter how ugly I feel the race shirt, no matter if all they have left is extra-large, no matter how unlikely that I will ever wear the shirt, I take it. It's like eating a meal at a restaurant; I may be full, but I paid for the dinner, so I have to eat it all. Time to stop this nonsense!
Anyone else have a race shirt problem? I'd love to hear about it. Here are just a few of the shirts that made the recent toss pile to go to charity:
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| How many drab green shirts do I need? |
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| The Newport Christmas 10K is a fun race, but seriously, would you wear this outside of the house? |
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| What?! Sacrilege! How could I get rid of a Boston Marathon shirt? First of all, it's from back when they were cotton, and second, it's nearly thread-bare. |
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| The only reason I considered holding onto this one is because it's from a trail race I ran in Colorado years back. But it's also two sizes too big. Good-bye. |
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| Say it isn't so. I'm not really giving away a tech shirt, am I? This is the infamous 2014 Blessing shirt that due to the large orange crescent-shaped press-on overlay, had horrible chafing. Wore it once, and two miles into a long run with chafed nipples, took it off and threw it on the side of the road. Why did I even go back to pick it up? |
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| I'm a proud alumnus, keep up with the coach and team members to this day, but just don't need yet another white cotton t-shirt. |
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| Yikes! |
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| I did it! Took 62 race shirts to the charity bin. |
I can relate to the race shirt hoarding AND the restaurant face stuffing. I don't have a good solution to the latter, but one idea Katie and I have had is converting the old shirts into patchwork quilts. The shirts get a second life, and you don't have to say goodbye quite yet. I suppose giving to charity is a nobler option, but at least this way you can hang on to the past a little longer.
ReplyDeleteNice work thinning out the herd!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I am a collector and I have and follow strict rules. If I love it I keep it, if I don't it goes in the charity bin, if there is no room in the drawer and I still love it, then something has to go. I do have a collection of Newport 10K and I do wear it out of the house, to walk the dogs. I probably only need one, not three!
ReplyDelete