The joy of wearing out equipment
I get a lot of twisted satisfaction from wearing out equipment as the result of constant, simple, unrelenting use. I am not talking about accidentally breaking skis or kicking out a roller ski tip but the slow, gradual breakdown of the most durable products I can find. I take it as a sign of progress, success and reward for my work. In my opinion equipment exists to be used, used, fixed and used some more. With training now in full swing my equipment is once again taking a beating and yesterday called for some maintenance.
This week I managed to finish off a pair of shoes and toast enough of the wheels on both my skate and classic roller skis to make them unusable. In my opinion this is a great week! While I enjoy wearing out equipment I would have to say getting new stuff ranks right up there too. With my wheels out of commission I laced up a brand new pair of shoes I had just received from Salomon and headed out on a muddy run to effectively christen them.
In the afternoon I drove up to Finn Sisu and picked up some new Marwe wheels for my skate skis. I am always shocked at how big the new wheels look. Not for long!
I was able to rotate some old front wheels to the back of my classic skis so I can corner once again without scrapping the road. This will be highly appreciated as speed work becomes an increasing part of my training.
Now I should be back in business for a while and I am excited to put some serious miles on my new equipment. Thanks a lot to Salomon and Finn Sisu!
