Same ‘Ole Same ‘Ole

by

Well the good news is!  I ran 6 miles last night!  Woohoo!  That is the farthest I’ve run since the Wrightsville Beach Marathon back in March.

I was beginning to think I didn’t have it in me anymore but I pressed on and once I got past mile three, something magical happened.  I found my running groove.  I had forgotten that most runs for me anyway, don’t really start getting enjoyable until a little ways into them.

Miles 4, 5, and 6 went by just wonderfully!  The weather was cooler last night and I was so happy to be running.

However, even with all the romance of a good run, I started to get a little bored.  Ron often complains about getting bored when running and I have always thought he was crazy!  How can you get bored when your body is moving in unison with nature and your soul?  Last night I can’t explain it but I was bored.

I was tired of my fuel belt.

I was tired of the same ‘ole songs on my ipod.

I was bored to death of my same ‘ole running bras.  (I only have 4 and since they are very good quality, they are still in good shape.)  I’m just tired of them.

I was tired of my same ‘ole running route.

I decided then and there I was going to try to do something to breathe new life into my running.

But what?

That got me thinking about just how expensive running can be.  I started adding up from head to toe how much it would be to replace all my running gear.

Here’s a breakdown:

Bondi Bands:  These are the best sweat bands of all!  They don’t look too 1980ish and boy do they ever soak up the sweat!  They also cover up a really bad hair cut!  I have one pink one and one black one.  I want some new ones!  They run $8 each and I just love ‘em.  The next two I want to get have sayings on them.  One says Will Run for ….(pizza, wine, cupcake, etc.) and the other says Live Laugh Run.   http://www.bondiband.com/

Running ID:  I have this engravable running id and it really makes me feel safer.  When I’m running, I know that if I have an emergency and can’t speak for myself, someone will be able to call my family. They are around $19.99.

Garmin 305:  These run around $150.00 and I must admit, I can hardly run without it now.  Mine came with a heart rate monitor but I’ve never used it.  I mostly like that I can see my pace and how many miles I’ve covered.  My friend Lisa used her when she went hiking and I was amazed at the altitude settings.  If you ever plan on running distances, you will need this!   http://www.target.com/p/Garmin-Forerunner-305-GPS-Receiver-With-Heart-Rate-Monitor/-/A-10255507

TechnicalTees:  I cannot run in a regular ole t-shirt at all anymore.  I’m a sweater!  A big time sweater and the wicking benefits of technical tees are amazing.  If you run in a technical tee, you won’t have to worry about chafing as much.  Good technical tees can run as much as $30 but sometimes you can find them at the outlets for much less.

Glide or Chamois Butter:  Even with technical tees, I still put on a chafing preventer in key areas.  I sometimes put it under my Garmin and road id to just make those feel more comfortable on a long run.  Each container of BodyGlide runs around $15.  http://www.bodyglide.com/

Running Bras:  These can be as cheap as $15 and really go way up from there.  The ones at some of the expos that I’ve been to have been as much as $95.  I like the Champion brand from the outlets and they are around $25 each.  I must get some new colors soon just for some variety!

Running Shorts:  Same here.  You can get some for 10 bucks at Target that will work just fine but you can go crazy too if you want to.  Don’t forget, it will be cooler soon and you might want some running pants or running tights.

Fuel Belt:  You’ll need someway to carry your water or Gatorade.  At first I was driving out and hiding my Gatorade at different distances.  This got old quick.  I didn’t think I’d be able to get comfortable running and carrying my water but it didn’t take long to get adjusted.   Ron runs with a camelback (a container that he has on his back like a backpack) and Lisa runs with a belt that holds one large water bottle.  My fuel belt has a place for 4 – 8oz. bottles.  I fill them with Gatorade when I’m on a long run.  The fuel belt comes with one small pouch that you can put your id or keys in.  I added an accessory pouch to my fuel belt and now I have a bigger place for my energy gels and my ipod or phone.    http://www.fuelbelt.com/

Gatorade and Energy Gels:  I get Gatorade at Walmart for 2 bucks and the energy gels are usually around $1.50 each at Dick’s Sporting Goods.  My favorite gels are by Gu and are Tri-berry or Chocolate Outrage flavors.

Ipod:  Some people say that you should embrace the run and not listen to music.  I do this sometimes, but other times you really need some tunes to rock out to.  I’m using a hand me down ipod from one of my girls.  I really want the new Nano and they run about $150.  I also need to make a NEW PLAYLIST!  I am sick to death of the two playlists that I’ve been running to for the past 20 months.    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Apple%26%23174%3B+-+iPod+nano%26%23174%3B+8GB*+MP3+Player+(6th+Generation+-+Latest+Model)+-+Graphite/1161725.p?id=1218228713409&skuId=1161725

Running Socks:  I cannot stress the importance of good running socks!  Splurge and get the good ones.  They are usually less than 15 or 20 bucks and are so comfy!  Do not run in cotton socks!

Running Shoes:  I started running in a $45 pair of Asics that I got at Belks.  My ITB started hurting and so I got fitted and ended up spending $120 on a new pair of better Asics.  However…..these were not the shoes for me!  I wore them three or four times and they were awful!  Switched back to my $45 pair and by that time I figured out that to cure my ITB problems, I had to ice and foam roll.  Shoes are ultra important but they are not the end all be all of running.  You can tell that from the barefoot and Vibram running craze.  Now I have a good pair of Brooks that I spent around $115 on and finally have a good fit.  I’ll probably have to replace my Brooks soon.  It is recommended that you get new running shoes every 500 miles or so.

Treadmills:  Or a gym membership   They’ll be days that you just can’t get your run in during the daylight hours.  They’ll be days that it rains all day or is way too hot or way too icy and cold.  You’ll need someway to run inside.  I hate my treadmill most of the time but when I was a beginning runner, I loved it.  We got our treadmill about 5 years ago and I think it was around $1000 bucks.

So there you have it.  Running is EXPENSIVE!  I didn’t even touch on the entry fees for the races you’ll want to run.

However…Running is PRICELESS.

My solutions to breathe new life into my running routine are as follows:

Happy Running Friends!

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