Kicks and Gear

I figure no marathon runner is going to be great without a great pair of kicks.  So, off to the store I went today with a $50 certificate in hand.

At this particular store, the employees work with you, watch your gait on a camera to ascertain what kind of support and shoes you may need.  It turns out that I pronate a tiny bit, but that when I do, it is not problematic.  For the most part, I have a straight gait and do not need extra support in the shoe... i.e. less money to spend!  Whoo.  I am a student and a student teacher, money is not my best friend right now!

 Up close and personal!  I generally wear a 9.5, but these are a 10.  You want your feet to have some space when running and the 9.5's had my toes right up in the box.  So 10's it is!

Aren't they just the coolest???  I am SO in love with them already.  I am going to rock the fun shoes.  These are my Christmas present that I finally cashed in on.  I have the bestest mommy!







But I also figure I need darn good socks.  I do not mind my cheapies for my short runs throughout the week, the two 30-45 minutes runs, but for the longer runs, excellent wicking socks were necessary.  There was a sale on socks, buy three, get one.  So what did I do?  Why... bought three of course!

Yay for cute socks!  And they have little tabs on the back, so your ankle does not rub up on to the shoe.  Aweeeesome!

On that very same note, a shirt was needed!  It looks super orange in the picture, but it is really more of a coral.  I still need capri pants in this wicking material, but I can make it through the first couple of weeks with what I have.  These will be my goal next week.  Especially since none of this is cheap.

And last, but certainly not least, I got a holding water bottle.  I do not like gripping a water bottle and my camelbak pack can be a bit uncomfortable for short runs, although it will be amazing for longer runs.  It is a piece of gear I already have, another present, this one from a friend and for my birthday.  Aaahhh, a holiday in and of itself!  Ok, back to the point... so this little water bottle has a strap, so it attaches itself to your hand.  You can even attach it to a belt if you have one of those.  I was reluctant to get a belt as I have small hip problems and just do not want to be adding anything to the hips.  I felt that the holding water bottle was the best bet for my short runs.

WHEW!!!  Is this not amazing loot?!  Very, very exciting and I most definitely cannot wait to play with it all.  My final purchase that is coming in the mail (fingers crossed: tomorrow) is a Garmin 305!  I already have a heart rate monitor, but this particular watch has gps, a timer, and a heart rate monitor all in one.  More on that tomorrow!

I will keep you updated on how all of the gear and my new kicks work out.