I keep telling myself I can do this. I have done it before. Thousands of others have done it before me.

However when you really sit back and think about it, who in their right mind would spend up to 5 hours running?

But yet that is what I signed up for. Not only signed up for, but paid (lots of) money to enter a race… and paid (lots of) money to train with a group. And the ironic part is, for a sport that costs relatively nothing. When you think of running, or at least when I used to think of running… you throw on a pair of sneakers and walk out your front door and you’re good to go.

But I’ve learned, first of all – you don’t call them sneakers – they are running shoes. And it’s not just the shoes, but you should make sure you have proper running socks. Oh, and there is a greater than 50 percent chance you are going to need insoles. And based on the amount of miles you will be running, there is a chance your shoes will need to be replaced in less than 3 months. And lets not forget about the technical gear. Trust me on this one, you dont want to run more than 30 minutes wearing a cotton t-shirt. (think sad clown face). And of course you want to wear proper running shorts to avoid the dreaded chaffing.

Of course there are options to assist in that area – because once you have chaffed – you never want to go back. So try out some Body Glide. And don’t forget you’ll need to stay hydrated while running, so grab yourself a running belt. But remember, water isn’t going to be enough to keep you going over long periods. You’ll need some additional electrolytes added into your water. And don’t forget about nutrition. You are going to need to keep adding in calories over long runs. Add an energy bars, gel, maybe some gu. Doing speed work? Make sure you have a watch… better yet, step up to a GPS watch. A hat? Yeah – better get a hat too.

So while one doesn’t necessarily needs to rent a field or court, and buy a racket, balls or skis… running is a sport like every other. And I’ll be honest – – I love the gear. I love the gadgets. I’m still rocking my original GPS watch I picked up years ago, but I’m itching for the newest technology. I’m always looking for some cool shirts, and who doesn’t love the feel of a new pair of socks?

I’ll continue to keep running, and I’ll continue to keep buying. 11 miles tomorrow morning – – should dollar cost average out to about 8 bucks… but it’s worth every penny!