NYC Marathon: What I’m Wearing

It has been many months of internal debates deciding what to wear for this race. Long tights or shorts, tank top or t-shirt, long sleeve shirt or arm bands, new shoes or old shoes? And so on and so forth. Now only 2 days out, the weather is predicted at a high of 48 and a low of 34, it’s going to be chilly but not terrible. So I THINK I’ve finally decided on my outfit! Of course there could be some last minute changes but here’s the plan:

Top: Got crafty last night to add my name (and blog!) to a Michigan t-shirt. There are tons of UM alum in the city so I’m hoping for a bunch of “Go Blue!” throughout the race.

Shorts: My Lululemon shorts aren’t available anymore but they are very similar to the Lululemon Groovy Run Short. Mine have two pockets which will be good if I need to stash an extra Gu or headphones. The material is super soft so while I may get some chaffing, it will hopefully be minimal.

Sports Bra: I’ve been a fan of the Nike Pro for years and have been wearing it for all of my long training runs. Again, some chaffing may occur but this bra has been the best at keeping it under control.

Headband: Will likely wear a Sparkly Soul headband (or something similar), they don’t slip and keep my hair in place.

Socks: I’ve been wearing one really awesome pair of socks from Balega throughout my long runs and haven’t gotten a single blister. Feet gods, please keep this going through the marathon! It would truly be a miracle.

Shoes: You know I love my Asics! I bought these as a started training so they are nicely worn in but not worn out.

Arm Bands: Opting to skip the long sleeve shirt (didn’t want it to cover my race number which will be pinned to my t-shirt) so I picked these up at the expo. I’ve never worn them before but I suspect I’ll take them off by mile 2 when I’m warmed up. I’ll either push them down around my wrists, throw them off to the side or hopefully pass them to someone cheering for me. They are cute so I’d like to wear them more than just this one time.

Hair Ribbon: I want to find a big yellow ribbon to wear in my hair (which will be in a french braid) because…why not!

Hippie Belt: Mine’s black and will be worn low around my waist, holding 4 Gu’s and my cell phone (for tracking purposes and music, plus I want to take pictures). I’ve been using this belt for a few runs recently and I really like it. It holds what I need yet I barely feel it.

Miscellaneous: Aside from those essentials, I’ll be wearing old sweats and a blanket as I wait 5 hours for the start of the race since it’s going to be quite cold before the sun rises! My start time isn’t until 10:05am but I’m scheduled to leave my apartment at 4:30am; it is going to be a long morning. I’m also planning to put headphones in my pocket in the event that I need some beats for motivation.

Is that everything? What are your race day essentials?