Deciding Factors

Only three more days to go before the big day, and I still have a number of decisions to make regarding my gear for the Milo Marathon.  For instance, do I wear the Milo singlet, or should I stick to my usual Adidas Response Climacool shirt?  The rules say runners must wear the official singlet, but I also know that this rule is not enforced strictly except perhaps for those who intend to qualify for the finals.  I'll most likely stick to what I am most familiar and comfortable with and wear my Adidas top, but a part of me is seriously considering wearing the singlet.  I never wear official singlets for races, but the quality of the Milo singlet (and the mere fact that it IS a Milo singlet) has gotten me thinking.  But then again, I've never tried wearing the Milo singlet during a long run, so I have no idea whether it would cause chafing and whether it becomes heavy when wet.  In contrast, my Adidas tops are tried and tested in these respects, so there's at least some certainty there.  Remember the basic rule: Never try anything new on race day.

Another dilemma:  Do I bust out the CW-X Ventilator tights, or do I go classic and wear my trusty Nike running shorts?  If Milo had been held a few months ago, I would have gone with the tights, hands-down.  At Condura last February, I ran in my CW-X Pro tights.  Lately, however, I have been going back to the basics and have been enjoying running with minimal gear on - base layer apparel, shorts, shirt, socks, shoes.  It has been months since I last ran a race in tights.  As a matter of fact, I've also ditched the iPod, the hydration belt, and all other abubots that runners nowadays seem to love wearing during runs - and running has never felt better.  And quite honestly, I could not feel the difference between running in tights and running in shorts. The tights would be an advantage when running in extremely cold whether (which I realized during my runs in Milwaukee last month), and is great for recovery.  But as an in-race apparel? I must say the jury is still out on that one (at least as far as I am concerned).  I'll most likely run Milo in shorts and then wear the tights post-race for faster recovery, but we'll see.

Also, do I wear my usual white Nike Dri-Fit running cap or my black 2XU run visor? I love my white cap to death, and it has almost become my trademark, but the run visor offers some distinct advantages.  Because the run visor leaves the head exposed, I won't have to take it off each time I pour water on my head during the run.  Also, the run visor will not trap heat in my head as I run, and can help keep my body temperature down.  I'll probably wait for race day to resolve this one.  If it's rainy on race day, I'll go with the cap.  If it's sunny, I'll go for the run visor.

And last, but definitely not least: Do I wear my favorite running shoes, the Adidas Adizero Tempo, or do I go with the rising star of my shoe cabinet, the Adidas Supernova Sequence?  Now this is a tough one.  For the past few months, I've been wearing the Tempo only during races.  For short training runs and speedwork, I have been using the New Balance 760.  For LSDs and easy runs, I have been using the Supernova Sequence.  For the past month, however, I have been using the Supernova Sequence almost exclusively.  As a matter of fact, I have only worn the Tempo twice - for the Independence Day half-mary and a 10k tempo run at Ultra last week.  The Tempo still feels GREAT, but a recent 30k run in the Supernova Sequence got me thinking.  The Supernova Sequence provided fantastic stability and great cushioning, and simply felt awesome over-all.  It would also make great sense for me to wear heavier stability trainers because I plan to run Milo at an average pace of 7:00 k/min anyway.  But then again, turning my back on the Tempo would almost be blasphemous.  I'd be lying though if I say that the Supernova Sequence performs just as excellently as the Tempo.  And so, as you can appreciate, I have a head-scratcher before me just a few days before D-Day.  If I can't resolve this through rational means, I'll probably toss a coin or something, and jujst leave this matter to chance.  This just goes to show how confident I am that, whichever pair I run with, I know I'll be in good hands.

To the uninitiated, these issues may seem trivial or mundane, if not downright silly.  But runners who are worth their salt would attest that these issues are far from petty, and making the proper choices can determine whether Milo would be a comfortable and fulfilling conquest of the marathon, or just another excruciating and meaningless five hours on the road.