When I started I Must Run Everywhere, I made a lucrative arrangement with a local store, Runners Soul. I offered to promote the store by frequently wearing one of their caps.

I wore it often, both in blog posts and when running.

I truly felt like a big shot walking into the bank to deposit my monthly $5 check. How many people do you know get paid to wear a certain brand of clothing? None, I bet.

Several months later, the store told me sales had taken a dive since our arrangement. They asked me to stop wearing the cap. Those guys at Runners Soul are funny.

It wasn’t long before they called again. They said sales were still plummeting, and some of my blog photos reflected on the store adversely. They forwarded a couple examples.

They offered $500 to stop wearing the cap. I didn’t know what was going on exactly, but when I walked into the bank to deposit that check, I felt very proud I’d increased my value from $5 to $500.

A few months later they called once more and said my slow race times and poor finishes were causing business to really dry up. They pleaded and begged me to stop wearing the cap, offering $2,500 to put it away for good.

I can’t lie—when I walked into the bank to deposit that $2,500 check, I wasn’t just a big shot, I was an intensely, huge big shot.

Unfortunately, I kept forgetting to not wear my Runners Soul cap. Some photos I used may not have made them happy.

It wasn’t much longer until I saw this article in the news.

Whoops. My bad. Sorry, Runners Soul.