A Few Basic Necessities

Let's hit the road!

Believe me, there's no place I'd rather be. After a rather extreme winter (well, at least the past two months), I'm glad to kiss Miss Milly good-bye and head back outside.

Anyways, do you have some favorite must-have's for running?

Here's a handful of mine....

The right shoes (duh!)
Obviously, we all need proper running shoes, but I also take it a step further (no pun intended) and use different shoes for different runs. I have my 'newer" shoes, which I usually reserve for the longer runs (5-6 miles or more). I have a few "older" pairs that are a bit past their prime, but are still in good condition. Those I wear for some of my shorter runs (anything less than 3 miles, when I know I won't be in motion for too long). I also sometimes wear those for speed work, since those runs don't usually involve a lot of distance.

Music? (Yes and no)
Truth be told, I'm getting so I don't take my Ipod with me for all of my runs anymore. If I'm doing a long run, solo, I'll bring it along. A lot of my long runs, though, are usually with a friend...and I'd much rather be chatting than losing myself in music. I do a lot of 2-4 mile runs, on my own, and for that short of distance, I honestly don't have a preference. It's kind of a nice change not being dependent on music every time I lace up my running shoes. I do appreciate having it for my treadmill runs, though (because those are so b.o.r.i.n.g.).

The Garmin...(not always)
I have never been much of an on-going stat gal. Just not my gig. I do appreciate having the Garmin with me, though, to monitor my distance if I'm on a new or unfamiliar route. Similar to the music, I often times leave the Garmin at home for my shorter runs, usually because I already know the distance. I'm usually not concerned with my pace unless I'm doing a specific speed drill (or am racing).

Sunglasses (almost always)
I have sensitive eyes, and the outdoor brightness almost always makes me squint. I also have extremely dry skin, so I'm prone to wrinkles...in other words, I see no reason to expedite the aging process by unnecessarily squinting more than I need to. I sometimes wear my sunglasses on cloudy and/or rainy days because they can act like windshield.

Lipstick (a basic necessity!)
Along with my dry skin, there's my dry lips. Yes, I know there's lip balm available, but if I'm gonna smear something on my lips to keep them moist anyways, why not add a bit of color and/or shimmer? That's my theory and I'm sticking with it.

Jewelry (why not?)
I'm a sentimental gal. I have several necklaces that were either given to me from special friends or my hubby. I almost always have at least one adorning my neck, especially on race day, but usually for just routine living. I seldom ever leave the house without earrings either. And, it's a given my wedding ring will always be with me.

Now, I did leave a few obvious things out, like clothing (preferably moisture-wicking) and water/fuel. I usually have my phone with me as well. Believe me, these are necessary must-haves, but I didn't think they really needed any special mention for this particular post.


How about YOU? Do you have any special running must-haves? Are any of them on  my list?
 

I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up

**I'm also linking this with Debbie and Rachel and Marc and Lora for the Running Coaches' Corner

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