Gearing Up... The Marathon Shopping Experience

What does one need to run a marathon? Apparently, a lot. However, I am thinking of tonight's purchase as equivalent to a one (make that two) month's gym membership. Except my gym is the entire world, & that is a great deal, right? I have been reading a book called The NonRunner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais. It is about a woman just a couple years older than me that decided to run a marathon for the same reason I did, to honor a lost loved one by raising money for charity. Thank you Dawn for your many suggestions... like the Bikini Car Wash fundraiser, which will be AWESOME, this blog, & several others. She also included a list of what a beginner should buy so that they don't end up permanently disabled. Accordingly, & with mental list in hand, I arrived at Naperville Running Company prepared to spend some serious $$$. Frankly, I like wearing flip flops in summer, & I hear that buying cheap running socks & shoes may result in the loss of your big toenails. Yuck.

I also walked in knowing that I would be spending an hour or more with a complete stranger. There are two sales people available at this time. A guy that immediately makes my spidey sense-tingle & a friendly looking woman. I browse the accessories & avoid eye contact with the man until the lady introduces herself. PHEW! NRC has an in-store test track, & later during my visit, I had to literally step over this guy six times as I tested a variety of shoes. This was because he was demonstrating hurdle stretches & drills in the middle of the track. There was nowhere else to go but over him, & it was... awkward, at least for me. :) My saleperson was super nice though, & I was very happy when she mentioned that I should go up a half-size & buy specials socks to avoid losing my toenails. These special socks range from $11 to $14 a pair. A bargain in comparison to disfigurement. I bought 4 pair, just to get started.

Here is my shopping list of absolutely necessary items needed to avoid injury when beginning a marathon training program:

1) Brooks Adrenaline GTS running shoes
2) A Fuel Belt (This, my friends, is a glorified fanny pack.)
3) 4 pairs of running socks
4) 6 packs of Energy Gel (I'm a little scared of the flavor called 'Mountain Rush. Is this like hillbilly p1sswater? aka Mountain Dew?)
5) A 26.2 bumper sticker (Bragging is absolutely necessary.)
6) A stainless steel runners pendant made from recycled materials (If you don't look good, you don't run good.)
7) Nike short shorts with hot pink trim (Guess what, I found out that runners do NOT wear underwear because they are built into the shorts.)

Speaking of short shorts, one of my fundraisers is going to be that the person, group, or business with the highest donation will be able to advertise on my short shorts. My sister Karen's verbal commitment puts her in the lead at this point, & she has already submitted her idea. They would say... 'Please Don't Lose That Butt' care of Sir Mix-A-Lot. Nice. I am not sure if any other slogan could be more perfect for me.






If you would like to be THE FIRST to officially donate to the Melanoma Research Fund in honor of Katy... here is the link.  ;)

http://www.active.com/donate/12JTCHI/rebecca23

& of course your support, encouragement, & the fact that you read my blog long enough to get to this sentence are always appreciated. With Spring Break finally here, I am sure I will have more misadventures to share with you soon. In the meantime, any and all fundraising ideas are appreciated & welcome.

xoxoxoxoxoxo,
Rebecca