racing gear prep

There's less than 1 week until the Boston Marathon. I'm starting to worry less about the race and more about the traveling details. This past weekend, I didn't sleep well because I would go to bed thinking about all the things I was going to pack, worrying about gas prices, food for the trip, and what I would say to Ryan Hall if I met him (he's going to be at the expo, so I might get to meet him).

Ryan Hall currently the fastest American marathoner (I'm a fan)

Anyway, in preparation for the marathon, I did a 10 mile run in pretty much what I plan to wear for the marathon, including my race shoes. I just bought a new shirt for the marathon that is BRIGHT pink. My family wants me to wear something noticeable just in case they get to see me on TV (which is highly unlikely even with the bright shirt). I hadn't worn the shirt running yet, and it was important in my mind to test it out. I think more important than testing out the new shirt, was breaking out my race shoes that I haven't worn in about 5 months.

I promise the pink shirt is brighter in person.

My race shoes are pretty different than my training shoes. I can't tell you the exact specs on them, but I can definitely feel a difference when I wear them.

trainers on the left, racers on the right.

As you can see, my trainers are Asics and my racers are Adidas. My racers are significantly lighter than my trainers, and since I don't wear them very often, they have far less miles on them. I started wearing this particular pair of training shoes in January, and they now have over 400 miles on them. I can definitely feel that they're worn out when I run in them because my feet and ankles will start to ache pretty badly. I'm not sure how many miles my racers have on them, but I think it might be under 100. Since my racers are not worn out, my feet and ankles should feel good on race day and light as a feather. Also, my racers have sentimental value because my boyfriend got them for me for Christmas in 2009, 1 month before our first marathon (he did a good job).

Anyway, I busted out my racers for my 10 mile dust-off run this weekend. I hadn't really run much during the week, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel. Once I started running, I felt amazing. My legs felt strong, my fast pace felt pretty easy, I was in a groove, and I was just cruising. I didn't mean to run fast, it just happened. (It must be the fresh legs from the tapering). After this weekend's run, I'm confident that I'll be able to run a strong performance.

Whatever you wear for a marathon, you should wear at some point before you race in it (testing it on long runs is best) just so you know that it won't irritate you and that you feel good in it (unless you plan to dress in a monkey suit or something).

A note for my family: If it's cold on race day, I will be layering clothes. Therefore, even if you happen to see me on TV (still highly unlikely),  my pink shirt will probably be covered up.