Over the last three decades, Nike has come a long ways since Bill Bowerman created the soles of his first prototypes using his wife’s waffle iron, his protegé Steve Prefontaine set every American track record between 2,000 and 10,000 meters, and he and Phil Knight founded the shoe company named after the Greek Goddess of Victory.

Specifically, not long after the Oregon-based corporation (which now commands over 20% of the athletic shoe market) reached behemoth status, it has been dogged with a litany of complaints: utilization of “sweat shops” in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico; gimmicky products; and that their running shoes are designed to “wear out quickly so you have to buy another pair very soon.”

I do not contest the first accusations (though from what I understand, the labor policies have improved), and agree that many of their shoes (e.g., Nike Shox) are more of a fashion statement than performance oriented. But regarding purported shoddy quality, here is one pair of shoes that rebuffs that claim.

Witness my pair of Nike Air Zoom Elites! At 10.2 ounces each, they are some of the lightest racing shoes in Nike’s back-to-the-basics Bowerman Line. The outer, non-lugged sole is pretty minimalist and won’t win any traction awards in rugged terrain. Conventional wisdom would say these shoes may be good for a few shorter-length races before being banned to yard duty or the garbage can.

Yet, in just over a year, I have managed to run over 1000 miles of training and racing with these shoes, with no separation or tearing of fabric or threads and very reasonable wear on the soles. (In contrast, my street shoes already had holes in their soles after 5 months despite only being subjected to well under 100 miles of walking!) These shoes still feel great and I would not hesitate to run another race on them.

Indeed, they have already gone through 5 marathons, a double marathon, an Ironman triathlon, and races of distances between 5 and 10 kilometers.

Amazingly, not only have the Air Zoom Elites withstood the abuse of training, racing and once-a-month cleanings, but they have done so without giving me any injury. (Note that most experts recommend replacing your running shoes every 300-400 miles to prevent foot, leg, or knee problems — a suggestion that might be wise to follow.) I even managed to do the 52.4-mile Rocky Mountain Double Marathon without any blistering, though that might be more because my feet are seemingly indestructible (e.g., during that race, I was even running with holes in my socks!) With these shoes I have run new P.R.’s at every distance except 1 mile and 10k.

The shoes will be promptly retired after a new pair of even-lighter Puma H-Streets are delivered to my doorstep by a UPS truck, but I'd like to say this to Phil Knight, the late Bill Bowerman, and their crews of Beaverton designers and third world workers: Thank you. These were the best shoes I have ever had.

It must be that time of year again to start frantically looking for gifts for Mom and scribbling greeting cards to the ex-boss among seemingly hundreds of others. How do I know this? Because some people (particularly those of the far Christian right) in the country have already been making a big deal about "will Wal-Mart be posting signs saying 'Merry Christmas' instead of 'Happy Holidays' to us this year?"

Never mind that "Happy Holidays" already means "Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Yule, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate." Also never mind that none of these holidays were originally conceived to be such a commercial spectacle that most religions' gods might not have approved of if they actually existed.

No, I have another question regarding Wal-Mart it is a little more basic than Christmas or other typical Wal-Mart political issues that have already been noted ad nauseum in articles and documentaries such as "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price."

How about this: "Are Wal-Mart workers among the most unhappy and incompetent employees in the nation?"

Now, I know this might seem a little harsh. And of course, when there are hundreds of thousands of Wal-Mart workers, there have to be some examples among them who are cheerier than Ronald McDonald and more capable than the high-school juniors working at his burger joints. I just have yet to meet them. Perhaps this is because I generally only visit Wal-Mart 2-5 times a year, usually at some ungodly hour when no other store is open and I need something desperately. (One good thing about Wal-Mart.)

Here's a list of the things that happen almost every time I have gone to a Wal-Mart (for some reason, it doesn't seem to matter what state or city the store is in:)

1. The Wal-Mart "greeters" (the ones standing inside the front doors) rarely even greet you, making one wonder if they are there to serve any purpose (maybe look for shoplifters?)

2. I ask for help in finding something, and I am either told that I should ask someone else, or something like, "Go to [such-and-such] department; if it's not there then we must not have it." (Gee, thanks!)

3. If not #2 above, then the associate is completely flustered when asked if the store has something or not, or even denies the store having it. Then it turns out the object is sitting, say, right behind where they're standing!

4. Many employees are flipping through a clothes rack as if they are sorting them or doing something useful, but are still there 30 minutes later as if they were just pretending to work.

5. The cashiers -- if they even talk to you -- mumble and act as if it's a crime for them to look at you in the eye (or face) or wear anything but a frown.

I am so accustomed to this "Wal-Mart experience" that it hardly bothers me anymore (in fact, now I fully expect it), but it does make me chuckle when some people get uptight about how Wal-Mart employees make reference to certain holidays.

Heck, who cares whether or not they say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays." Personally, I'd settle for them just trying to be helpful, or to actually flash a smile once in awhile!