I just started piling up some things I’m gonna pack for the race this Saturday. Just in case ya’ll want to know what I’m bringing…

Most importantly: SHOES!! I best not forget these babies

The Saucony Guide 5 (in the middle) is what I’ll wear for the first 20 or so miles, which take place on a paved bike path. Might wear them the whole race depending on how I’m feeling. Who knows?? The ones of the left, RocLite 268 (by a brand called Inov-8) are my favorite trail shoes, and might be worn during last 30ish miles, which are on trails. Again, it’s gonna be a race-day decision. The Komodo Sport LS (by Vibram) are gonna be used as walk-around shoes the day before. Might wear them on Easter Sunday too, but I don’t want to embarrass my family more than usual.

Although there are aid stations during the race, I’ll have a lot of miles to myself and have to make sure I eat. I’ve run three 50K trail races and during each race I’ve found myself lightheaded and dizzy. This is pretty darned dangerous since some of the trails are on big mountains. Weird thing is, during these races is the ONLY TIME IN MY LIFE that I don’t want to eat. So I’m hoping to force down GUs, maybe trail mix, and stock up on PB&J’s to eat before the race.

Excuse the blurry photo. Here’s my race day outfit. It’s supposed to be pretty warm so have to remember to load up on sunblock! I’ll probably wear a sweatshirt for the first few hours since the race starts at 6 a.m.

My modeling dreams went down the drain when I stopped growing at 5'5". And when I started weighing in 3 digits.

This vest is probably my favoritist thing ever. It’s from a new company called UltrAspire. If you ever have to run a longer race or a marathon on trails, this is handy to have because you can fit EVERYTHING in here: iphone, 10 or so GU’s, tissue, headphones, pills (there’s a special sweatproof pocket for salt tabs and pills), pepper spray, you name it. It is lightweight and hardly noticeable when you’re running. For people who carry their water (rather than wearing a hydration pack–backpack with a water bladder), it’s handy to have a vest to hold all your necessities.

Shout out to ZombieRunner, my former (and possibly future) employer. They’re located in Palo Alto and have an EXCELLENT supply of running shoes and gear. They specialize in trail shoes and cater to the ultrarunner. The owners, Gillian and Don, are both ultrarunners who have run some of the baddest races out there including Western States and Badwater. If you get a chance to visit the store, make sure you stop by the espresso bar–yes, espresso bar!!–and say hi to Courtney or Don if they’re there. They also have an online store that has free shipping to the continental US.

If anyone has any questions about the products I use, feel free to email me (runningaimlessly@yahoo.com) or comment below. I would talk about each product extensively, but that’s boring to most people (including my mom and boyfriend, who are the only people I know of who read by blog <3 Love you guys!!)

Happy running!