I started running back in the early summer last year. It was partly out of being stubborn.

One day, I decided to go for a run. This was totally random, since I hadn’t run since 1993 or so.

So, I was running and felt like I was about to die after a half mile. That day I decided I needed to get in better shape, and I made plans to complete a 5k race about 6 weeks later.

Long story short – I’ve run three 5k races since then, and I just got to a new level on my Nike Running account. I’ve run over 150 miles now.

I am working on running longer and more often. Feel free to check out my progress at http://my.nike.com/affiliatetip and give me grief if I slack on it.

Today, I ran nearly 3 miles to bring my total to 100 miles since I started running in July.

My miles are tracked by a little Nike+ device in my shoe and my iPod Touch.

You can see my profile at Nike for my history of runs at http://my.nike.com/affiliatetip.

It’s exciting to see that milestone, since I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stick with this.

Now, I just need to build up more stamina, lose weight, and run farther and longer.

Last week was Affiliate Summit East 2009, and despite my intentions to be a good food citizen, I feel victim to the evenings of bacchanalia.

Five days in New York City with lots of food and drink, combined with little amounts of sleep never turn up a good result.

So no scale check-in for the week. But since I returned home I’ve been running regularly.

I am on vacation with the family this week, so it limits my ability to go for runs, but I’ll make treadmill time if nothing else.

The thing that stinks there is that I like to track what I’m doing, average speed for miles, length run, etc. through my Nike+ device in my sneakers and my iPod Touch.

While it tracks well outside, there are only certain treadmills that work with the Nike+ device, so I’m out of luck.

So I’ll have some unmetered exercise this week. You can see my progress to date on my Nike+ account.

Since all of my runs are tracked, and I’ve been buying my shoes direct from Nike, I think it would be a great and logical move by them to tell me when it’s time for a new pair, based on the expected mileage a given pair have in them.

I am guessing the average person doesn’t get a fresh pair of shoes as often as they should, though I could be entirely wrong.

Anyhow, I’d love to know the right time to do it and whip out my credit card each time to Nike. Come on, guys – help me help you!

Starting weight: 225
Last week: 219
This week: not checking in Affiliate Summit aftermath

Video: I Wish Nike Would Tell Me When to Buy New Shoes