Amount needed to reach pledge: $1,725.60
Miles Ran This Week: 20 (longest single run = 5.5 miles)
Weeks to Go: 20
Fashion and running. Never the two shall meet.
You can try to be cute when you run. Actually, let me rephrase. Many girls are -- in fact -- cute when they run. I happen to not be one of them. Aside from the sweating (see earlier post regarding copious sweating), as I mature in life I have come to two main conclusions regarding athletic attire:
1) (And this is the big one). It is better to be weird-looking and safe and/or not in pain...than to be cute and dead.
2) I don't give a crap what you think.*
*I mean... I kind of do. But I'm trying to ignore it at a bare minimum.
In case you are ever going to embark on some madness yourself or are just really curious why people have all the weird gear when they run, below is just a brief overview on some of the attire I sport whilest out running. In public. Regularly.
SNEAKERS
As mentioned above, you don't mess with sneakers. I'm not saying you need to spend your life savings on running shoes(unless your life savings is about $100 and then, actually, that's exactly what I'm saying). These are the most important think you'll buy and it's legit important to get them right. Or so says all the experts. Either way, I'd like to not mess around with the foot situation in general.
Oh and also? Have a good and Gentle (yes, with a capital G) pedicure place. Things get messy down there.
SOCKS
These go between your feet skin and the aforementioned expensive running shoes. It is important to buy socks that will keep this purpose of separating the two comfortably (and dryly) as long as possible.
THE CLOTHES
Non-cotton. That's all I have to say. My wise friend Sam, who has been running marathons the past few years, told me those words a long time ago and they ring as true as the old adage I just coined that goes: "You don't want to run in your own sweat for 20 miles."
I bought this hot singlet to run with to show my Team For Kids pride. I actually get a free one when I hit the 50% mark, but I wanted to have an extra as well.
HAT AND/OR AWESOME HEADBAND
I now run in hats or awesome headbands. Why? Because they actually keep me cooler. And the previously described sweating. And the hair. Ugh. It's just better for the public in general if I wear them. Please see above for my newest awesome spirit hat.
OTHER GEAR
There are many other things I have amassed along the way:
* ipod (although I actually run with it less and less...) with an ipod armband running thingy. That's the technical term.
* Spibelt fanny pack Don't judge. I can feel you judging but you don't even know how great this thing is for holding my gels, gu, keys, money, ID (You know, in case I'm going drinking after. It happens.), cellular telephone, etc. It stretches to fit whatever you put in it. You're welcome to join me on a run because I bet you could just jump into my fanny pack.
* Belt water bottle thing that you always see sporty people running with in parks This was given to me (thanks Sam!) and yet to be determined how I respond to it. Hydration = smiley face, so it's probably a good idea.
* fancy watch with pedometer My garmin watch which tells me my pace, time and total distance is a god. If I could build a house of worship dedicated to Garmin Watch, I probably would.
* Foam roller For rolling out your muscles after a long run (evidently?) Yet to be formally used, so right now it's just a lime green decoration in the corner of my living room. It keeps the yoga mat I never use company.
* Ice packs Sam, the guru of running, also recommended this. It frightens me, but I took her advice and they are in the fridge waiting.
The above does not even count the various bars, gels, gus and other odd forms of ingestible "gear" that I have purchased already. According to other experts / masochists it is vital that I try these things out in advance so that I'm not experimenting on mile 17 on race day. So I'm a human guinea pig in my own lab experiment entitled: "On not killing yourself whilest running a marathon."
Overwhelmed yet? So am I. But it's okay! Because regardless of what I end of wearing, doing, saying, or seeing (I'm not ruling out halucinations just yet) that day, I know that I will be damn gorgeous doing it. And if not, I can probably always get a job directing traffic at JFK, so that's plan B.
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