Running Toolbox

Tomorrow’s the big day. I’ll be running in what appears to be a very soggy marathon here in Nashville. Bring it. This is why I run in the rain, sleet, snow, and tornado sirens during my training runs – to prepare for a possible messy marathon day. I’ve written about my love of running and the reasons I run. Today, I want to share with you some of the tools that I use for my runs.

• Training plan. I went with this one from Hal Higdon. It was right for me.
• Running shoes. Currently, I’m running in Brooks Ghost, but that’s not as important as my running shoe store: Fleet Feet in Brentwood. It’s the only place I buy my running shoes. Great customer service, they know their stuff, and they know runners. If you’re in middle TN, it’s the place to go. Recently, I bought a pair of shoes and returned them – after I ran close to ten miles in them trying to convince myself that they were OK. They exchanged them, no problem. Thumbs up in my book.
• Runner Belt. Mine’s an Amphipod that I got at Fleet Feet. Simple, stretchy fabric and doesn’t bounce when I run.
• iPod Playlist.
  I listen to a lot of podcasts, but also music and audiobooks. My favorites include
  • This American Life. One of the best shows on the radio, it keeps my plenty entertained for a good hour
  • Sermons. I listen to Joseph Prince, Joel Osteen, Bethel Church, and my own Belmont Church
  • Audiobook. Currently, I’m listening to Talent is Overrated. I merge the tracks into 15-20 minute chunks. This makes it easier to shuffle among the rest of the playlist
  • NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. We don’t watch much TV news, but this is how I like to keep up.
  • Freakonomics. These guys deal with the human behavior, why people do what they, and point out how it’s often different than what was intended.
  • Planet Money. Admittedly geeky, but very well done.
  • Grammar Girl. Short (less than 10 minutes) episodes about writing and grammatical conundrums.
  • Marathon Training Academy. Husband and wife team Trevor and Angie talk all things running and offer great motivation and encouragement. Angie is a running veteran, RN, and a reluctant podcast host. Trevor is a just-recently-off-the-couch runner and tech-savvy entrepreneur. They have great homemade charm.
  • Music: I’m loving “Try” by P!nk. I also listen to everything from Coldplay to Jackson Browne to Taylor Swift
• Nutrition and Fuel. I’m still learning about this, but I’ve been using Hammer products including their perpetuem solids and gels. I’m basically following Trevor’s (see Marathon Training Academy) advice for long-run fueling
• Camelbak. I have a small Camelbak water bladder that I use with a small backpack I won at the Y for my long runs. I hate having anything in my hands when I run, so this solution works well for me.
• iPhone App. Runtastic Pro. I’ve only recently started running with my iPhone and this app is what won me over. It tracks my progress and posts my runs to my Facebook and Twitter accounts. At first, I was nervous about it, thinking it was too much information and narcissistic. But, I’ve heard from enough friends are motivated by seeing my runs and have learned to like the encouragement.

So, tomorrow I won’t be running with my Camelbak tomorrow, however. I’m going to count on the water stations and the wonderful race volunteers for hydration. I don’t plan on wearing my iPod, but I may have it in my belt. I’m also borrowing a hat. I don’t like hats in general, but if it’s going to rain all day, I’d like a visor to keep the rain out of my eyes. I hope I don’t hate it by mile 15.

Over to you: What tools / resources have you found that are helpful to your running? Are any of you running the Country Music Marathon?