I know it’s been awhile since you sent your email and I’ve been working my way back to answer it but if you keep an eye on the site, you will see that I was in NYC last week and have 30 pages of unprocessed blog and 215 pictures covering everything that happened.

Add to that the fact that my entire system went utters up the day I got home and you have my pitiful excuses for not getting back to you.

So emerging from my blogging cave into the harsh light of email, I’m putting aside the 115 other messages in my inbox and writing you.

For a long time, I subscribed to only 2 mags: Runner’s World and Kittens Exposed. Just kidding, the other one was Smart Computing. But the point is, Runner’s World is the best running magazine out there and if you haven’t already, subscribe. I’ve since signed up for PC and PC World. As a result, I have stacks and stacks of back issues waiting patiently in my study.

How many times have I blown off a morning run after staying up late (usually in front of the computer)? More times that I’d like to admit but I’m trying to get back into the habit of consecutive early morning Saturday runs. Like everything else, it’s a habit just like skipping them is.

I’ve heard that running is great because it’s a gear-light sport. Just shoes, shorts, and shirt, right? While I would recommend wearing all three, I’ve discovered it isn’t. But I’m a gear hound and gadget geek.

Here is what I use and why:

Shoes: buy the most expensive you can afford and that feel good. You get what you pay for and the difference between the cheap ones and the good ones is more evident than any other piece of gear (other than toilet paper). Oh, and if you can swing it, buy 2 pair at once and alternate for each run. This gives them time to dry out and decompress, making two last as long as 3 pair sequentially.

Shorts: again, comfort is the key but make sure they are running shorts that wick away moisture and stay dry. I like the longer (but not tight spandex unless it’s cold) ones to protect the thigh swoosh.

BTW, you will learn runners talk about normally very private topics to include body parts and physical processes openly and freely.

Shirts: I like tank tops in the heat. Make sure they wick away moisture and layer if cold.

Running jacket: ideal for the cold weather and you can strip and tie off at waist if you warm up during the run. (Check to see you wore a shirt underneath though or you’ll get more attention than you likely desire). Make sure it’s a running jacket that wicks. Expect to pay more than you think for the lightweight kinds.

Sports bra: you’re on your own on this one. But I hear their a good idea, at least for women.

Gloves: I’m getting repetitive but: wick. You will discover why gloves are a must the first time you run in the cold without them. Blood is drawn away from extremities to heat body core and legs which are doing a lot of work. Hands get brittle and miserable.

Hat: I like to wear one year around so sweat doesn’t get into my eyes. Also, protects from sun.

Socks: I like the specialty socks, poly-pro. I don’t get any blisters when I wear them. And I mean NONE even during marathons. And this from a guy who has baby-soft feet (not a great feature for a Marine).

OK, now we get to the geek gear.

Sunglasses: I wear Nike running glasses. They wrap around, are light weight, but most of all, they look cool.

MP3 player and headphones: I find it difficult to run without music, especially at long distances. This is obviously up to the individual but I like it. I pick out the songs and enjoy “losing myself.” (Update: I now recommend an iPod mini).

GPS: I bought a Garmin because I was tired of having to go out on Friday nights and tying bags on trees to mark the mile marks for my long Saturday runs. Plus, it enabled me to go on any path as long as I could remember my way back. I use it solely for measuring distance.

Buttpack: this is a piece of gear, not an action. It holds my MP3 player (with the wires running down my back, out of the way) and other items you need for long runs (see below). The hard part about these is to cinch it tight enough that it doesn’t flop around and loose enough that your gut isn’t hanging over like a bag of mashed potatoes.

OK, maybe that’s only a problem for me and not you but you don’t want it too tight so that it cuts into your waist. Plus, some people can’t stand running with anything around their waist.

If you use one, you might have to supplement the load with a small towel to fill up any extra space. This prevents gear slosh plus a clean towel across your face at the half way point is pure indulgence. Oh, and it’s a dry, clean surface to clean your glasses, maybe the only clean dry surface you have when you need one.

Throw in a couple of Band-Aids, too.

Camelback: I wear one on my back (duh, but hey have waist-kinds too, thus the specification). There are different varieties and this is a Catch-22 because you don’t know which you prefer until you run with one. But I made a choice and ran with it (Get it? Done rolling your eyes?). For the long runs, this is a real life-saver.

Watch: I like to keep it simple. As long as it has the time and a chronograph timer, it’ll do. I don’t mess with lap splits or anything. With that said, I just spent $60 for a Nike watch but that’s because I’m a Nike kind of guy and I was tired of having my leather watchband soak up my sweat and then stink.

Heart monitor: this is a hard one. I have one but I’ve never committed to wearing it and using it. It’s a commitment you have to make and it’s a program you have to learn. I have a book on it but never really followed through. They say it does wonders but I tend to just try to get in the miles.

Other items you want to take along in the buttpack:

Toilet paper in a plastic baggie: for obvious reasons. Get used to squatting against a tree and sometimes in front of perfect strangers. There is very little sexual context for partial nudity during long runs.

Extra batteries for MP3: It sucks when you run out and have to finish a run in silence if you’re used to running with music. On long runs, sometimes it was that perfect song that pushed me through the wall and those walls live toward the end of the run where you tend to lose battery power, literally and figuratively.

Raisins in a plastic baggie: perfect for the half-way snack to give you energy on the return.

Gu or other sports gel: These little rocket fuel packs really work but train with them. Don’t use it for the first time during a race. BTW, that’s the golden rule of all running: no first time stuff during a race. I normally down one every 5 miles.

Lip balm: I use Carmex but I’m just like that.

Some people suggest doggie snacks for the stray dog you might encounter and a cell phone. The cell phone is a safety precaution but extra weight. I don’t normally carry one.

Stuff to have in your car or at finish line:

Pre-race stuff:

Put on a thick layer of sun block on legs, arms, and neck. If you wear a hat like you should, avoid putting sun block above eye level. I found out the hard way that head sweat will carry the sunscreen into your eyes. That’s not fun.

Use Vaseline and pardon me while I get personal: put it in your arm pits, slather your crotch from top of, well, lowest point of your lower back (there, I was polite about it) to your belly button and down your inside thighs to your knees… and all points between these three markers. I call these the “nether-regions.” Don’t be shy about the amounts. Also, put a layer between your toes. Cuts down on potential blisters and hot spots.

Also, if it’s windy, put a thin layer on your face but AFTER you put sun block on.

Always lay out your outfit the night before. If you are racing, pin your number on the night before and very important: PUT ON YOUR ENTIRE RUNNING ENSEMBLE THE NIGHT BEFORE. This will ensure you have everything. So many times I’ve thought I was ready and did this only to find out I missed something (like pinning one or more of the safety pins through the front and back accidentally and it looking like someone getting into a short-sheeted bed). Then take it off and set it up so you don’t have to think about it in the morning.

I have a running plan I use to work up for marathons. It’s in an Excel file and if you want to talk about it, let me know. It works up from low mileage to what you need to be ready for a decent marathon.

Here is the craziest advice: after a long run when your body is shredded, fill up the bathtub with cold water and dump ice into it (I use the ice-maker bin in my freezer). Lower yourself into it. I keep my underwear on. Why and why I felt the need to point it out, I don’t know. You can too, if you want. Well, not MY underwear but you get the idea.

Stay there for 15 minutes (I use a watch and don’t stay in 1 second longer). This may seem nuts but it constricts your leg muscles and blood vessels, thus squeezing the lactic acid out of them. Follow with a hot shower. When I started doing this, I went from not being able to walk on Sundays to just being a little stiff without the pain. It’s worth the 15 minute torture session to save 2 days of lactic acid talking to you.

So to sum up, here’s what you’d see in all my running glory:

Specialty shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, and hat. Nike sunglasses and ear buds connected to an mp3 in a buttpack with toilet paper, batteries, raisins, sports gel, a small towel, doggie treats, and a cell phone. A camel back full of water and a GPS strapped to my waist. A heart monitor strap around my chest and a monitor watch on one wrist and a watch on the other.

I tend to look like a Borg.

Some people just wear the shirt, shoes, and shorts. But I’m not like other people, or so I’ve been told.

-- Jason