Can't Run Withouts

I don't like clutter - not in my house, my car or on my person. Okay, admittedly, I'm not that neat, but I like order. And, okay fine, I do carry one large purse. But it holds everything!

In the extreme situation when I need to carry my laptop, wallet, book, notebook, bag of makeup, lunch and travel mug, I'm covered. But really, it's never that full unless I'm heading out on a plane or spending all day at school. In my defense, it's ONE bag and not a purse AND laptop bag or backpack. And it's organized. So there.

So, back to my point. When I run I don't like things to bobble, pull, twist and turn. All that crap ruins me. I've never run with a fuel or storage belt. The most I've run with is that clip on pouch that fell off within the first 100 feet of the City to the Sea half marathon (it's been disowned, by the way). Then there was that brief year of so when I decided to run with music, and I would carry my little iPod Nano.

I've had runs where I was carrying my iPod and the earbud wires started to twist and I would get SO frustrated that I would want to quit. Or my sunglasses would start to slip and I'd want to stomp on them. I'd much rather sing to myself and squint, then sacrifice a good run.

I've come to realize it's the pure passion of running that keeps me going, not the do-dads that hydrate, refuel, motivate and track every quarter mile. But we all need accessories to keep us going, sane, but still hydrated, refueled and informed:

From It's Beans, yo!

{adidas capri pants}
These babies are awesome. The back zipper pocket eliminates the need for a belt. It's big enough to hold my phone, ID and two chews. That's it. I really don't need anything else. The panels flanking the knees offer a slight compression.

From It's Beans, yo!

{nike vomero 4}
I don't know what I'm going to do when my current shoes are beat to death. I've run in these shoes for the past 3 years and nothing else really works for my foot. My feet are crazy hard to fit, so I understand why there were updates to the style, but I just wish I could find a stockpile of these and wear them for the rest of my life.

From It's Beans, yo!

{nike sportsband}
I do like to know how far I went, how fast I checked off the miles and how long I was out there. That's about it. And my Vomeros have the sensor pocket in the shoe, so no need for a pouch looped through my shoe laces. Oh, I'm dreading the search for new shoes after February.

From It's Beans, yo!

{breakfast of champions: toasted bagel, peanut butter and a 'naner}
This is my pre-long run/race staple. I've strayed away a few times with disastrous results.

From It's Beans, yo!

{FRS keeps my sensitive tummy happy}
I love FRS after a run, but I buy the powder packets because I have to dilute that stuff to a ratio of like 1:3 or 4. I like the chews, too, because they don't get trapped in my teeth and go down nice and easy.

{SHARKIES!}
I love Sharkies, too, but unlike the FRS chews, they require a little more room. I only need one or two, but they come in those packs. I have found that if my tank top has a built-in bra, the bag fits nicely on that shelf between sports bra and outside layer of my tank. Is that TMI? Sorry.