Working towards my first Marathon, I was a meticulous planner. I read multiple training guides to put together a mixture of them I thought would be great for me. I watched my nutrition closely, for pre-run, during the run, post-run and otherwise. I mapped out the course route, made estimated pace charts and put estimated times on the map for the few spectators I knew would be there for me. I tried new gear out months in advance, including my new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16. I worked through my hydration plan, including deciding to use a hydro-vest with a bladder. Needless to say, I’m a type A planner who wanted to leave nothing to chance.

The day of the race finally came, and I was nervous. The car was loaded up, with extra gel, cliff bars, lots of water and gatorade, and extra set of clothes for post race, and a backup pair of running shoes. As I got my family into the car it was getting real, and I could certainly feel the oncoming nerves. Even though I knew I could get the distance done, there was still a lingering doubt. What if something went wrong? What if my legs cramped, or I ran out of calories, what if, what if, what if.

We got to the race site, I opened the back of the car and realized to my horror, there was a what if that I didn’t’ account for. My Adrenaline GTS 16 were not there! How could I possibly show up for a Marathon without my running shoes. The shoes I’ve put most of my training time on. The shoes I was comfortable with and felt confident in?!? I looked at my watch, only 30 minutes to the start, there definitely wasn’t time to make it back to grab them (I knew exactly where they were sitting…).

Thankfully, I had packed an older pair of Brooks that I was able to start the race in. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t put backup’s in the car. My wife was able to then stop back and get my Adrenaline GTS’s and meet me on the course for a quick shoe change about 12 miles in. Putting my regular shoes back on was immensely helpful. Confidence in all the training started to return, and I’m happy to say I did go on to finish that Marathon.

Now that I’ve moved to triathlon, where there is so much more gear involved, the lesson I learned this day is more important than ever:

Double and Triple check everything you’ll need for the day. Walk through it all in your mind, every single step. And just in case, have a backup with you. You just never know when you’re going to need it!

I may be a little on the paranoid side now, as I have a pair of Adrenaline GTS19’s in my car right now, you never know when you’ll forget!