I’ve been learning as much as possible about training for marathons, the good days and the bad, injury prevention and injuries you might not think of, etc.

Of course, you have the obvious things that should be on you. Proper shoes (not brand new ones nor worn out ones, but comfortable ones you can go the distance in), breathable clothing that fits the conditions for race day (again, not new), water, sunscreen, your keys if you’re driving there, etc. are musts.

But that’s for ANY run, you’d hope. What about 26.2 miles? Even with aid stations and refresher stations every mile or two… what if you need more water? What if you need to eat something for energy? I don’t generally see pictures of marathon runners with their pockets bulging with goodies (and the movement would probably shake the items out of those small pockets on a lot of running shorts… wouldn’t it?).

Well, I can tell I’m gonna have to invest in some equipment to do the job right, and do some practice runs while wearing it so I’m not surprised come race day with the fit and all. I’m likely to do a hydration vest because I would be quite paranoid about running out of water.

What I was most surprised about is hearing about “energy gels”. Like, what are THOSE? I’m glad some of my preliminary research told me it would be a good idea to have some on me in case I need the boost, but more than that, I might not like or digest the ones they hand out at the sidelines well during those areas of the run. So, I’d basically have to invest in some for myself and then carry the ones I like best with me in some pockets or a fanny pack.

Unless hydration packs have lots of hidden pockets in the straps, odds are I’d need to invest in something else I can wear to hold the energy gels, my keys, phone, ID, money, etc. Then there are possible salt packets on really hot days. gloves and a jacket on cold days, a trash bag with holes in case it starts raining or a disposable poncho…

Yikes, how much will I really need?

At least I’ll have basic clothing down. The race is in January and I have breathable workout leggings, compression socks, hats, (may need gloves and new shoes by then with the speed I’m wearing out the insoles of the ones I’ve got lately)… but the gear to keep my energy up?

That will take some doing in the next few months. Thankfully, Runners’ World has a LOT of great info, so I’ll keep researching and find some fave folks online to help out more. This page from Ready Set Marathon also has some good ideas to work with. I just have to see what I already have (tight budget) that I could repurpose to hold the necessities, or save a bit and find some on discount later.

The more I learn, the more I find I still NEED to learn. At least I like learning.