Accepting the role

In case you forgot, Nate and I are training for our first full marathon.

We ran a 1/2 marathon back in 2005 and swore we'd never tackle a full 26.2 miles, but alas....it's amazing what you forget in a few years. All I know is that towards the end of that 13.1 race we were bickering so loudly that an innocent runner next to us found the energy to zoom ahead, just to escape our harsh words. Yes, running with my then boyfriend certainly brought out the best in me---a cranky, tired, and annoyed runner. Can't wait to do it all over again but TWICE the distance! But I digress...

This post is about one thing: the fact that I am a wanna be long-distance runner. I have not accepted my role as a marathoner just yet, because I am ill equipped. It's not that I don't have the mental stamina or that I'm not physically fit enough for this training. It's because my running wardrobe is pathetic. Shameful, actually.

Do you want to know what I wore yesterday on our run?
1. My favorite good-luck-sports bra.....from my HIGH SCHOOL basketball days.
2. Sultry lace underwear from Vikki's Secret that nearly sliced my inner thigh in half from repetitive chafing. I won't mention what they did to my backside but let's just say my inner thigh was not the worst victim here.
3. Cotton shorts that remind me of cheer leading shorts. I don't know why, but they do. They come complete with an annoying tag that removes the skin on my lower back, and a saggy crotch that wreaks havoc to my thighs [my poor thighs! Attacked by my wardrobe.]
4. A cotton J.Crew tee shirt. One that I wore to work, in fact. Isn't that disgusting?

"Real" runners are surely scoffing at me when I trot along with said attire. I realize that I look the role of a novice runner, especially when I stare at our Garmin like it's an alien life form on my wrist. I admit that I don't feel the part when I throw on these amateur digs. And so, it is time, my friends. Time for me to bite the bullet and spend some money!!

#1 I have a fairly new pair of running shoes, so thankfully I'm not that girl wearing Keds or Crocs on a 7 mile run [I'm not sure if anyone actually does that, but at least I'm more prepared than this imaginary character]. However, I have a feeling that I'll need a new pair before the actual race. I am on my fourth pair of Asic Gel Nimbus shoes, the ninth edition. But looky what I found here!

Asics Gel Nimbus 10 is out! AND they come in pink. I swear it's meant to be. Give me a few more weeks and I could be ready for this step.

#2 To stop my inner thigh chafing, one solution would be tight pants. And I love me some capris. I once tried some of these on and nearly kicked the mirror because my thighs grew about 3 inches once hugged by lycra. But now that I think more about it, I really don't care. My thighs probably WILL grow 3 inches with this marathon training, so I might as well go for it:
#3 My J.Crew favorite tees, and ribbed wife beater tanks need to be reserved for everyday activities.....not running for absurd amounts of time. I am obsessed with some of these racer-back tanks. I could work on my tan while running, and these tops have the proper moisture-repelling material 'real' runners don. I can already feel my wardrobe building...


#4 Although I'm quite fond of the running capris I listed, I know that sometimes my legs need to breathe. And thus, running shorts are a must, especially since they usually have that liner thing on the inside. Doesn't that mean you can forgo the undies altogether? Regardless, I like these a lot:
#5 The mother load. Am I the only 'runner' not to know about this? Running SKORTS? Now normally I hate 'skorts' because they remind me of the 80s horrible creation. But these suckers have compression shorts built into them [ie no undies, no chafing!] AND come with an adorable skirt on top. In the proper 'dry fit' material, none-the-less. Does it make me a total dweeb to lust after these?
Would I look like a total tool running down the road in a skirt? I mean, it's just so ME. A girlie skirt while running an intense athletic race? Definitely up my alley. Let's remember that I was the little 5 year old girl who wore a jean skirt to my tee ball games. It's true, I have picture to prove it.

So there is my wish list. Would you think I was hard-core if you saw me geared up in this stuff? Yeah, me, too. Feel free to comment on my selection and/or make other suggestions of must have items.

P.S. did you know that the really hard core runners wear things like 'nip guards' ? Do you even want to know what those are? I can figure it out because I saw a dude at the half marathon sporting two bloody streams down the front of his shirt. It scarred me for life and it pains me to remember this poor soul. How does this happen? And do I need 'nip guards', too?

P.P.S. Our training is going quite well, thank you. Running Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night isn't fun but right now we are only running 3-4 miles those nights. Our long weekend runs have been 6 then 7 miles, this weekend is only 5. But let's not forget that we are in week 2 of 18 for this madness:)

P.P.S.S. Nate doesn't need to worry about running attire. That boy has all of the bases covered, of course. He's a stylish runner who looks more hard core than I:(