“Race Day Kit” aka what I wore and the gear I used for the marathon.
Some context: It was 17 degrees on the day of the marathon with brutal wind gusts, but I committed to wearing shorts because I hate running in pants I can feel. I like easy breezy shorts. I ended up never really warming up like I anticipated during the race. But I do wonder if the being numb from the cold helped to distract me from the pain in my legs for 26.2 miles.
Anyways, the gear of marathon day.
First, and potentially most importantly, the shoes. New Balance Fresh Foam X 860 v14 | Women's Stability Running Shoes in Chrome Blue. OBSESSED with these. I had been training in Saucony Guides that I loved and still do. But noticed on my 22.5 mile prep run during training that try feet were killing me during the run and I’ve had friends that say the wrong pair of shoes during the marathon makes a huge difference. So glad I got these in time. They are stability shoes (which I need because I’m very flat footed), but I think there was enough padding in them. They’re not cloud like necessarily, but for me I was extremely pleased with these as my marathon shoe and might hop on the New Balance train for future shoes.
I went with Expntl Athletics Race Day Sports Bra 2.0- Bubblegum which I cannot say enough good things about. Mainly because there’s a hidden phone pocket in the back that was perfect for the marathon. Whenever I ran with a fanny pack and all my gels and phones I’d get a certain back pain so having this phone at my upper back is the best invention ever.
Then I did Expntl Athletics Race Day Short- Bubblegum even though it was 17 degrees out that day. I hate wearing pants to run in and got the advice to wear what I’d be most comfortable to run in which is always shorts. Anyways, loved these shorts because they were light weight, easy, breezy, and had 3 pockets for my fruit snacks which was nice so I didn’t have to put everything in my running pack.
Because it was 17 degrees I needed to wear base layers for which I went with the Lululemon Swiftly Tech Long-Sleeve Shirt 2.0 Waist Length and Lululemon Women's Cross Chill Performance Jacket. Both were excellent. Lululemon is definitely reliable and a good high performance option to fall back on and have available.
Socks I went with were Balega Silver No Show Tab. I personally like a ton of padding in my socks especially with 26.2 miles on foot. For my long runs I almost always go with Balega, but went with these silver ones because they are a next level up from their Hidden Comfort socks and I trusted they’d help with preventing blisters and chaffing.
Then got the rest of my kit from Amazon including my Running Belt Fanny Pack and then for my throwaway options I went with the cheapest Hanes Crew Neck and Sweatpants I could find on Amazon. I’d also recommend making sure you have disposable gloves as well if it’s gonna be cold.
And lastly, of course, the hat was a Trotter Alter Ego Running hat. Use MMARTIN10 for a discount. ☺️
Things I would do different would be having disposable hand warmers, possibly a true Flip Belt, and possibly different headphones. Love my Air Pod Pros but they lost battery the last mile. I’m curious about Shokz.
Otherwise, loved my race day gear and would wear pretty much all of it again. Especially the shoes, sports bra and shorts, and Alter Ego Running hat. Overall, to quote Corey Smith: “If I could do it again, I’d do it the same.”
