Top 10 Reasons to have Crazy Running Friends

I can't truly put into words what it has meant to have Becky, and all of you crazy running chicks, as a part of my life for the last few years. But it comes down to this-- I am constantly amazed at your awesomeness. This awesomeness has been on my mind a lot recently, so I am going to try to express what it means to have you, and why every woman should seek out friends like you. Yes you. All of you. Each of you. 

Okay, maybe you don't run all the time. Maybe knitting is more your thing. Or shopping. But whatever it is, I hope you have best buddies who enjoy you and enjoy spending time doing these things with you. Just replace "running" with whatever it is you like best.

10. There is no competition among crazy running friends. When you have real  friends, awesome mature friends, they only want what's best for you. That means they don't hold you back, and they aren't constantly trying to one-up you. 

9. They wake you up at 5:30 in the morning and it's normal. Not like in a college-drinking-binge-stumbling-in-walk-of-shame kind of way. But in a "Let's get out there and greet the beautiful world!" kind of way. The second way is totally awesomer.

8. You can talk about everything. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. I always say, you can't run carrying your baggage. You have to let it go before you can have a good run. This might mean you're crying 5 miles into a run (it's happened) and it might mean you have to tell your friend that she has to drop her issues out on the side of the road and leave them there (such a good visualization technique) and it might mean you know WAAAAAAYY too much about your friends' sex lives and the town gossip.

7. Your running friends love you no matter if you have accomplished 2 miles or 20. We ALL know the pain of those first 5 minutes. We respect everything it takes just to pry yourself off of the couch. We are not running snobs-- we are proud of each other. Supportive. Always. 

6. Your running friends would rather run a slow, bad run with you than leave you behind. There have been more and more off days since I have been having issues with my IT band. And I always always always struggle up hills. No one has ever really left me behind. I mean, there are times when I had to cut Becky loose because I was just walking. But the fact is, she would never have just said, "Look, I gotta run faster than this. You're sucking today." In my young and immature days, I admit, I dropped some friends because they weren't keeping up with my obnoxious shop-party-boy-crazy-obnoxiousness. Downright embarrassing to look back on that. I hope running has taught me, and I hope I can pass on to my daughter, we just don't treat people that way. 

5. You become friends with people you probably never would have met otherwise. We have met some AMAZING, INSPIRING, AWESOME people in this crazy running adventure. I would never have pushed myself to go talk to some of you if we didn't have this shared torture/pain/pleasure of running in common. 

4. Breakfast with friends. Breakfast with friends is one of my most favorite things in my whole entire life. Ever. My priorities in life are: God, Family, Coffee, Breakfast with friends. No wait. Books. Then Breakfast with friends. I don't know how or why to describe this. But it's just the yummiest food, and the best way to start your day, right? One time, Lisa made us brunch with homemade waffles and lil smokies. And that was one of the best days in my life. Another time, after I ran the Fargo Marathon Relay with Patty and Anna, we went to Denny's and had breakfast (Because they serve it ALL DAY) and I remember THAT more than I actually remember the run! And finally, my friend Catherine makes THE BEST breakfast burritos and gathering at her house for breakfast is.... hmmm.... it's 9:15, I wonder if she's busy..... so you know what my point is? It's not just the food. It's just that great feeling, the good memories, the gorgeous sunshiny start to your day with the amazing people in your life. And pancakes.

3. Your running friends are committed to you. Because no one wants to be that girl who can't be relied on to show up. 

2. Shared endorphin rush. I think this is a huge contributing factor to why we love each other so much. You never walk away from each other mad or angry or impatient. You're always on a runners high when you say goodbye. You're plastered in sweat and complaining about blisters but you're still high-fiving each other with a huge smile on your face. 

1. Courage. Strength. Respect. Running friends bring out the best in you. Somehow, running got me physically back into shape, but it also molded my life back into shape. I have more patience. I know that nothing is impossible if I work towards it, and I work better with the support and encouragement of my running wife. My best running friend pushed me to things I never thought possible and it's been my relationship with her that really changed me for the better. I found, in myself, characteristics I thought I had lost for a while. Discipline-- I used to always think I was the flaky one who never stuck with anything-- jobs, hobbies. But my consistency in running showed me that I have just been a late bloomer. Courage-- I never imagined doing what we do now. Patience- There is no way to hurry up a 20 miler without hurting yourself. You just settle in for the long haul. And fortunately, this frame of mind has transposed into my parenting, my work. Sometimes you just have to settle in and work towards the finish without yelling at people to hurry up! And finally, and this goes back to #10-- I just don't want to compete with you, I want to see that HUGE smile on your face, and read your facebook posts, when you've accomplished your best. When you set PRs, I don't care if I am ahead or behind you. When you're out there having a bad day but you ran anyway, I know you're doing the best thing for you and I am just happy to share in some of that! 

Fargo 2013.
Having run together for 3+ years now, we have probably logged THOUSANDS of miles together.
Still doesn't get old. She still waits for me and I still listen to her. 

I hope that you have friends that help you along the way. Friends who make you push yourself, who laugh and cry and talk for hours. Friends that want the best for you. Friends who make the best memories with you!

Happy Running, Crazy Running Friends!

~Jen

Body Image

I have so many thoughts about body image, it's hard to know where to start a blogpost on it. In fact, it's a subject I have long avoided because it's SO sensitive and SO controversial. But for heaven's sake, the only reason it is, is because we make it so. Us girls. To each other and to ourselves.

I want to relay a conversation I had with my daughter on this subject. She was only 9 at the time. It was a horrific moment for me, yet I can only hope that I handled it correctly. In this conversation, Katie is still a scrawny 9 year old, and VERY active-- biking, running, hiking, dancing. So I can either point out her physical beauty, or take a HUGE risk and see if I can stop the chatter about physical beauty and sizes..... I encourage *you* to listen closely....


Kate, slapping her thighs: I have fat thighs. Look at all that blubber. Look at how they jiggle.
Me: that's because your thigh muscles are soft and relaxed, they aren't jiggling, they are absorbing the impact of you slapping them, of course they are going to move.
Kate: I hate my legs. They are ugly with all of their scars and my fat thighs....

Me: sigh.... look, do you want to be the girl who has perfect, plastic, shiny, legs, or do you want to be the girl who has adventures and stories to tell? Every scar tells a story, do you want to be the girl who says "Oh, I got this scar when I skinned my knee when I was out bike riding, I got this scar when I was out hiking in the Badlands, I got this scar from sliding into homeplate" or do you want to just have perfect legs from staying inside and never doing anything? Do you want skinny little legs or do you want powerful, strong, legs that can finish a 5K and can go out for sunset hiking and ride bike for 5 miles? Do you want to be the girl who looks perfect or do you want to be the girl who has adventures?

Kate: Oh, I want to be the girl who has adventures.

My beautiful little legacy

.... so now I ask you: what do you really want? When it comes to your fitness goals, what's your real goal? To look perfect or to cross the finish line?

My mom's legacy-- 3 generations of active women right there! :) 

To fit the hollywood standard or to set a standard for health and strength for the girls looking up to you? To have a gap in your thighs or to have thighs that carry you to the half-marathon mark? To wear a size two or to wear finisher medals and finisher t-shirts?

Listen to what your inner 9 year old would tell you. Or better yet, listen to your daughters and sons.

Choose to be the girl who has adventures.

Out of Hibernation

Oh heeeeeyyyy.
We're back.

We took a hiatus.

And by "hiatus," I mean we have been suffering the cold dark doldrums that is your existence during winter in North Dakota.

We ran through it but I think I speak for both of us when I say there really hasn't been much HEART in it.

But now it's sort-of-almost "spring" here. I mean, most of "spring" here is still subfreezing temps with the added bonus of 20+ mph winds. But it starts getting kind of sunnier. Like "oh hey, it's nice out" and then you step out and you get slapped in the eyeballs by fierce freezing winds. And then you're like "I HATE the cold and I wish I lived someplace warm and that I could wear skirts and sandals already, F@#K!!!"

So yeah.

Winter Running in North Dakota:

8 December. Hats and face protectors have a layer of ice on them. Becky's mascara froze to her face! 

8 Dec- And my braids were completely frozen! I didn't even realize this until we stopped to take the last photo, and I realized my hair was frozen to my jacket. Crazy, huh? 

January 1-We have to run in circles around our Community Center because it has a 1 mile track that they keep swept clear of snow. It's the only safe running route because of the ice and snow.

12 January. Sunset. At 4:15 in the afternoon. It's pretty. But I miss the sunshine.

29 January. Be jealous.

2 February. ChillyCheeks5K. Raised money for both the Wounded Warrior Project AND the American Cancer Society.
Totally worth the 33 degree temperatures (kind of nice out for February) and 24 mph sustained winds!

That ONE day in March that finally really warms up and gives you hope....

... before it is taken away again. 17 March. March, y'all. Seriously.
(I didn't go running in this. Too blustery. It was a fine, wet snow ALL DAY with something like 20 mph winds. Our friend Lisa, who is an ANIMAL, went out and did 16 miles in this!! )

So that's where we are and where we've been these days. We are often asked if we keep up our training in the winter, and you see, our answer is yes. Our threshold for outdoor training is generally 20 degrees, but that can change if there's too much ice or wind. We wear layers. Lots of thin layers, actually, with our heads and hands covered. Arm warmers under tech jackets and compression cold weather pants under sweats. We keep it around 8-12 miles in the "off season" -- but here in North Dakota, it's not officially not-winter until Memorial Day Weekend. 

And since our first race of the year-- Fargo Marathon-- is May 18th, you have to get started in the cold weather. Fargo Marathon is typically a cool-weather race (no matter how much you are hoping and praying for it to be a tank-top and shorts day, you're always at the starting line in jackets and headwarmers).

I want to end this on a positive note.

I know it looks like I'm complaining and miserably cold. I mean, well, I am. But the thing is-- facing the misery and running through it.... these are the things that make you tough and define you. As a runner, you have to go run. Not wait for tomorrow. Not wait til it warms up. Not wait til you feel like it. Not wait for your running partner to goad you into it. (Okay, nix the last one because I totally make Becky do this for me all the time.) You know the saying (because you've seen it on Pinterest a million times)... if we wait for perfect conditions, we'll never get anything done.

Which is true for everything, not just running. As with anything, finding the get-up-and-go to take the first step out the door, to get your head into the first mile- is the hardest part.

But we persevere. We keep grinding away. We find the inner strength to do what we have to. Because we're all bad-ass in one way or another. We're all strong. We're all fighters and runners and leaders. We're all amazing in our own face-down-our-fears way.

Even when the world around us is cold and dark.

Especially when the world around us is cold and dark.

Be the light. Be the change. Get out there!

Happy Running!

~Jen

Montana Marathon Recap

Still recovering from our girl's weekend.

Unlike other "girls weekends" that involve things like pedicures and pink martinis and maybe a Tiara, my idea of girl's weekends has translated to travelling 4.5 hours away from home to go run 26.2 miles! I'm not sure how this happened. One day it's all fun and games and the next, it's discipline and cheap hotels and being dropped off in the middle of nowhere and being OKAY with that!

So, the girls got all packed into Becky's car, coffees in hand, and hit the road! Montana-- prairies, cool mornings, and the smoky haze of all the wildfires! It's rare for us to even see each other like this- altogether in non-running gear. I didn't even realize Becky was growing her hair out until I saw that it was getting longer!

Kathy, Jen, and Becky ready for another race weekend!

The drive went quickly, as long drives with laughter and conversation tends to. Beautiful views of our Badlands as Fall is in the air and it promises to be a cool, Fall weekend.

And soon enough, we were crossing the state line. Can't turn back now! Another state, another race, and another chance to see exactly how far we can go! 

We arrived in time for lunch and packet pickup at the store that was hosting the Marathon, Time Out Sports in Billings. Their website promises a "very cool bag" and I'm actually thinking it will be something I can take to the gym on Monday evening after the race! 

Uhhh.... no.

Up to this point, what we've seen of Billings hasn't been outstanding. Most people around town had no idea there was a race going on that weekend. The only sign we see to support the race is at the high school where we will be starting and finishing the race. "Small" doesn't even begin to describe this race. And mentally, I start to wonder what we've gotten into. There will be little, if any, sideline support. People around town aren't impressed that I need my food and my sleep. Our hotel is being staffed by an overly-flirtatious front desk clerk who may or may not be tweaking out of his mind and there are cops pulling over some kid in the McDonald's next door. Which makes my decision to bring my own pillow and blanket totally justified now- you KNOW what's been going on in this kind of hotel! Granted, we were TOTALLY hooked up with a discount on our room; but the real value here was the sense of 'adventure' we get out of it! But also makes it easy to smile pretty and ask for a late check out so we can come back and shower before hitting the road! Score! 

Kathy's family came to town to cheer her on and spend a little time with her. So Becky and I headed downtown to a little restaurant she was referred to called Ciao Mambo. What a GREAT find! Besides the yummy food, the atmosphere in this place was just perfect for us. Mellow enough for us to relax but vibrant enough to enjoy the noise and bustle all around us. Great food, good wine, and some pretty amazing art....

Becky and I enjoy dinner at Ciao Mambo!

guest's crayon art displayed overhead

stunning art, not-so-subliminally makes you thirsty

And after all this, we are in bed, lights out, at 9pm. I told you this was not your typical girl's weekend. I usually have insomnia so I am nervous about whether or not I will be able to sleep. Aside from a little tossing and turning, I was out! Kathy, not so much. I woke up sometime around 3:30 to find her on the floor. I wasn't sure if she didn't appreciate my nighttime cuddling or what. When the alarms went off at 4:10 am  (YEAH, THAT EARLY) she told us that the A.C. clicking and rattling and just being in a strange place had kept her up all night! All night! We have to go run for 4 hours and she had maybe 2 hours of sleep! Ugh, I feel so bad for her but there's nothing for it now but to get ready to get on the bus....

all geared up, dressed, ready to go..... BEFORE 5 A.M.!!! 

I am SOOOOO not a morning person. Like, with half of my heart, I want to crawl back in bed and just tell the girls I will wait for them at the finish line. I'm not excited or nervous or anything yet. I have absolutely NO caffeine in my veins and it's all I can do just to be civilly behaved. But the girls have put up with enough of my snarky behavior in close quarters already so I bite my tongue, get my butt out of bed, beg Becky to braid my hair so I don't end up with snarly tangles, and we are out of the hotel parking lot and headed to our bus by 5:05 am.

There's almost no one else in the school parking lot so we're not sure if we are even in the right place. We are, and we are almost the last to get on the bus so we find spots in the way back. "How many people are running this race, do you know?" one of them asks. We don't know so we start counting heads on the school bus. This is it, all of us, for the next 4 hours. By comparison, I am used to being corralled to the starting line among THOUSANDS. 

We are driven up a dark highway before dawn, where we will be dropped off and told to run back to town. I train for this. I PAY good money to be treated like this! Just a touch crazy, no?

We meet some pretty amazing people on the bus ride and at the "community center" where we await our start. One guy who is an ultrarunner and is doing the marathon as a "warm-up." An 18 year old sits with us. It's her first race and she asks if we are nervous. No, we tell her, what's the worst that could possibly happen? You might walk a little bit. But then so what, you keep running..... We asked her what her goal is and she said 7:50. Becky tries to think of a nice way to tell her that the race is over after 6 hours when we realize this tiny ball of energy means that her goal is to beat 7:50 minute per mile!! We wish her well because we're not keeping up with that pace. We meet others-- a marathon maniac who is behind me in line for the outhouse (yeah, outhouse. I spared you photos of that, thank goodness!) who is on her 170-th-someodd race!! She's doing 25 marathons this year!!! We meet other girls who haven't trained together but are friends and plan on sticking together for the race. They think it's weird that we train together but don't actually race together. (for anyone else who thinks this is weird-- we just have different goals on race day. And we would never hold each other back.....)

So.... chilly morning. Outhouses. And around the time that the sunlight starts to color the sky, they start gathering us around the starting line-- a spraypainted mark on the highway.

another 26.2, here we go!!

Okay, so we're off! The first 6 miles are nice and flat. It's a highway course. It's an open highway course. There are no safety precautions except "please watch out for traffic" and traffic seems to take this as a challenge. 

Early morning Sunday traffic did not seem to want to give way to the crazy runners all over the road,

I lost track of Becky and Kathy around mile 8. The first 6 miles are flat. Then you start to climb. A little at a time. Consistently. You see a hill in the distance, you accept it. You get over it, no big deal. There's another hill in the distance. You see it. You run it. There's another one. And another. You think, "maybe after this hill, we go down! They said there was a good downhill. Nope, another hill. Maybe after this one." This goes on for about 4 or 5 miles. Not 4 or 5 minutes. Almost an hour of hoping for the downhill.

And then, at mile 11, Mendel's Hallelujah chorus sounds in your ears, your legs cry out in relief, and all the runners around you suddenly get the giggles as you spot it---- Echo Canyon. It's beautiful enough on it's own, but you kind of tear up when you realize that road under you is going down down down down down! 

Becky checks her time, heading downhill. She's about to pull some 8 minute miles and shave some time off of her goal!

Kathy heads downhill! Wheeeee!!!!

I had lost them by this point, I stole these pictures from Kathy's facebook page!

I didn't take any more pictures of the race.... So here's the recap. The downhill didn't last as long as we were promised. The people I was running around were really inspiring and it was easy to talk to people along this race. When you run smaller races like this (I don't think there were even 80 runners) the people you start with are mostly the people you finish with and you spend about 4 hours basically running around each other. You don't normally get to know people like that, so this race was really good for runner support-- meaning the other runners were who were cheering you on! There wasn't a lot of sideline support, and I hope this race grows bigger because it is a beautiful race and a good opportunity. The water points were way too far apart. I know this is a picky complaint, but most of us don't race with extra weight, so we don't carry water bottles on race day. After the 13.1, it's more common to have water at every mile or so. There was no water point between 15 and 18. That was a hard stretch because that's where the downhill is flattening out so you're trying to keep up some momentum. And then you realize you don't get a sip of water for 3 more miles. Hmmmm.... Just mental, you know?

Becky met a runner friend who decided they hadn't travelled all the way out there to come in over 4, so they stayed on pace and finished with a few minutes to spare! Kathy was close behind her. And mind you, Kathy is still on only about 2 hours of sleep.... on the floor! Way impressive, if you ask me!

Me, I come trudging in about 23 minutes later. I didn't make my goal, but you know, sometimes race days just aren't even your best running day. I felt way better in my training this time around and in fact, I felt really really good on our 20 mile run. Much better on that day than on race day. Oh well. I met a woman who ran 25 marathons a year. An ultra marathoner. A guy in a gorilla suit holding up traffic for us. Got to meet Kathy's family. And that little 18 year old who was nervous about her first race?

She won, in 3:19. We are so proud of you Becca!!! 

Another state, another race, another token to remind me of what you can accomplish when you work for it and have great friends to build you up along the way.

And home again, home again. To get ready for the next.....

Happy running, to all of our crazy running chicks.

And to our family and friends who supported us, not only on race day, but in the long weeks of preparation, and then with all of your texts and your words of encouragement.... each of you are more priceless and more appreciated than we can even put into words. Thanks for everything!!!

-- Crazy Running Chicks

What it means to be a Crazy Running Chick, summer edition

10-- it's perfectly acceptable for your friends to knock on your door at 5:55 A.M. on a Sunday morning

9- you go through 2 or 3 whole bottles/cans of spray on sunscreen and you still have racerback tan lines

8- you invest in those thermal lunch boxes so you can plant ice water bottles along your run route

7- you have one of these and make GOOD use of it

http://www.wulfsexpressions.com/servlet/the-204/Mara-Freakin-Thoner/Detail

6- you meet older runners and you are actually a little jealous of them!

5- your post-race refuel is a slushie

4- you're dedicated to dusty roads and open fields and endless blue skies

3- your summer wardrobe consists of running shorts and race t-shirts

2- your friends know not to invite you out on the weekends because your social life involves showing up for Saturday morning 5Ks and 10Ks or going out for long runs with your friends on Sundays

1- you continue to support and encourage all your other favorite Crazy Running Chicks, maybe even recruiting a few of your friends!





How do you take time off?

To recap this last month:
Fargo Marathon
Medora 10K
Estes Park Half Marathon
Sherry's Wishes 10K

... we've been busy little runner chicks. And it's summer, which means our runs are full of SUN and WARMTH. Well, that's only just true this week, finally. We've had some pretty lucky cool long runs.

We ran Fargo, Becky just under 4 hours and Jen in 4:13. It was a cool run this year- we lucked out that it didn't warm up on us and it didn't rain on us. Pretty good running conditions. We also saw our dear friend Kathy PR and our friend Glenda finish her first full with a hurt knee! Yikes! The Fargo run is usually a favorite in the area because you've got AMAZING support-- people throw block parties and cheer for you as you run past their house. There are even a few older folks who come out and bang a pan and spoon to motivate you! There are lots of kids wanting high-5s, and usually at least one chicken and one Elvis costume and a few people with their hoses on for you. I mean, what more do you need?

We kept running and Becky even headed to BEAUTIFUL Estes Park for a half marathon, taking lots of gorgeous pictures along the way!

that's the Stanley Hotel!! Run faster Becky!!!

And we keep running our local races, supporting local charities and hopefully, encouraging our friends who we meet up with out there! My friend Catherine, who is 52, has JUST been bitten by the running bug and she shows up for the 5Ks now!! Hooray!!

our road trip to Medora!

Left to right: Jen tied for 3rd, Becky took 2nd, Kathy took 1st- Sherry's Wishes 10K

But here's the thing.

I still love running. I still want and crave those long run days and those short fast days. My heart is in it. My mind is in it.

But somehow, my body isn't?

It's been this way for a little while now and the best advice that I keep getting, and keep ignoring, is that it might be best to take some time off.

A friend who is a physical therapist tried to tell me exactly HOW insane runners are:

A normal person who is hammering, and hits their thumb, pulls their thumb away and stops hitting.
A runner keeps hitting it, trying to hit it harder and faster.

Hmmmm.... he has a point, right?

I just can't fathom actually taking time off.

So, Crazy Running Chicks.... how do YOU schedule running breaks? Do you take time off after big races? Do you give yourself a week of NO running? Do you keep up weekly base miles but take long run days off?

What kind of advice do you have for this Crazy Running Chick who doesn't know how to stop hammering away? :)

What to pack for race weekend

I ran into my friend Jodi yesterday, and even though she was on the phone, I banged on her minivan window and exclaimed: "Only 9 days til race day!" And she said something along the lines of "I'm only running the 10K" (MIND YOU, Her doctor told her she would never be able to run, AT ALL) but I was all, "OMG, roadtrip! Shopping at the Expo!! Good food!" because we live in a town where the nice places to go out to eat include Applebee's and the Elk's club and I am allllll about "big city food." Plus, hooray! Road trip! Shopping!

One of the things I actually love about big races are the expos. Okay, the Expo at Grandma's marathon was WAY overcrowded, sorry to say. But the Rock and Roll series puts on a great Expo and Fargo marathon has a great expo too. So make sure you leave plenty of room in your luggage for expo finds!

With only a few days before the race weekend, I started thinking about how nervous we get and some of the mistakes first-timers make. One of the cardinal rules of race weekend is to NOT DO ANYTHING NEW on race day. Which means you have to have all of your gear ready to go and not be tempted to actually use anything new that you pick up from the expo booths.

So here, let's make sure you have everything on your checklist, and we'll go through what you do and do not want from the expo:

Pack for race day:

first, get me a duffle bag this cute. Second, make sure you have another bag for your stinky, sweaty clothes.

same kind of socks you have been training in
the shoes you have been training in (DO NOT be that girl who gets fitted for new shoes at the expo and then tries to wear them on race day. You will be sooooooo torn up)
the sports bra, drywicking panties, seamless shorts and top
supercheap long-sleeve shirt/sweatpants-- to get down to the starting line, and then your corral, and then wait for the start.... there's a lot of standing around. In the early morning chill. If you have on some long-sleeves, you will be more comfortable and if they are cheap, you can just tear it off and toss it once you get warmed up. Course volunteers usually retrieve clothing left behind and if you don't claim them, they are often given over to shelters or the Salvation Army or the like. Check your course info.
Cheap poncho, sunscreen-- don't forget to pack rainy weather gear, even if you have checked the forecast. Because weather changes. And again, this is mostly for when you're just standing around waiting. You don't want to start your race cold and wet and hypothermic. Plus, wearing a bright red poncho makes it easier for your friends to find you at the starting line. At the same time, if you're facing a bright sunshiny day, it doesn't hurt to at least start with a good spray of sunscreen. You can always toss these items in your "sweat bag" use them up to the last minute when you toss your sweat bag in.
Fuel-- pack whatever you have been training with, including breakfast. If you usually grab a waffle on the way out the door, pack a waffle and ask the hotel to borrow their breakfast bar toaster. Don't count on the hotel providing a stable breakfast at 5am and don't skip breakfast! Pack your gu or chomps or sportsbeans. If you're a Gu girl, like I am, don't buy into the HoneyStingers at the expo and decide to try them on race day. You don't know how you'll stomach them and you really need to stick with what you know. Pack your own stuff! Plus, the expo probably has Gu and Sportsbeans, but depending on how early or late you get to the expo, your favorite flavor is probably gone. Pack your own.
Wet Ones-- in a ziploc bag, in your race belt. There's never enough toilet paper at the starting porto-potties. Plus, you will want to 'wash' your hands after said starting line porto-potties. No? Just me? Go watch the movie Contagion and then you'll be packing your Wet Ones!!
Ice pack, bottle of motrin, KineseoTape (see below), any other recovery gear-- after the race, you don't want to have to walk to the nearest Walgreen's for Motrin. Pack the recovery gear you usually use. In a pinch, pack a few ziploc bags and use the hotel's ice machine. But make sure you pack these things! There is almost always some sort of Biofreeze-type-balm for sale or for sample at the expo. Go ahead and help yourself to this stuff-- AFTER the race
Race belt-- hopefully you have one that you've been training with, but this is one area where I would say that it's okay to get a Spibelt or iFitness belt at the expo. As long as they fit properly, they shouldn't cause problems on race day. Just stick with one of these two brands, as they are proven and tested and trusted. The cool thing about these belts is that they hold your race bib and they have lots of expandable room to hold gu, toilet paper, your phone or iPod or whatever. Pack your own but if you want to get a new one at the Expo, that's a safe purchase too.
Cute hair thingys-- there are so many wicking do-rag bandana headband things and glittery headbands at the expo! I think this is a safe expo purchase, but there are usually lines of everyone touching all of the headbands, so practice some patience and hygeine.
Technical devices-- your iPod, your Garmin, your phone, and all of their chargers! If you are counting on your Garmin to keep your pace, you must not forget it,  or else you will be constantly playing math games in your head as you pass the timekeepers trying to calculate whether or not you are on pace. If you're used to running with music but you unpack at the hotel and don't see your iPod, you are going to be mentally put out. Pack your techno gear and all of the proper chargers. Give yourself plenty of time to make a race-day playlist and take it out for a short run or two to make sure the music isn't going to drive you crazy. (I had a bunch of hip-hop and house when I ran the New Orleans RnR half. Only, when I turned on my music, I needed some positive motivation, and the housebeats, while strong, weren't the words I needed to put a smile on my face. So test your playlist, or make a few: "driving beats" "happy run")
Laundy Bag, shoe bag, or at least a plastic grocery bag-- because your clothes--- ewww--- they will be salty, sweaty, soaked, and stinky. You will love me forever for reminding you to have something else in which to bring them home.

Things to pay for in cash at the expo:


Three things about the expo: 1-- have cash. Most places take credit cards, but you move more quickly with cash. And you stick to your budget. 2-- make a plan to meet up with your buddies after shopping around, because you will want to go up and down the aisles and you don't want to wait for your friend while she shops for a "My auntie runs 26.2 miles" onesie and she doesn't want to wait for you to find those socks that say "Bad Ass" on the back of them. 3- you may easily spend two+ hours navigating the parking, the packet pickup, the expo, and navigating back to the parking lot. Bring water so you can keep sipping and stay hydrated.

packet pickup, sales people, sign ups for other races,and of course, checking out the competition! 

Okay, let me just say that by the time you get to the expo, you've been training HARD so it's okay--you have my permission-- to reward yourself with a little gift/token/souvenir/trophy. Here's where you get your necklace/bumpersticker/shirt that proclaims your victory. (okay, you will get the medal and the race t-shirt and probably a water bottle in your swag bag.... but this is the really CUTE stuff)

I think our favorite runner shirts and stickers and accessories are from One More Mile. They are at almost every expo I've been to and they GET runners-- from bumper stickers to shirts to arm warmers, their slogans are so dead on!

Arm warmers and head-bands: (see above) whether or not you want to wear them on race day, they are cute accessories and there's usually a great selection at the expos. These also make great gifts for your running buddies because who doesn't love cute arm warmers?

Other running gear: head for the clearance racks. Everything else is usually the same price as in your megasports store or MORE to cover the charges for the expo booth rentals. You do NOT NEED to pay $20 for cute socks you found at the expo. Go home and get them on Amazon for $8.

Pace tattoo or bracelet: get there early, because the common ones: (3:45, 4:00) are usually GONE. Buy online in advance or get there early. These are neat to have just to stay on track, and be able to tell, at mile 17, if you're on pace for your goal. They are super cheap and I think they're a great expo item.

KT-- KineseoTape. If there is a booth of this product or a very close knock off, this is a great product! And often, there is a line of people getting taped up the day before the race. The tape will stay (mostly) stuck to you through the night and into the race. If you don't like it, you can always just take it off! But make sure you learn how you're getting taped so that you can buy some tape and retape yourself for recovery after the race. If you have NO idea what I am talking about, look up KineseoTape and go visit with the reps at the expo. Like I said, if you don't like it, you can take it off.

I think that's just about everything but if you have other brilliant ideas, PLEASE share them with us Crazy Running Chicks!

..... so with only 9 days left till the Fargo race weekend (which is what many of you gals are running soon) now is the time to make sure you have everything in good proper working order, or make those very last minute purchases so you still have time to log a few short runs to make sure everything works or fits properly. Trust in your gear and don't get sold into last minute changes at the expo. But leave plenty of room in your suitcase for the cute running t-shirts and sparkly headbands!

Happy running!
~Jen