by Tina Lehman

Created on: April 28, 2009

Anyone can run with the most basic gear: shoes, socks, shirt and shorts or tights. However, training for a marathon is an entirely different endeavor where more specific and technical gear is required.

Shoes- Face it, shoes are the most important piece of equipment for a distance runner. Select shoes based on running style and mileage needs and purchase them at least a half a size larger than your normal street shoes. Also, break them in slowly and do several shorter runs in them before wearing them on a long training run.

Technical clothing- Clothing made from wicking material is important for long distance running and marathon training. Socks, shorts, and shirts made from cotton can chafe and grow heavy with sweat over time. It is also important to make sure the clothing does not have large seams that can rub across the skin (this is especially problematic with sports bras).

Sports lube- If you tend to chafe while you run, sports lube (Sports Slick, Body Glide) is invaluable. While other lubricants such as Vaseline may work just as well, sports lubes are made specifically to withstand hours of wear and are made from materials that will not interact with and degrade your technical clothing.

Hydration packs- Hydrating is the most important thing you can do to keep healthy and feeling good on a long run. When there are no sources of water along a running route, carrying your own water becomes necessary and hydration packs can make it easy. You can purchase water bottle carriers that hold either one or two bottles. There are belts that carry several smaller bottles which is a good way to balance out the load as well as give you the ability to carry both water and sports drinks. For extremely long runs, bladders housed within fanny or back packs can hold up to a gallon of water.

Fuel- Fuel is another factor long distance runners must consider. Sports gels like Gu or PowerGel are concentrated packets of carbohydrates that can easily be carried on a long run by putting them in key pockets or pinning them to shorts. Take along one of these for every 30 to 45 minutes you will be running.

GPS- While not a necessity, having a Global Positioning System (GPS) can be a great training tool. These devices can show distance, elevation change, time and pace. Some models even have a heart rate monitor included.

Mp3 player- While running with music is not for everyone, many marathon runners will listen to music while training. Listening to music can help make long arduous runs more enjoyable.

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