first and foremost, happy solstice! the lightest day of the year, and i’m here for it. this is the best.

so i was out running the other day, and i was taking stock of what i had with me. i leave my phone at home and use a GPS watch to track my runs, so it’s not as expensive as it could be, but let’s take a look at retail for my gear:

• shoes: $160
• socks: $18
• headphones: $90
• shorts: $50
• shirt: $30
• underwear: $65
• watch: $300
• hat: $30

$660 just running down the road! and that’s without my phone! so then i started wondering, at what point does the rungear life sort of overtake?

what put me over the edge into something beyond a thing i tried out to see if i could do? i know i’ve been at this for a while, and i’ve been slowly upgrading, making things easier or tracked better or lighter or better for my body.

• i sure could wear $50 run shoes, but the $160 variety support my feet and keep them cushioned.
• i sure could wear $3 cotton socks, but the bombas run socks wick and provide a level of arch support.
• i sure could continue to wear $25 wired headphones that break after a year, but i upgraded to bluetooth in-ear that have lasted me 3 years and i just upgraded to a pair of aftershox that allow me to hear what’s going on on the busy 55-mph road i run the shoulder of.
• i sure could strugglebus with a pair of $15 walmart shorts, but oiselle makes a fantastic 4″ short that doesn’t ride up my thighs.
• i sure could wear my $15 walmart shirt, and heck, i still do. shirts are the one item that i am ok cheaping out on. the retail on my shirt tonight was $30, but i got it for $15. i wear jcpenney $8 sale shirts. yep, cheap out on the shirts as long as they work for you and keep you cool.
• but heck, don’t cheap out on runderwear. keeping the chestal area contained is of utmost importance, so make sure you spend money there.
• i sure could carry my phone, and i still do sometimes. actually, the watch is the one item i could do without. but i wanted the option to leave the phone at home since some of my shorts don’t have pockets, and it gets clunky. plus, sometimes it’s nice to not have it with to get the interruptions.
• i sure could not wear a hat, but that would require more money spent on contacts so i could wear sunglasses. and i’ve worn a visor in the past, and now i just got an actual runner’s hat that has cute little turtles on it.

it’s just odd because somewhere along the way, i became a person who just amasses running gear. which is ok, but nothing i expected. i always knew i’d spend money on shoes and runderwear, but never expected to spend the sort of money on other items.

enough about running!

I’m close to getting my yoga training done. i just have one class left, and i’m blowing through my two classes i’m taking this summer. just another couple weeks and hopefully i’ll get it all submitted.

we had an early reunion this year (last week) and i just loved the week at the lake! how glorious. tomorrow it’s time to head back to work and the grind (and a regular food schedule). summer’s flyin too fast.