Martha recently said goodbye to her favorite pair of running shoes, shoes that had helped her get fit, one step at a time.

Unlike the pretty shoes in your closet, the ones whose only role in life is to make you look good, fitness shoes have a job to do. And that means that eventually -- probably sooner than later, if you're putting them to good use -- they'll wear out.

Luckily, even when they've carried you through every last mud puddle or fitness class, those shoes can still do some good. Over at Stylelist blog, Kristen's got some great ideas for passing those shoes on so they can be recycled and turned into athletic tracks and playground equipment. Oh, and she has tips for your pretty shoes too.

See Martha, it's not really goodbye. It's more like, see ya when I see ya.

Have you ever recycled your fitness shoes? Tell us how!