Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Sucker For Swag

You know what I hate? Any sort of run where you get messy. I was all about doing the Warrior Dash but then the whole jumping into a pit of mud and swimming under barbed wire obstacle happened and I was suddenly not a fan. Your only options afterward are to A.) let the mud dry on your skin and try not to ruin your car on the ride home or B) get doused by icy water from a fire hose. When I did the Warrior Dash in 2011, I opted for the icy water. Not a fan...regardless of how good looking the firemen were wielding the hoses.

The same goes for that soapy run thing where you run through foam and the increasingly popular color runs. I have less than zero interest in doing one of those color runs. They look fun for about a nano second and then you're messy and gross and no one wants you in their car.

But then I stumbled across this.

That bag. I need it.


Yes, suddenly I feel compelled to do this race because there's a free bag involved. Never mind that I have a zillion free bags and would likely never use this one, but now I must have that bag.

This is not a new thing for me. I'm pretty sure that I ended up signing up for the Goofy Challenge 2013 at the RnR San Diego simply because I had to have one of the runDisney sling bags. That bag is currently in my hoarder room (you may refer to it as my guest room) and I have never used it. I ran 39.3 miles in two days because of that stupid thing that I could have just as easily purchased on eBay, which is where I found this picture.

Totally not even a cool bag.

To this day, my favorite race swag is the cool PanAm bag I got from the expo at the Inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon. They were handing them out at the ABC booth. I love, love, love this bag and still use it all of the time.

Best bag ever.

I've also become a sucker for really great race shirts/jackets/hoodies, etc. The sole reason I dragged my sorry ass out to the Hot Chocolate Race in December the morning after a crazy Christmas party was to get the hoodie. The chocolate was great, but c'mon. I was totally there for the hoodie.

I did it all for the hoodie.

I'm convinced that if I was going to actually buckle down and try to qualify for Boston, the jacket would be the motivating factor. But not in orange. Gross.

Orange. Ew.

I can just see it now:

Runner 1: I ran Boston for my father/mother/hairdresser/therapist that survived cancer.

Runner 2: I ran Boston because it's a huge accomplishment.

Me: I totally ran Boston for the jacket.

Swag. I haz it.

Anyone else know of any great race swag that I MUST acquire?

 

8 comments:

  1. So jealous of that PanAm bag! I was at that expo, but never saw them!
    I got a big pink feather boa for registering for the Divas Half at an expo. Then at the race they give you a boa and a tiara.

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    1. We almost miss it, too, but as we were leaving, my friend noticed a bunch of people with them. She just asked where the girl got it and since it was free, we ran back in to get one. I use it almost every day.

      I've heard the Diva races are really great. I should add that to my list!

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  2. I love your Pan Am bag. I remember flying Pan Am back in the day, and was so excited when they announced the TV show just a few years ago. Of course it was a flop. I am so excited to be running Boston next year, and hopefully the jacket will be blue and not that orange from this year. I really did not like that jacket at all.

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    1. I think your chances are pretty good it won't be orange two years in a row! Boston marathon colors are blue and yellow. I think they should offer both. I'm totally excited to live vicariously through you as you get ready for Boston. :D

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  3. Dude. I'm totally with you on the swag. I was totally thinking about the color run when I saw the bag too- but then I remembered where the races would be held in NYC and that bag is not worth the price tag or the commute. Boo!1

    I loved the Pan Am show! It could've been awesome. . . but I'm glad you like the bag. I had to have the runDisney slingback as well and I am a fan of using it on vacay, but it's not my favorite. My favorite is my NYCM backpack- paid for it, but it was totally worth it :)

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    1. YES!! The NYCM back pack!!! My sister got me one for Christmas before the race was canceled in 2012. I LOVE that back pack. That's my go to travel bag. Plus, I think it was only $40 and really high quality. You can't get a decent Jansport back pack for that price.

      Since I'm running NYCM this year instead, I feel compelled to get a new one since ING is no longer the sponsor for the NYCM. Usually, I don't wear/use race stuff from races I didn't actually run, but since that whole experience was so memorable and no one got to run it, I feel okay using it. ;)

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  4. I actually use my Run Disney sling bag often. Not because it is room or comfortable to carry (which it is none of those things) but just because it is disney of course, haha!
    The one thing my sister really did want when she ran Boston was the jacket. I am so glad for her sake that it was the blue and yellow one. We both ordered jackets for wdw marathon next year. We have no idea what they will look like though. Hope they are nice!

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    1. I'm torn about ordering the jacket for the Star Wars weekend without seeing it first. In a way, I really want it, but a lot of the RunDisney gear has been kinda...lame. So, I'll probably not order it and it'll be awesome. Lol

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Thanks for reading!