Outfit Test Drive

What do guys have to do to get dressed for a long race? I'm guessing they do some nipple protection, strap on the Garmin/Polar/watch of their choice, throw on some old clothes and head out the door.

Women? Not so simple. We want to look good while we are racing. What is the point of running a marathon if your race picture looks terrible? Yes, I know there is still a point to it, but it sure is a lot more fun when you look cute and fast in those finish line photos. I ran the Gopher to Badger Half Marathon in some Race Ready shorts. They were perfect in that they held all of my GU's and emergency Imodium, but when I saw the race pictures? Not so flattering on my legs. I'm sure that on other people's legs they would be mighty attractive, but on me they just hit me in the wrong spot. It was a tough race and I PR'ed. Did I buy a picture? No way.

With two really long runs left before the Fargo Marathon, its time to test drive an outfit and see how it performs under pressure. On Saturday, I'm going to be doing the Ron Daws 25K (15.3 miles) plus an extra 4.7 miles to get my 20 miles. The weather is supposed to be craptastic. The forecast says there is a 30% chance of a rain/snow mix with temps in the morning right around 40 degrees. Given that Fargo just got snow dumped on them again and the marathon is only 5 weeks away, that may be pretty close to race day conditions.

My husband is probably thinking, "Honey, you ran the Twin Cities Marathon in the exact same weather conditions just last Fall. Why don't you just wear that same outfit?" Silly man, I don't want to run two marathons in the same outfit. Does a movie star go to the Oscars in the same dress that she wore last year? No, no, no. Get with the program. If signing up for a marathon isn't a shopping opportunity, then I don't know what is.

Dick's Sporting Goods... I love to go to Dick's so much that, when we pass it on the highway, my husband tries to distract me so I won't insist that we stop. With recent economic conditions being what they are, I have tried to avoid going there as much as possible since I am incapable of leaving the store without a pair of Nike Tempo Shorts or a 1/4 zip top in my shopping bag. Needing a marathon outfit was the perfect excuse to go and I caved.

While I am usually an Nike girl, I will be test driving a pair of Under Armour shorts and tank top at this weekend's race. I really don't like to be hot while I'm running, so I'll take a throw away shirt for the start and dump it after I warm up. I'm still having sock problems, so I'll be trying to work that out, too. It looks like this race only has 3 stops and only serves water, so I may have to wear my hydration belt with some Gatorade Powerade. Jenny just took a job at Coke and the Fargo Marathon serves Powerade, so I'm trying to convert.

Jenny and Guy are running also, so I'll ask one of them to take a test picture of me so I can see the outfit's photogenic qualities. I'll also be assessing comfort, wicking, and chaffing issues. I hope this outfit passes the test. Of course, if it doesn't, I guess that means I'll just have to start all over and shop for a new outfit. This being a girl thing is tough. Good thing I'm up to the challenge!