this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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Running.
Was supposed to be the cheapest way to get exercise. You can do it right from your front door, no gym subscriptions, no specialized equipment (some people will tell you you don't even need shoes), and it's far and away the best time-value exercise I've ever found. You can get away with like 20 minutes 3-4 times a week and be doing great.
Well, turns out I love running and I love distance running so I'm now putting up enough miles to need new shoes 2-3 times a year, a nice Garmin smart watch and heart rate monitor to track my progress, sign-ups for several long-distance races each year, shorts, socks, you get the picture.
Could I do it cheaper? Yeah. But at the end of the day it's a hobby and I like it
You realize it's an addiction when you intend to do 5k. Realize after that Strava didn't work properly on your watch and then you end up doing a second 5k because the first 5k didn't count.
Dang. Congrats on your sweet tangents! Every race I run, ESPECIALLY that kinda distance, my watch is always going to be a bit over.
I was running for a couple of years , and my knee started to give me problems.
I went to an orthopedic Dr, and his advice was to take up swimming and if I wanted to keep running that I should hold on to his business card because someone needed to pay for his kids' college.
I stopped running soon after and avoided surgery for a decade, but it still caught up with me. Knees are definitely cheap with for-profit healthcare.
This is why shoes these days are super engineered cushions essentially. Donβt skimp on shoes if youβre young and reading this, buy the good shit because itβs good (and usually itβs more expensive). $200 now saves thousands in replacements and tons of pain along the way.
I felt the same way about running until I started getting into triathlons. Watch out for that trap; races are at least $200 each, and road bikes ainβt cheap!
I'm just getting into cycling and I'm super lucky to have gotten my dad's old tri bike for free. He had it all kitted out and it's pretty well perfect for me. It was in pristine shape until I wrecked it a couple times. One of them requiring 24 stitches.
So I guess that's the most expensive hobby I've had - not in terms of financial cost, but definitely in terms of blood drawn!
Protip if you're not used to race bikes: they can be a lot twitchier than you might be used to!
I already have a lovely gravel bike that I am comfortable making my Last Bike Ever (tm). I mean the frame is great but I've been looking at upgrading the group set... It's cheaper if I do the work myself!
I fucking love trail running gear and I'm not afraid to admit it
Oh yeah, forgot about that one. You thought you just needed one pair of shoes? Well, no I need a different pair for trail running and road running. And it gets cold here and I like to run in the winter so that's a whole other set of clothing I gotta have. And let's don't even get started talking about how the grocery bill gets hiked up during the training cycle...
Still cheaper than my cycling hobby!
The races are so expensive! I can't justify signing into one yet, I'm ready to run a half marathon but I'll wait until I can run a nice full marathon since it's almost the same price
They can be wildly expensive, and some truly aren't worth it. I almost always opt to donate the shirt I get because frankly I'm a little picky about my gear and they're rarely good quality, but even beyond that I've run a few where the race coordinators just haven't got a clue how to host a race and I really start to question why I even paid to register at all.
Fortunately I've found an amazing local company that hosts trail runs and is managed by a former ultramarathoner and they're the best races I've been a part of. I also feel good about paying a local small business.
Good luck making it to your first marathon π
Every so often you read something where someone perfectly summarised your own thoughts and experiences.