I know I’ve always said to friends that running in a simple sport. All you need are good shoes, wicking socks, and a good, ahem, “support”, and you’re good to go.
I lied.
It’s amazing what I’ve accumulated for running long-distance. When my friend Kim and I were getting our stuff ready for an early-morning 8-miler this summer, it looked like some sort of horrible display at a sporting expo:
The visual manifestation of an actual list I have on my computer.
My stuff is on the left, Kim’s the right. I had:
- Shoes, socks, tank, shorts, hat, sunglasses, foot tape.
- Nathan Fuel Belt loaded with ID, hotel key, a few bucks, energy gels, inhaler, with bottles ready to be filled with water spiked with Nuun Sports tablets.
- Phone (to be charged overnight) with Runkeeper App, armband for phone, earbuds, bodyglide for chaffing, barette and hairbands.
- Bananas, bagels and coffee for pre-run fuel.
Lordy, not so simple after all. You don’t even want to know all the things I need to pack for marathon weekend.
But all of the toys do make it quite fun!
Do you lay out your running stuff the night before a morning run?
