To Handy Man, running is just lacing up a pair of tennis shoes and leaving your house. Piece of cake, nothing more. Just go run. Anyone can do it. Anyone can put on a pair of shoes and run 13 miles. Anyone. It's not hard. It's just running. You just do it.
Because the last time he ran even over a mile was......
When I started running, the most sophisticated gear I owned was a print out of my training schedule and my Nike running app.
While I struggle with the idea of spending even $0.99 on an app, - and don't even blink at spending $5 on a coffee - this Niki app was one of the best purchases I ever made. It's ability to link my Niki account to Facebook has been one of the greatest motivating factors in my running. Every time a friend of mine Likes my status update of being out on a run, I get a round of applause in my headphones. While this may sound silly, until you are two hours in on a long run and facing what seems to Mt Everest of a hill, every cheer is that last push I need or little congratulations at the perfect time to get me though. It makes being alone in my head a little less lonely.
Because it is lonely out there on those long runs.
So, I thank the technology gurus for creating FREE aps like Pandora and Spotify. They fill my mind with music and it is a beautiful thing.
A beautiful thing that drowns out my irregular breathing, foot fall over the ground, chaffing or rattling clothing and creepy, dark silence at 5 am when I am pretty sure a bear or gigantic skunk the size of a bear is following me on my run ready to spray... or eat me at any moment. I would much rather be caught off guard while listening to the likes of Red Solo Cup.
Yes, I listen to country music when I run. Because it calms me and soothes me and lifts my spirit.
The more I ran this spring, I found out that shoes really do wear out and good shoes really do make a difference!
For the very first time in my life, I traded in my old running shoes and spent an hour having a stride analysis completed in order to get properly fitted for a new pair of REAL running shoes! I have only ever spent more money on my feet when buying a pair of buffalo hide riding boots.
They were worth every penny and carried me over 13.1 miles to complete my first half marathon. They are magical and I might bronze them like my mother did my very first pair of baby shoes.
Thou shall not wear cotton while running.
Therefore, you must have a complete new running wardrobe compatible with all seasons. You will need long pants, crop pants, shorts, jackets, long sleeve/short sleeve/ no sleeve shirts. Not to mention all new running socks and sports bras.
(angels singing) So let there be cute new running clothes!
The only time in my life since the 80's I have consciously been okay with wearing spandex in public.
If you are a Mother Runner, then something along the lines of this is a necessity...
A necessary evil.
There are days when you gotta get that run in and every possible babysitter from here to Canada refuses to pick up their phone. You have to take the munchkins with you. These are not fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants runs. They are very well calculated runs because you have to remember water bottles and snacks and jackets and wet wipes and sunscreen and extra gum and blankets that are warm enough but not too big that they start slipping and before you know it either fall off a lap or get sucked into a wheel. They are twice the work of a solo run, both mentally and physically.
I have to be honest when I say that while pushing an extra 100 pounds of kids/stroller/gear against the wind, up hill, while being inundated with, "Mommy can I have more water?", "Mommy can I have a piece of gum?", "Mommy can we please play at that park right there?", "Mommy he's touching my arm with his arm.", "Mommy? Mommy? MoAaahhhhMmeeeee?".... I may or may not have contemplated hiding the stroller somewhere safe... behind a bush on the trail... telling them to be very quiet and mommy will finish her run and go get the car and be right back.
I hate the wind.
More specifically, my ears hate the wind.
I also hate when my little, wispy, baby hairs won't stay put and blow around touching my face.
I hate that one little baby hair can actually make me want to freak out in a public place - I believe the correct terminology is to Go Postal.
Therefore, I love this gift from my fellow Fitness Feline/Mother Runner/training partner, Vega.
Not 100% the most attractive accessory I have for running, but the Bolder Band does the job and stays in place even after I am sweaty.
I also depend heavily on this little creation!
When the weather was colder, I always ran in a light weight jacket and just stuck my iPhone in the pocket. I absolutely hate to carry anything in my hands while running. One more distraction I have to do without.
Another Fitness Feline told me about a Flip Belt.
Flip Belts are really pretty awesome in that they can easily carry your phone, gels, shot blocks, ID's and anything else you might need on a run or race day. There is even a little hook built inside to hook your keys so you aren't panicked about them falling out while rummaging for gels on your run.
My only beef with the Flip Belt is that I have hips. I am curvy and will always be curvy no matter what size I am. So while running, my Flip Belt will tend to ride up to the smallest point on my waste. There is it a little looser and starts to bounce. Bouncing is the ultimate sabotage on a run. Imagine how a single baby hair make me feel...
I have learned to get all my gear situated and then wear the flip belt against my skin and pull my running pants up over... Okay so it's not the best visual, but the waste-band of my pants/shorts holds the Flip Belt where I want it, on my hips.
My hips are the bane of my running accessorizing from here on out...
I really, really wanted a hydration belt for this summer. I could stay hydrated on my long runs and really optimize my time out. I researched long and hard for the perfect belt I wanted and finally made this purchase. I was so excited!
Still skeptical, I filled the bottled up with plain old water and went out for a run.
A quarter of a mile, several colorful conversations with my new purchase, 245584613 different times repositioning and adjusting and I returned my Mother's Day gift that afternoon.
So frustrated!
I am now pursuing the purchase of a hydration pack or vest.
Cringing at price tags and the thoughts of bouncing packs on my back. Bladders sloshing around for miles and miles down the road.
I think I would rather just be dehydrated...
So when I get overwhelmed by looking at hydration packs, I drown my sorrows looking at new running clothes and running inspiration on Pinterest. I now want to Pinterest something like this!
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