My Favorite Things For Running
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"The Stash" A local favorite running trail |
There are times when I'll carry a pack and bring the ipod but that's only during an unusually long run which I almost never do. Even for my last long race I only carried two handhelds and broke out the ipod once for a small four mile section to get my running fiyah back.
Even with being as minimal as I am though its hard to avoid running without stuff so here are some "basics" that I use.
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Running in the Buff |
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Gel Flask |
Gel Iskiate Recipe
• 2 heaping tsp raw sugar mixed with about 4-5oz of water, boiled and reduced on the stove until its a syrup. About 8 minutes. (You may not need to do this if your sugar dissolves in water easily, but my raw sugar is large chunks so I thought it dissolves better this way.)
• 3 1/2 - 4 oz. water (enough to almost fill gel flask)
• 1 Nuun tablet
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 Tblsp Chia seeds
• Small pinch of salt
Fill the gel flask with the water. Add the Nuun tablet, syrup, lime juice, salt and chia. Shake and refrigerate until race day. I usually do this a couple days ahead of time.
Although I haven't tried it, my husband uses straight up frozen juice concentrate in his gel flasks for his long road rides and mountain biking excursions and he says it works just as well.
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Trail Running Handhelds |
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Nathan Women's Hydration Pack |
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Little free packets of salt |
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Arm Sleeves for Trail Running |
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Favorite Running Bikini |
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Trail Running Skirt - Brooks |
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Funky socks and Merrell Pace Gloves |
I even wore my funky socks when I was going exclusively barefoot for a while. I would cut the feet out and still have my knee highs to wear. And by the way, those are my Merrell Pace Gloves which happen to be my favorite trail running minimal shoe - by default really - since they are my only trail running shoe. Still, they've been a superb shoe so far and I will continue to use and abuse them.
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Zaps Threads Tee |
And Yes. I run in cotton. For me its cooler for the hot, dry summer months especially once I pour a little water over myself. I prefer the performance fabrics in colder weather.
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VANS - My favorite gym shoes |
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Luna Sandals |
My Hobby Joggar Sweatshirt - This sweatshirt was given to me by my friends Jason and Shelly Robillard shortly after meeting them for the first time at the New York City Barefoot Run last year. This is the most coveted running related clothing item in my closet since its a reminder of two incredibly inspiring people and some seriously good times. The Robillards are and always will be a permanent part of my barefoot and ultra running family.
Your idea of using buff as waist-pouch is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI too will find some cloth for myself. :)
Trunil - I was thinking the other day that making my own buff would be pretty easy. It would be even more awesome if Spreadshirt sold them as an accessory item that I could print my designs on. :-)
DeleteHmmm the buff huh...dont know if I got what it takes to run in that...been letting myself go lately :P
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteThose socks made me dizzy! I've been MIA lately. Need to catch up with everyone. Hope you're doing well.
Ken
Haha! Imagine what they look like while I'm running! Good to hear from you Ken! Hope you're happy and healthy these days. :-)
DeleteI love love love funky socks! I cut the feet off too to go barefoot :) Great minds! Oh and speaking of great minds, a bikini top is my favorite bra too when I wear one and I must say you are freakin hot!! Seriously your abs are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you Angie!!! I know... I am so bummed that we haven't actually met. I think we have so much in common. :-)
DeleteI usually only carry my iPhone and a house key and I've never really found a solution that I liked until now. I tried the buff on my run today and it is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. I'm kicking myself for not having thought of it myself since I have a half dozen of the Merrell buffs lying around the house (and just got more this last weekend at the Down & Dirty). I just wish you had told me about it earlier since now I have an Amphipod iPhone case that's never going to get used!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!! I'm so glad the buff worked out for you. I can't believe what a great solution that's been. I used the amphipod case too up until several months ago when I tried out the buff. I will never use the amphipod again either.
DeleteThanks for posting the gel recipe. I'm going to be crazy and try it out for the first time during a 15K race this weekend. I'm good with all of the ingredients, so I shouldn't have any problems. Your post also reminded me that I need to find another Ultimate Direction bottle. It seems like you can't buy their bottles without also buying the hand strap, which I already have.
ReplyDeleteAaron - let me know what you think of the recipe and if you change it up at all. I'm curious how it works out for you. Also, you can use more or less chia seeds to adjust the liquidity of the gel. Sometimes I prefer it to be slightly more gel-like and will add more seeds for that.
DeleteSo, I made the gel Saturday night before my race the next morning. I was lucky and found some NUUN tablets at the expo, which was otherwise a total bust. I got the berry flavored ones. I ended up using table sugar to make the simple syrup. In reading through so other DIY gel recipes, it seems like maltodextrin is the sugar of choice and there are a few sites that sell gel bases. Since I only needed enough gel for one morning, I figured table sugar would do just fine. Other recipes also seemed overly complicated.
ReplyDeleteEverything went together super easy. I ended up putting more chia seeds in the mix because a) I like them and b) i thought that the gel they make when hydrated might make the end product thicker. I also fresh orange juice because I did not have a lime on hand. I refrigerated the mix over night and threw it in a bottle before I left for the run. I just used one of our kids' old sippy cups. Worked just fine. At mile 6 (of 9), I cracked open the gel and guzzled it down. It was thinner than packet gels, but that was welcome at the time. Packet gels can be hard to swallow, especially on the move. The flavor of the NUUN gels was pretty strong, and the mix was uber sweet, but it was tolerable. I felt the effect within a couple of minutes. I polished off the rest of the gel at mile 8. I definitely liked this recipe and will use it again. I also would prefer it to be a little thicker and will try more seeds to see if that works. Too many more and it might get chewy.
I can see how this would be good with a little tequila thrown in.
Thanks again for the recipe.
Aaron - Glad it worked out for you. After you make it the first time you'll find you start tweaking the recipe to your liking. I agree that it can be uber sweet (which is the point I guess when you're using it more in a shot form as fuel) so I always follow up a shot of my gel with drinking a swig of plain water. You can try using only a half of the nuun tablet which is what I did the first time I made it or reduce the amount of sugar since you were also using orange juice which has quite a bit of sugar in it as well.
DeleteNot sure how i missed this post but whatevs.. I'm definitely going to try that gel recipe. What I really wanted to comment on was how ignorant the kid at the gym was about your vans. Simple flat bottomed shoes like Vans of Chuck Taylors are PERFECT for lifting. Unless you buy lifting shoes your Vans are a perfect choice. Barefoot would also be great but that's against most gyms rules.
ReplyDeleteI did a clothing optional 5k this summer at a nudist resort. Running in the buff was great hanging out afterwards for the results was the only time that I felt like putting clothes on. It's not comfortable sitting on the ground on your bare ass, there's a reason all the nudists carry towles everywhere they go.