What I'm Using to Run the New York City Marathon

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Marathons: they are a test of human spirit, of physical endurance, of how long a person can survive in a conversation without mentioning that they’re training for one. They are a LOT: 26.2 miles of running, preceded by months of training. If you’re reading this, it is possible that in a springtime spasm of self-improvement or a New Year’s Resolution accident, you signed up for one, and it is beginning to dawn on you that you’re going to have to go through with it. That’s where I am as I write this. I got into this year’s New York City Marathon, it is six weeks away, and I am in the thick of the Season of Ruined Weekends: That last couple of months when each new Saturday or Sunday morning means more miles: 14, 16, 18, 20, then you dial it back for a couple of weekends, then you actually have to go and run the whole 26.2.

The rubber sole has met the road, there is a lot of running, and there is no turning around and running back to the time before you clicked register. The race is agony, you hit a point at which you swear you will never so much as walk briskly ever again, and then you have about eight more miles left. And then you cross the finish line and get a medal and a banana and you think, Okay fine maybe I will do one more of these.

This one will be my fourth, and you should know it took discipline to wait this long before mentioning that. But through the years, I’ve assembled a list of must-have items to make training and race day go that much more smoothly. Substantial trial and error and a truly obsessive need to make marathon training as pleasant as possible have made me an authority on what works and what doesn’t. So here’s my checklist, and my personal picks for every category from sneakers to clothes and some tech gear that'll inspire your own marathon-training shopping.

Cloudstratus 3 Shoes

I do not need to tell you that you will need shoes to train for and complete a marathon, and if I did need to tell you that, I have to say I admire your moxie. The choice of running shoe is a deeply personal one, of course, but I do want to put in a good word for my current favorite. These boys are lightweight, super-cushiony, the design of the sole softens your heel-strike and gently rolls you forward for a springy launch. On Running promises that their CloudTec technology “reduces the onset and duration of muscle soreness,” and I don’t know whether that’s true, but I will take their word for it and be grateful I don’t feel worse after a 16-miler.

Originals Ankle Socks

I’ve been partial to these running socks for years now, and I keep coming back to them. They stay in place, they’re soft, there’s just enough cushioning in the heel, they’re thin enough to be breathable but thick enough that you’re not getting blisters every weekend. Plus, as you have almost definitely heard on a podcast ad read by now, for every item you buy, they distribute one item to the needy. As socks are generally the most-requested items at shelters for the unhoused, this is a purchase your soul can feel good about, even as you punish your body.

Original Energy Gel

Have you bonked? Not to brag, but I have bonked. “Bonking” sounds like ‘80s party movie slang for sex, but the actual thing is much less pleasurable: It’s when your body runs out of calories to burn and you just run completely out of energy. You know what? I did not care for it. So I keep a few of these on hand and stay ahead of the bonk. They have sugar and a pinch of caffeine for a short-term energy boost, amino acids and carbohydrates to sustain that energy, and electrolytes to keep you hydrated. My go-to flavor is Chocolate Outrage, but I haven’t tried a bad one yet.

Pace Breaker Lined 7" Shorts

I go back and forth on whether I want a running shorts to have a lining layer; if the fit is just the tiniest bit off, bunching can take place, and when it does, it takes place in… the worst place. I have no such issues with this one. I go for the medium length, but for race day I might just have to opt for the 5-inch inseam option and serve the people some thigh. They’ve earned it.

Kore Jogger Pants

Vuori has done the impossible here, they have not only made a running pant that fits me perfectly, with four-way stretch and a boxer-brief liner, they have made my gateway jogger. I run in these boys on chilly mornings, and then a couple of days a week, I live in them. They’re good-looking enough not to read like joggers, and as such, I have even done what I once swore never to do: I have worn them on a long-haul flight. Dare I call them my formal joggers? Best of all, they’re comfy and lightweight and just warm enough.

Zipper Running Belt

I have to carry a lot of stuff with me on these training runs like my phone, keys, glucose gels, insulin, backup insulin, a few bucks for if I need to duck into a corner store for a bottle of water. You may not be as loaded down with stuff as I am, but even if you just have a couple of things, they bounce and jangle in the pocket, and too many running belts amount to fanny packs. Flip belt keeps everything secure and close to the body, and there’s a compartment for everything. The slim profile means nobody has to know I’m a runner with a hoarding problem.

Metal Vent Tech Short-Sleeve Shirt

It’s lightweight, it wicks sweat off your skin, there are no side seams to chafe you, and silver threads keep you from stinking. But mostly it’s just a comfy, stretchy go-to running shirt. Lululemon dominates this market for a reason.

Anti Chafe Balm

Okay, here’s the thing, even the best, softest, sweat-wickingest running shirt is going to get very wet after a couple of hours, and there is no delicate way of saying it... Those nipples of yours are going to get rubbed raw. Like thirst, this is a thing you will want to get way out in front of; by the time you notice some discomfort up there, it’s too late. This stick is what surfers have long used to prevent wetsuit rash, and it remains your best bet. Swipe it on those nips before you head out for a long run and save yourself a world of pain.

Watch Ultra 2

There is a lot to say about the new, top-of-the-line Apple Watch, and I will get into most of it in a separate story at some point. But the Ultra 2 has a ton of dedicated features for the endurance athlete. It measures your stride length, your ground contact time, even the exact length and angle of your arm swings. Advanced GPS keeps better track of your location in a dense urban environment, and allows you to set a starting point that it can guide you back to. And perhaps most deviously, it keeps track of your pace on your favorite running paths, so you can constantly compete against yourself. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it.

Fast and Free Men's Run Hat

I find sunglasses too risky for a long training run; they get smudgy with sweat, they render me blind when I’m running through an overpass, and sometimes I can’t see subtle topographical changes in the pavement, which is to say I hit an uneven piece of sidewalk and absolutely ate shit a couple of weeks ago. I go for this lightweight hat instead. It keeps the sun out of my eyes, it wicks sweat away without becoming sodden with it, it has reflective details on the back for nighttime. Plus it looks slick, which, again, my recent sidewalk spill very much did not.

SR-1X

But if you are going to wear sunglasses, you might as well lean all the way into the Oakley-inspired Terminator-looking race-day look. Roka is an Austin, TX based brand that tests all of its products out on professional athletes, and if they're good enough for Ironman winners, they're good enough for you. These wrap-most-of-the-way-around sunglasses give you a wide field of vision with no blind spots, and the titanium wire at the core of the frames lets you mold them to your face for the perfect fit. It's a little bit "Ken on rollerblades in the Barbie movie," but in intense training situations, you must grab whatever strands of whimsy you can.

Tegaderm + Pad Transparent Dressing

Listen, you might take a digger or two out there on the road. Pack a couple of these in your running belt just in case. Pro tip: Pair it with a dollop of Neosporin for an extra kick.

OOahh Slides

At the end of a long training run, your feet are going to need a break. For me, only Oofos will do. The footbed feels like an extra-firm memory foam mattress for your feet, absorbing impact and giving extra support to your aching arches. Pack a pair into your bag and have them waiting for you at the finish line. (There is a full-shoe option that does the job equally well, but I opt for the flop; after 26.2 miles, my feet need some air.)

Mini 2

If you have not yet splurged on one of these percussive massage devices, let this be your entry point. A Theragun session always feels nice, but after some substantial mileage, put this thing onto your calf muscles and you will see the face of God. The 2G mini is the smallest yet, we're talking 20 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than the previous model, but it still hurts so good. Take the plunge. You owe it to yourself.

The AMP Experience

Whether you’re warming up your body for a long run, or you’re pressed for time and can only fit in a 20-minute workout, the jumprope is a great option. It gets your heart rate up fast, it burns more calories than almost any other kind of exercise, and it fits just about anywhere. I like the AMP, because it comes with three interchangeable ropes: A quarter-pound, a half-pound, and a one-pound which I know does not sound all that heavy, but try it for twenty seconds and then talk to me. It’s Bluetooth-enabled, and it comes with an app that provides an accurate jump count and a ton of quick and clever workouts. I’m hooked.

GPS Cycling and Running App

This is the gold standard in workout tracking apps, and for good reason. Everyone’s on it, first of all, and you can opt to share your workout metrics with them or keep them private and special. (And even if you go fully public with your runs, the app keeps your start and finish location secret.) For the ultra-competitive, Strava tells you who else out there is running the same segments you are, and how much faster you need to be to beat them. I like to start the occasional monthly workout challenge with friends all over the country– Fastest to 50 Miles, for example– because if my own will power doesn’t get me off the couch, the peer pressure will.

Classic Spray SPF 50

Listen, there are good sunscreens everywhere, in liquid form, or stick, or spritz. There is a wide variety of SPF levels and waterproofness and fragrance. I reach for this one, because the spray goes on easy, it holds up to sweat, and the banana/coconut smell evokes the languid days by the pool that I would much rather be having. With this sunscreen and their new Ball Boy candle (with fragrance notes of “freshly uncanned pool balls,” “new Prince cotton sweatbands,” and “cucumber sandwich”), Vacation is on the way to becoming my favorite brand of anything ever.

High Point Waterproof Jacket

One of the benefits of training for a marathon in Los Angeles is that you almost never have to deal with rain, and so far I have been lucky enough to do all of my races on crisp and cloudless days. But my luck cannot last forever; I need to be prepared for a rainy race. I broke this jacket out on a recent run during a rare summer drizzle, and it kept me dry without weighing me down. Brooks has been in the running-gear business for long enough to know what we need. They’re never flashy, always effective.

Hydration Multiplier

Here in Los Angeles, the Season of Ruined Weekends happens to fall on the hottest weeks of the year. September and October are often stiflingly hot, and even if I’m out the door early, there’s no avoiding a maximum-sweat situation. Dehydration is a real risk, older people are more susceptible to it, and I am now older people. (So are you! You are the oldest you have ever been right now!) Liquid IV’s Cellular Transport Technology claims to make it more effective for fast hydration than plain old water, and it’s packed with the electrolytes you lose when you sweat. On a hot day, pack one of these in your belt, shake it up in a bottle of water, and drink it before you are thirsty. (Liquid IV is also pretty damn good for a hangover, between you and me.)

Beast Blender

Once I’m back home and showered and Theragunned, it is time to treat myself nicely and start replacing some of the calories I left out on the road. Honestly, sometimes the recovery drink is a beer, because I am a grown man and I have earned it. But when I’m being slightly more health-conscious, I throw a banana, 2 cups of almond milk, a big spoonful of peanut butter, a couple of scoops of Bulletproof Chocolate Collagen Peptide powder, and a spoonful of Laird Hamilton’s Functional Mushroom Blend into this powerful little blender, mix for a minute, and chug. The Beast is also great for my homemade green juice (apple, ginger, lemon, spinach), and I just made a chimichurri in it that blew minds. It’s my kitchen’s MVP. (Plus, it's Esquire Endorsed.)

Headphones with Lightning Connector

Yes, there are a lot of great Bluetooth earbud options out there, but after having a few of them pop out of my ear and at least one skitter down a sewer drain, I am going back to the classics. They sound just fine, plus you can use that little clip to attach the wires together right under your chin and keep those headphones in place. A tiny bit of peace of mind is a gift you can give yourself as you punish the rest of you.

26.2 Marathon Decal

I mean, how will the rest of the world know you’ve done a marathon unless you put one of these on your car?

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