Like most of us my run first thing in the morning is that the thing that affirms me, wakes me up and sets my day on the right course. As I have previously posted on here I have some challenges with organising my running stuff, and today it was the day of the shoes...... NO SHOES, nowhere... nada. I emptied out all the shoe trugs, I looked under beds, in the car, outside next to the pints of milk from ERNIE, in the garden... nothing. I had to dig out a retired pair that i use for the gym only that have FLAT BOTTOMS.
So I did the runnette venting all my frustrations about everything, a few tears and alot of swearing. It did help but I was left with a foul mood and anger about the mess and chaos of my house ( and my family).
So I treated myself to a nice lunch, and reflected on how much a bad start has affected me.
Has anyone else experienced similar? And any ideas on shoe management ( I am adopting all the tips from the running clothes post.... thankyou!!)
Happy Panthering
JuJu
XXX
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Oh dear, this is not good! This is where keeping my running gear in the car pays off as it means that the messy people I share the "pit" with can't get their hands on any of it. My car is my sanctuary where I like to keep everything clean and tidy, including my running gear.
You know I’ll be no use for advice, sadly, ju-ju- . My running clothes are in as much of a mess as yours used to be, and we shove our zillions of outdoor footwear items in big buckets like the 2 you’ve got there (as well as many other messy places)! 😂😂😂
Have to admit that I did think one advantage of being on a running streak might mean you’d know where you left your running shoes yesterday morning, though??? (Or then again, thinking what I’m like, maybe not...😖)
I’m impressed you set off anyway in flat bottomed gym shoes! Hope you feel a bit better after your nice lunch. 😊❤️❤️
I know I left them in the orange bucket yesturday but they frequently get emptied particularly as the children went back to school on Tuesday so mad rush to find their stuff!! We also have 2 giant baskets next to the front door.... I am glad I am not alone in the chaos!!!
yes - I have massive challenges being organised at all! I once couldn't find ANY sports bras whatsoever for my run, only to realise later I'd put them all away in the only space I could find, which was sharing a drawer with my tights - not running tights, just tights. Which didn't and still doesn't make any sense as a "system". I really need to devote some time to clearing up.
I can't blame my family, as it's just me and partner (and it's more my stuff) - though I do hold my cat responsible for some of it! He's also called Ernie
I am feeling ever so smug as I tidied mine up last weekend ready for staying-over family, one of whom is OCD re tidiness and cleaning 🙄
So I had a sort out, paired and lined them up in my spare bedroom I have one pair out, which I walked the dogs in today Post run yesters I washed my gear and it’s on the airer 😇
Oh dear. Not the best way to start the day, sorry to hear this happened to you, dear Ju. I don't know what to say. I have never had to deal with chaos at home, being without children and owning just one careful, tidy boyfriend. My running shoes have pride of place on a doormat right by the door, and if they are not on my feet, they are on this mat. End of. xxx
Lol - I have similar issues in my house. 3 of my boys wear the same size shoe as me, but I have warned them with a slow painful torture if they touch my running stuff. All to many times, my stuff gets “borrowed” - never to be seen again or at the very least it will re-materialise in a few weeks or months........ and no ever seems to have any idea how, why or when said items go missing......
Result is I keep all my running gear in a drawer and my running shoes on top of my wardrobe (this helps cos they are always looking down at their phones!) they don’t think to look above!
That sounds very familiar except now my son is a size 10 but I am very suspicious of my daughter!!!! And good advice i like that idea, as well as MikeJones68 's car idea too!!
I'm a pretty messy kinda leave stuff wherever sort of person, but then when I come to do anything I get in a rage because I can't find anything. You should see my garage, I have every tool under the sun, but I often can't do a job because the anxiety caused by having to find stuff is too overwhelming. I often go and buy things like a box of screws or some sealant etc fully in the knowledge that I have that item somewhere.
This is pretty wasteful I know but I can't bring myself to ever sort it so constantly get caught in a cycle of self pity and loathing
I am actually a fully functioning high achiever generally so I must have coping mechanisms and strategies, but if only I was just a bit tidier...
Can empathise with some of this, not the high achiever bit, lol,
But it made me laugh.
My Father in law , deceased, he could never find his stuff even though he had 10 of everything, so he just kept going out and buying what tools he needed.I Inherited more tools for three lifetimes.
Whole new meaning to a decluttering exercise.Told the local charity shop, when I decide to get this exercise done, you better get another shop.🙈😂😂
No OCD problems Mike for you.Messy is good.🤔😂😂💥🏃♂️💥
Oh my gosh I do exactly this 😂 DIY stuff, inks, paints, paper, needles, baking equipment, ingredients...anything. If I have a specific job to do then I need to buy all the required items for it again so I won't have to root around one of the massive cupboards where I store (read: hoard) my Useful Stuff, and risk messing up the jigsaw-like storage system inside and getting ragey because I can't find what I need. Then once the job is over I store the new things away in their appropriate place, with all the rest of the Useful Stuff. Suffice to say I have a lot of duplicate Useful Stuff.
Similarly, if I like something, I will buy 100 of it in case it breaks or goes missing.
I actually bought that in/famous Marie Kondo tidying book off Audible last week so I can listen to it on my runs and hopefully train myself I don't need 10 tins of primer in the DIY cupboard 'just in case', and that I also don't need two Henry hoovers stacked up like a cheerful totem pole in case one dies.
I also empathise with some of this! Achiever, maybe, not high these days but I used to be clever I'm sure! Lost my brain under all my stuff... I also get in a rage when I can't find things. I would love to take up sewing so I can alter clothes for my height but I absolutely don't have a place for all the necessary stuff and a work area. This needs to change! I know the cycle well too ...
Do you procrastinate? Have you tried meditation - I'm about to give it a go, for the second time in my life. I didn't really get on with it a few years ago and took up yoga then running for mental health...now I reckon meditation might be the next thing. Plus it doesn't require any more stuff to lose!!
Yes I do procrastinate but I generate internal stresses and guilt when I do and hence usually succeed but by doing everything at the last minute. As said, I do actually get stuff done though, work, diy and life so I find the balance to autocorrect.. it just generates more friction than should be desirable at times hehe. I have tried yoga and was going once a week and do enjoy the meditation aspects, but part of my coping strategies is actually to be quite chilled most of the time so I have never really felt the need to meditate more, I do like the ideas behind mindfullness and do mean to investigate that more (it's om my list )
How tall are you ickle gui that you need to alter your clothes? Oh and sorry Ju-ju, seem to have hijacked your shoe thread with general mental health discussion lolz
I have new shoes coming today though if that helps
You need Sadie-runs !
All my running gear is in the spare bedroom, so it might be a bit of a mess but nothing goes astray. well nothing much anyway. i did have a panic the other morning when i couldn't find my front door key, which I had brought upstairs to put in the back pocket of my leggings. It was hiding on the cushion on my computer chair, blending in with the pattern.
Urggg that is so annoying. The other day I went out and the door key slipped out through a hole in my shorts. Luckily I was able to make enough noise to wake them up to let me in!!!! I need Sadie-runs very badly!!
We bought ikea pine shoe racks and stacked them on top of each other and then UpTheStanley did some clever woodwork to join them all together so that is safe. Outside our bedroom is a wall of a similar width so we’ve got this 6 foot high shoe rack. All seasonal shoes go in it; any surplus (mine) go in shoe boxes with photos of their contents stuck on in a spare bedroom. I do need to throw some out though! Good luck with your organisation ju-ju
I’d say that we clearly just don’t have a big enough house to be this organised...but then I’m reminded of clearing my Mum and Dad’s big house filled with so many shoe boxes of new or nearly new shoes... Obviously genetic hoarders just never have enough room, however big the house! 😳❤️
I like the idea of a photo of the contents in the shoe boxes 😀. My hubby has loads of walking boots and shoes in boxes and a photo would really help!! Thank you
Gosh Julia what a roller coaster of interest for me and a lovely post.
No shoes the title.🤔 Well he says that’s different.
Really perked up with your first sentence. I thought I am going to learn something about life and how to get my day off to a good start.🤔 Like your other post, take control of your day.🤔 Maybe it starts the night before. I know smart ass comment , put your stuff out.
I am a bit like Sadie,special location , rear door cupboard, I know my place, never allowed near the front door.🙈😂
Even simpler, right Scot, one pair runners, one pair of trails.Well after all I only have two feet, shallow pockets,tight as a ducks ass and that is water tight.🙈
Hey your lunch looks inviting.
Keep leading the panther cubs, your great,really laughed at your replies.The forum knows how you tick.Maybe you should start running twice per day morning and evening, same daily distance of course, then your shoes would always be warm and never far away.🙈😂😂💥🏃♀️🐆👑🔥💥
You are so fab, I love this!!!! Twice a day.... cheeky monkey that would be nuts!!!! I only have one pair of runners at a time or life gets too complicated. However as its my birthday next week i think I may invest in a new pair of panther streakers
Well that’s official then, daft as a brush and nuts, oh and I forgot OCDP.🙈😂. Feel better now, cannot wait to get back to running twice a day.🙈😂😂
Hope you have a lovely birthday and you get lots of spoiling and presents. Hope they do not deliver anything boring like a shoe rack.🙈
Hey woman of steel how about building up to bare feet running.Actually thought that was what your post was going to be about. No shoes , no storage , no bad starts to your day.Lippy on and your out the door, no key,
leave the door unlocked and let the house get burgled while you run.Aww no, your so caring forgot your family still asleep in the house.
Did you ever find your key.🤔
Gosh you are just amazing and bring so much energy.
Hi there! Sorry you had a bad morning-that sucks. Here's my "system," such as it is: I have one giant bag that is filled with smaller bags, filled as follows: Running shirts in one bag, shorts in another, bras in another, socks in another. Shoes are underneath the chair that the bag hangs on. And I set out my running clothes (shoes and headphones and running belt included) the night before my run so that I don't have to go banging around in the dark looking for them. I've been down that road and it usually results in my run starting 20 minutes later, then I get to work late, then I'm mad at myself for being late, and it's just a downward spiral of self-loathing from there. Being organized gets a bad rap sometimes as seeming sort of uptight, but if it can lead to not having a bad morning, I'm all for being organized!
wow that is award winning organisation! I take my hat ( and shoes!!!!) off to you and will try and adopt a similar approach ( eek!!!!). NB I am never late for anything, I have issues with lateness !
Sorry it was a bad start, but a nice lunch normally puts things right... I'm similar to LM12 in that I get everything ready the night before, I simply can't think straight when I first get up... but, I store all my running gear in a large basket in my room, with shoes near it, all in one place, before then
Just pine shoe racks in a cupboard under the stairs here ...and we have far too many shoes to fit them all in! I squash in extra pairs and the rest are in a heap on the floor, that at least I can close a door on! Having read this post though, I am now going to buy at least one big bucket!🙂 Other than shoes (erm, and jackets and coats actually) I tend to be pretty tidy. 🙂
My family is split equally - wife and eldest messy, me and youngest mostly tidy. Not sure about the cat.
Important stuff sits in my office - which the messy folk are encouraged to stay out of. I can cope better with the chaos if there is one room in the house I can find stuff in.
Running shoes count as “important stuff”, along with headphones, Garmin charger, jelly babies etc. and have their own space on the floor.
Oh man, sorry to hear that....... Have you checked inside the shower? I'd look there first. The way I 'operate' is on the opposite side. All is structured, all prepared, all planned. (sigh, I know...) You'd be likely to confuse the state of my wardrobe/shoe cupboard with the actual shop display. I can't help it, couldn't function otherwise (or survive where I work)
I have a shoe corridor, because scottish tenements are traditionally roomy and I think there is a lot of wasted space. I made floor to ceiling racks from those cheap pine bookshelves they sell to students in Argos/Homebase/misc. DIY shops, lined a corridor with them, white washed the wood and added curtains. Bosh. Storage for fancy shoes, practical shoes, shoe accessories and Mr Sqkr's equally vast collection of giant size 13 boat-like shoes. All shoes have a specific place, including my running shoes.
I do have a lot of things in my house, I take after my dad who keeps hold of Useful Stuff, but it is meticulously ordered and out of sight!
Afraid i will be of no use to this thread .. I am quite organised and like tidy.. not quite ocd level ...
Running shoes by back door ready to go, admittedly I don't have kids etc to deal with nor a busy work life balance
Sorry you had such a shit start to your day.. it really does mess your day up.. a nice lunch would be the least you deserve ..
Hope your shoes turn up ... and you can always kill the culprit 😁
This is terrible news... the only possible answer is... the shoes have left home...not enough private space... so... this indicates... that;
a) You need a designated cupboard/cupboards, or shelf/shelves for running shoes
b) They need other running shoes to keep them company..( Preferably new ones)
c) A shed for all your running gear...preferably heated
d) A replacement for the Copacetic, word of the day... which says...Within Chaos...magic is found
Hope it sorts... xxx
I'd leave home Ju-ju if I were you! Or try bare foot running or minimalist shoes. They fold up and fit in your pocket. My shoes live in my car in a cardboard box. They leave the car for running and nothing else. Running gear lives in a bag in the bedroom but has to be taken out and washed and replaced regularly. Multiple socks also live in the same bag.
Sorry to hear that JJ. *hugs*
Someone please link in the running clothes post! I missed it and sorely need it. 😁
Oh juju you must stop, I’m rolling round on the floor laughing with a sore tummy and I have parkrun tomorrow, (Friday night in NZ) I was with you on your running drawer, disgusting just like mine, but shoes? really? I feel so sad for the little blue guy on your counter, Mr Copacetic, no wonder he looks so glum. In your best spelling bee voice C O P A C E T I C !meaning informal, in excellent order. A very sassy WHATEVA! Funny 👍
Oh dear.... ju-ju- what’s going on??????? No shoes I mean how have you actually managed that???? Where are they??
What you need is a place for your shoes...not your old shoes, the shoes that you use most...so you need to get a garden box...one of those plastic boxes that are usually garden coloured..and keep your shoes in there, keep the key on your car keys so nobody else can add or take away from the box...or else!!! It will be like your own treasure chest xx hope today has been better xx
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Not the best way to start the day, sorry to hear this happened to you, dear Ju. I don't know what to say. I have never had to deal with chaos at home, being without children and owning just one careful, tidy boyfriend. My running shoes have pride of place on a doormat right by the door, and if they are not on my feet, they are on this mat. End of. xxx
) 
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