After volunteering at a marathon last weekend I followed a trail of trash cans, each topped off by silvery sheets left behind as the event came to a close.

Runners reach for their fuzzy, layered warmup clothes stashed in their drop bags or automobiles, relinquishing the heatsheet to a long life in a landfill.  What a waste.

There is useful life left in that shiny sheet. If your next marathon is in a few weeks – or months away – consider the following options for a post-marathon life for your next heatsheet.

Will you be looking for an extra layer of protection from wind and cold as you stand in line through the dark night for your chance to purchase concert tickets?  Or, will you perhaps be waiting for the early morning opening at your big box store on Black Friday? Tuck that heat sheet in your pocket or backpack and wrap over shoulders as needed.

You may need warmth when an auto emergency occurs (flat tire, stuck in a snowbank, out of fuel). Until the emergency road service arrives, remember and reuse that refolded and compact heat sheet you smartly stashed in the trunk with the jumper cables and first aid kit for just such an occasion.

Need an extra layer of protection to keep weeds at bay in your flower garden?  It’s the heatsheet! Keep it well hidden under an extra layer of mulch. Exchange the time spent weeding with time getting some extra miles in.

Of course, there are heatsheets that should be retained but only repurposed to complete your memorabilia cache.

Have you run out of gift wrap at an inopportune moment? It happened to me just this week.

A quick snip into one of this year’s heat sheets saved the day.

If I keep running marathons, I will soon exhaust my reuse list. Help me out. Who out there has found reuses for the  heatsheet that I haven’t yet discovered?