2015-16 ASICS Ambassador - But Really For A Decade Now

ASICS is a way of life for me, ever since I traded a box of KOOLS for a box of ASICS and became a Central Park runner on Dec. 1, 2006. Now that I am about to start a year-long celebration leading up to my 10th runnerversary (!!!), I am PSYCHED to announce that my friends at ASICS have chosen me as one of 16 #TeamASICS Ambassadors for 2015-16.

What it will mean for you and friends who follow me here and @Marathoner on Twitter is...
the opportunity for more extremely cool #ASICS merchandise giveaways, and I will have more details on that later. I cut back on marathoning in 2015 to focus on finishing some personal projects, ranging from college to a hopeful bestseller to a blanket chest restoration. Now it is time to build back into marathon and ultramarathon shape in 2016 as I have Rome (April) and New York City (November) marathons on the calendar so far.

In the meantime, I just really want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to ASICS for this past decade of running. To say that I am an "Ambassador" for this brand is like saying I am a red wine ambassador or a proponent of oxygen for all humans. ASICS is just what I do, as authentic as you can get. I have mixed in an occasional other brand here and there to test, as I think everyone does. But I just rely on ASICS because it means running. And I think to celebrate this occasion, I am going to show it to you, with help from King Bingley, our lovable English Bulldog who wants me to walk him right now.

A DECADE IN ASICS SHOES





Those are my current ASICS shoes after having donated double-digit pairs to Soles4Souls in 2011. Top row, left to right: My first-ever pair of ASICS GT-2110s bought at Times Square Foot Locker on Dec. 1, 2006, from a retail person who had no clue what they were for; worn in 2007-08, now mudders around the house; Kayanos worn in 2014 ASICS LA Marathon. Middle row, left to right: 2014 ASICS LA Marathon special-edition lightweights ; GEL-Cumulus 16 give to me for my 100th race, the 2014 Brooklyn Half; and GEL-Electros sent for review (I wear them to knock around all the time). Bottom row, left to right: GEL-Cumulus 17; Gel-Kayano 21; and GEL-Nimbus 17. What happened to QUANTUM-MAN, you ask? I gave the GEL-Quantum 360s to my son Josh.

A DECADE IN ASICS TOPS





Here is a video tour of most of my most meaningful ASICS tops. I would like to challenge other #TeamASICS members to post a Video Tour of Meaning clip that takes us through your running world through the importance of individual tops you have worn. I have tried to take great care of all my running gear in the past decade, and I will say that quality ASICS gear lasts forever. Watch:



A DECADE IN ASICS BOTTOMS

This is just part of the collection of shorts, tights and running pants that I have gathered. I don't know about you, but I have to load a huge clear bin twice a year with cold or warm running gear, and then I put the bin in our basement that season. I just brought up the tights and other cold weather gear.



Here is a closer look at the bottoms:



A DECADE OF ASICS ACCESSORIES

So King Bingley was especially curious about this stuff. It's again just a sampling of the wide variety of ASICS items that are compiled in nearly a decade of marathoning. So much to love.



Here is a tour of the accessories:



Please be sure to follow me on @Marathoner on Twitter, and just change the "o" to a zero and follow @Marath0ner on Instagram -- at least until I can figure out how to get that IG account. Also check out my Tumblr at finisher.tumblr.com -- and all of my stories on MLB.com.