The Running Marketer

There are some obvious things you need to run a half marathon. Boring stuff like race registration, fitness and hydration. All that normal stuff. But they’ll only get you so far and 21.1km is a long, long way.

Here are the things I used to run the half marathon in Ballarat.

Fast earrings

These are VERY important but also hard to come by. The fastest earrings are custom-made by Hoops Relooped. Check out the website for other earrings but I can’t promise they’ll be fast. Nearly EVERYONE wearing a pair at Ballarat Marathon ran a new personal best.

A mystery playlist

A few weeks before the Ballarat half marathon I asked for help adding to my run playlist. And wow, Andrea came through. I added her recommendations. Sure we discussed genres beforehand but I didn’t listen to the ones I didn’t know. Then in the last third of the race, after I sent Bec ahead, I switched it on shuffle. The songs hit at the right time. Coming around Lake Wendouree had me questioning my life choices. I was hating running and could not fathom the idea of running the Sydney Marathon, then I heard “Today, I don’t feel like doing anything, I just wanna lay in my bed” and “I’ll just strut in my birthday suit; and let everything hang loose”. I burst out laughing.

It was just what I needed at the time.

Umm, this is my first time seeing the video. What the hell, Andrea? 😂

Perfect shoes

I have found my Goldilocks shoes. They’re nothing special. Daily trainers, even. But the ASICS Kayano 31 are designed for my feet. They’re just right. I pulled a brand new pair from the box and ran 21.1km in them on a long practice run. No wearing in needed. I know super shoes are a little more efficient and will give me a little speed boost, but I’m never going to be fast and my feet don’t hurt post race. I have 2 pairs stashed in storage because I don’t trust the 32 model to be as perfect.

Amazing friends

SO. INCREDIBLY. IMPORTANT. My friends are the best. I want to say running friends because the 7 Minute Pace Club at Runners Paradise is amazing but it’s all my friends. From getting messages before, during and after the race, to Jen meeting me for ice chocolate near her house so I can then run home in training. And being understanding when I run from my house to near hers and don’t meet with her because no one should be around a sweaty, stinky Bianca.

You are all the best.

Environmentally-friendly gels

Second product placement. These aren’t paid, by the way. When running distances you need gels to keep fuelling yourself. It’s recommended to take one every 30-40 minutes. Each gel costs $4-5 and is individually packaged. I’m slow so that means a lot of gels and a lot of waste. I’ve discovered Vert gels. Really, it’s a big bag of gel mix and a reusable silicon flask and not a heap of individual gels. I mix as much as I need, then add a little more water because I prefer it diluted. I can fit 3 gels in the flask, and wash it post-race with no waste. It’s also less than $2 per gel.

Update: it’s the third product placement. I forgot about the shoes.

Bonus: a supportive partner

OK, so no one NEEDS a partner, supportive or otherwise. If you’re that dependant on another person, I suggest you look at your life choices. That said, James did make running a half marathon easier. From delaying dinner for me to get a cross-training ride in after work every Tuesday to extending his workouts to match mine or driving back to the gym so I didn’t need to walk after 16km on the treadmill in Summer. And for discretely filming my last corner during the race in Ballarat. Then he’s kept it up with Sydney Marathon training and came back to the gym last night after I ran 21.1km on the treadmill.

Apart from a longer playlist, I think this also works well for the Sydney Marathon.

---

Photo by Tanaphong Toochinda on Unsplash