You'll never need another safety pin again.
This sport is a steep learning curve. (“Steep” being the operative word.) I know I’ll soon have to address my technique – such as it is – but for now I am quite happy to plod along in my inelegant fashion, sights set on completing a 5K run by actually running it.
In the meantime, I have come to understand the following:
1. You will wind up with many, many safety pins. You know how there’s never a safety pin around when you need one? This won’t be a problem anymore. In fact, we have accumulated so many of these bib attachers that we actively try to remember to bring our own to the next race (but inevitably forget).
2. You’ll never need another bed shirt again. Four races down, four T-shirts. As long as I keep running, I’m going to keep accumulating them. I think I may need to eventually make them into a quilt (there are only so many nights in the week). A quick Google has revealed there are places that will even do this for me. Who knew!
3. Not all socks are created equal. I had a collection of typical ankle socks, but they were a menace to run in as they kept falling under my heels. As if I don’t have enough problems already, what with the lungs and the tomato-face. So I splurged on a pair of Lululemon socks. I admit I am a huge fan of this Canadian apparel company (I run in their deep-pocket shorts too), but these socks are brilliant.
Not only do they stay in place and reveal which is left and which is right, they implore you to Run. Fast. Just in case you forget.
4. Not all water bottles are created equal. Those labels are a pain. Some endure the run better than me; some of them come off in the first mile, leaving you with sticky hands for the rest of the event. Even the curvature of the bottle is important. Those straight up and down ones don’t do at all. The lesson here: lose the Crystal Spring and invest in a professional runner’s water bottle. If nothing else, I figure it may make me look as though I know what I am doing.
Stride and Joy 