Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people. - Randy Pausch ( 1960-2008 )

Kuwentong Livestrong

Posted January 13th, 2010 by wilson

I love my LIVESTRONG band/baller ID. It’s just about the only running accessory that I wear even when I’m not running.

Non-runners would probably think that runners would favor running shoes, but personally, I prefer wearing slippers when just casually going out. I almost never wear running shoes outside training or races because as someone who has gone through a number of pairs already, I know just how important and limited a pair’s mileage-lifespan is.

I first got my LIVESTRONG baller ID as a “freebie” when I ran in the PTAA race last year. I really didn’t give it much attention at first, but then I soon got accustomed to wearing it, and almost never raced without it. Before long, I was always wearing it whenever I’d get out of the house.

Aside from declaring support for a really good cause(and yes, a really cool guy), I discovered that it’s also a great and dicreet way of declaring yourself as an athlete. I mean, it’s certainly more discreet than wearing a shirt with “42.195 FINISHER” or “CAMSUR SURVIVOR” emblazoned on it. In a sense it’s a way of letting yourself be known as an athlete to other fellow athletes. Others might look at it as just another baller-ID, but athletes know better.

Whenever I chance upon another LIVESTRONG band wearer when riding a jeepney, I find myself wondering what “discipline” he or she belongs in. As far as I know, the people who usually wear the band are usually triathletes, runners or bikers(is it much of a hit with swimmers too?). Of course, he or she could also turn out to be a non-athlete, but then given the fact that you don’t exactly find those bands being sold in the streets or even in malls, chances are, he or she has a connection with the mentioned sports.

Anyway, a few days ago, my baller-ID broke. I then found myself looking for places or people where I could buy a new one. I looked for it at malls before, but then I didn’t find any stores selling them, so I resorted to online sources. What I found shocked me. At Ebay Philippines, the band is priced as high as 350 each. To think that that was already the registration fee for the PTAA Race where I got my first band! I then realized just how generous that race was, something that I really didn’t appreciate before.

Fortunately, I found a trader selling it for 250 bucks. Not knowing anywhere else to look, and bothered about not having such an “essential” item, I then bought one. It’s still expensive though considering that the original tag price of the band is just a dollar(1/5 of the price!).

Given how local sellers are making a killing out of the item, I’ve decided to stock up on it should I get the opportunity to get it cheap - when a friend or relative comes home from the States maybe? I’ve been trying international Ebay sellers, and while the band is cheap, the shipping’s a killer(And they usually don’t allow combined shipping). Or is there a cheaper local source that I don’t know of?

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Filed under:Thoughts and Musings, Training

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