user error

So when you get into the sport of triathlon you quickly learn that there are all sorts of cool gadgets that you can acquire...fun! There are bike computers, heart rate monitors, tri bikes with quick shifting gears, Garmins, and lots of other neat stuff. (Most of which I don't understand but think is REALLY cool!) I have a few such items and I'm pretty pleased that I have yet to totally mess one of them up. My bike computer did display the wrong time for 1/2 the year because I didn't know how to change the time. Granted, I didn't try really hard to figure it out and I never pulled out the owner's manual like I normally do. Just never seemed to be a priority! I've changed the batteries in my heart rate monitor and I've even become better at cleaning my awesome bike. (But usually I leave that to Logan...he's just better at it.)
So with all of this fancy stuff around me, what do I manage to mess up? Not the technical stuff. Not the stuff that should be easily broken. Nope. I manage to pretty much put my transition backpack out of commission. I got it in November and it's still usable, but I have to watch out for the tear at one of the corners (see the photo...I should not be able to put my hand through right there!)...it's perfect for socks or other small items to jump out of. Oh, and there's the tear in the top, too. There's a handle there but I'm pretty sure it should not be used if you have anything of any weight in the backpack. Oops. The nylon could have given me some warning that I was asking too much of it. I would have stopped! The straps are beginning to separate from the top of the backpack, too.
And a trip to the shoe hospital today confirmed what I feared...it's sort of beyond repair. Well, it is not beyond repair but it is beyond repair for a reasonable price. Namely: $25 per place that they would need to stitch it. This would mean at least the price of a new backpack. I think I just tried to carry too much around in the bag for too long. It holds so much it was just easy to keep shoving stuff in...and when I had multiple workouts a day it was just so convenient to dump everything into it!
Ugh. Seriously. What a silly thing. Mom used to take pride in the fact that I was the one kid who didn't trash clothes or shoes, who took good care of things and had them for years...still true today (except running shoes!). But apparently there has been a user error with this backpack. Back to the drawing board...err...the internet or the tri shop to shop for a new one...or my closet to see what sort of backpack I will use as a replacement. I'm not sure I can be trusted with a new transition backpack right now!
On another note...happy birthday, Erin!!!! Hope you had a great day!!!!