Marathon Day Gear Bag: Get Pinned

A few marathon day tips this week in honor of the run-up (pun intended) to one of my local races, the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. Unfortunately, I'm not doing a fall marathon this year due to a few ongoing medical issues (running is fine, but marathon training is too much right now).

But enough about me! I have run the MCM several times and it is a great race. But one thing I've learned from that and my other marathons is the importance of being prepared. Just yesterday, I drove to meet my running buddy for a long run. It was raining so hard that I decided to wear the emergency trash bag that I keep in my car. As I was poking a hole for my head, I poked the hole exactly along the bottom fold of the bag, so it ripped quite far along the shoulder.

Fortunately, the "running gear bag" that I always put in the car when I drive somewhere to do a weekend long run contains some safety pins. I pinned the edges of the bag together to create a smaller opening for my head, and I was set to go. But I was so happy that I had the pins! After all, part of the point of the trash bag was to keep the rain out, and having most of one shoulder exposed wouldn't have helped much!

So, be sure to include pins in your marathon day gear bag. You may need extras if you lost the ones for your race number, or you may need to pin some clothing item at the last minute. Ideally, you won't need them at all, but you'll have one less thing to stress about, and you can focus on your marathon!

Happy Running!