The Distance Running Essential

This week's topic got me thinking about what gear or gadget is most important to my running. Here are some of my considerations for the top spot:

The Treadmill. This time of year tons of my miles are run in a little nook of my basement. While I guess it could be considered an essential, it is really more of a necessary evil. I certainly cannot train excessively on the thing because I'll either lose my mind or suffer an overuse injury. So cross it off the list.

My iPod. I read about runners who swear by running with tunes. I must admit that I am intrigued and this one might be my number one gadget except for two small details. First, I cannot escape all of those warnings about not being able to hear traffic while you run. Second, I don't own an iPod...I'm too old.

The Heart Rate Monitor. I've got one of these gizmos on my treadmill and for a while I was intrigued by its ability to speed up and slow down the pace to match a given effort level. The only problem with it is that if I watch a tv show that has some excitement to it the treadmill slows down. I hardly use it anymore.

My Windshirt. I've got a windshirt that I've been wearing as a shell for close to 20 years now. It's no longer waterproof, but it is simple a necessity for cold weather runs. This could be my favorite item, except that I only wear it half the year.

My Watch. I've been wearing one version or another of the Timex Ironman watch for most of my life. My current one has a 100 lap memory (although I've never used more than 7), is good down to 100 meters (but I've never been deeper than 5) and has a memo function I don't know how to use. It does, however, demonstrate to others that I am a runner. Somehow, that matters. It has been a companion on almost every run I've been on. It might claim the top spot except that these days I only time my long runs and an occasional short one. I simply no longer feel the need to run each run faster than the day before.

This leaves me with my #1 pick for the most essential distance running gadget:

Vaseline. Runners will understand why this is an "essential gadget." Remember the story of the marathon? In 496 BC Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens with the news that the Greeks had defeated the Persians. At the end of his historic run, he collapsed and died...my guess is due to excessive chafing. How else do you explain that the marathon race was not run again until the 1896 Olympics in Greece...24 years after the invention of petroleum jelly?