The Connection Runners

Kalamazoo Packing Extravaganza

::music cuts into post::

"'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane in a Ford Escape
Don't know I know when I'll be back again (on Monday)
Oh, babe, I hate love to go... "

Kalamazoo Marathon weekend officially starts... NOW!

In case you're catching up, here are a few background posts:
Signs of Life: Registering for Kalamazoo
Shin Splints Galore
Baby Steppin' the Speed Work
Great Odin's Raven Training Plan!
Thoughts on Kalamazoo

I spent the day answering questions from all of my awesome sophomores about the marathon (I had a countdown going on my whiteboard):

Mrs. A, how long is marathon? What? 26 miles? I won't even run 26 feet!
You're gonna run for how long? Over hours? You are crazy.
Can I run a marathon? Yeah, I'm gonna run a marathon. .2 miles every day 'til I'm done.

Sigh. Teenagers.

After work, I rushed home to get my organization on and catch up with all of my favorite running bloggers in hopes of stealing some inspiration.

Then I packed. And packed. And packed.

Here's what I assembled for Race Day Weekend:
I love technology. iPod - Check. Camera - Check. Mac for weekend blog updates - Check. Garmin - Check.

Sustenance. Obviously, I'll intake much more than this because I heart eating, but my main digs are water, G2, green tea, and a bunch of good old trusty Gu packets and Shot Bloks.

Feet equipment. Mizuno Inspires and a pair of ThorLo running socks. If you haven't tried Thorlo, and love a little cushion for your piggies, get some of these bad boys now. They are like running on clouds.

Race Day Outfit. Nike shorts, shirt, and sports bra. (Hint, Hint, Nike: you can sponsor me now since I pretty much am the Poster Child for your brand. I dig your stuff. And I'd make good friends with Kara Goucher). Also, a long sleeved black shirt for morning throwaway purposes.

Weekend Inspirational Reading. Plus there's a pretty hot dude on the cover.

Safety pins! Never leave home without 'em. I'll probably get more at the race expo, but I like to use this to pin Gu to the inside of my shorts.

So fresh & so clean kit. You know, to wash that post-race nasty off my bod. And some Body Glide, so this doesn't happen again.

I also packed some Determination, a few packets of Endurance, and a box full of You Can Do This, none of which you can see because they were all camera shy. Ironic.

Thanks for all of the support in the comments! Come back soon for the expo report and race recap!

Tell Me... What are your race weekend packing tips? Do you make lists, or just throw it all together like a nice stir-fry?