AHHHH!!!

That’s how I feel right.about.now. T-minus 3 days until I am standing at the starting line in Dallas waiting for the gun to go off to run my first marathon. I seriously must be crazy!

But before I head to Dallas, I thought I would share with you the top ten tools that have helped me through my marathon training. All these products can be applied to any sporting activity, not just running.

Okay, here we go:

1. Cliff shots. When I trained for my first half-marathon back in 2008 I didn’t fuel at all during my training. Stupid. I know. All they had three years ago were Gu Shots that tasted like Big Foot’s unmentionable and they made me sick. So I decided to skip the whole thing altogether and balls it out. Well, I knew I couldn’t finish a marathon without re-fueling so I was SUPER pumped when I found these guys. They digest easy and taste delish. My favorite is lemon-lime.

2. Body Glide. I was skeptical about this product because it sounds really sexual, but it works. I put it under my boobs and in between my butt crack, yep the butt crack. Those are the only two places that I chafe. Weird.

3. Dog Leash. Don’t look at me like that? Trust me. Mr. B got me hooked on this little fellow. I use it to stretch my IT band. It hurts good.

4. Chi Running. Okay, I will give you the truth on this book. 1. 60% of it is BS. 2. 40% is actually useful. Danny Dreyer, who is a famous ultra-marathoner teaches you how run correctly. It took me about 3 months to finally get my form right and now my hip doesn’t hurt anymore!

5. Foam Roller. I use the foam roller to stretch out all the lactic acid that builds up in my muscles. It hurts like crazy but feels really good at the same time. I promise it will be your new BFF.

6. Ice pack. Icing is a great preventative, it helps keep inflammation down. I’d ice after every run just to make sure that I wouldn’t cause any further damage to my knees.

7. Mediation book. I am big believer that running is more mental than physical. In any case, I think people over look the ability to prepare your mind for a strenuous event. This book was completely helpful in teaching me how to quite my mind and to become aware of my body, senses and heart. Mediation teaches you to see things as they really are. It’s quite powerful.

8. Vitamin D supplements. I noticed during my training that my immune system became weak. I felt like I was more susceptible to colds because my body was trying to heal my muscles constantly. My mom recommended Vitamin D supplements. After I started taking these bad boys I felt world’s better!

9. CamelBak. I tried do the whole fuel belt and run with water bottles in your hand, and I just couldn’t make it work. I love my CamelBak. It’s light and I can put all of my crap in the bag, plus my water is so handy. Just pull out the hose and viola, H2O!

10. Gum. Best idea, EVER. Mr. B also got me hooked on chewing gum while running. Say goodbye to cotton mouth!! At first I was skeptical because I didn’t want to choke while I ran. But I finally popped a piece in my mouth for my twenty-miler and was in heaven the entire time. Now I am obsessed!

Well, there you have it! Let me know if you have any training tips or products because I am always looking for new ideas!

Bonus:

Spibelt. This thing is awesome! I have been using this bad boy on my shorter runs because I wanted to get used to not having my CamelBak since I won’t be running with it during the race on Sunday. It can hold up to 5 clif shot blocks!!! The best part, it’s super light weight and doesn’t bounce around. Yee-haw!!