Race Recap: Run 716

On Sunday, August 5, we did the Run 716 that goes through the Larkinville area of Buffalo. This is a historic, mixed use neighborhood. As far as the race goes, it can be run as a single runner 15K or a three-person relay. We did the 15K.

Registration Cost: This race’s late registration fee was $65 (for day-of registration, it was about $75).

Packet Pick-Up: This was held at Flying Bison Brewery, which is also where the race started and ended. We went to packet pick-up the afternoon before the race and didn’t have trouble with that, though it was a little tricky to figure out where to go. The pick-up area was outside in a tent and there were a couple of vendors, but not many.

Pre-Race: The race info had advised runners to get there early due to street closures. We arrived at about 6:45am for the 7:16am start. This was a good time to get there as the parking was filling up quickly. Most of the runners were congregating in the grass outside the brewery before the race started. There was an announcer that told everyone when it was getting close to the starting time and we all needed to move over to the corral. We could hear the announcer, which was nice.

There was a line for porta-potties that was fairly long. We were glad we didn’t need to use them due to the length of the line and they smelled like the end of the day, even though it was just starting. This may have been due to an event at the brewery last night, so they may have been set up and used yesterday as well.

 

Course: The course began and ended at the Flying Bison Brewery. It went through the Larkinville Square area and by several of the Buffalo city landmarks including the old county hall, Erie Basin Marina, and Canalside. The course was a little hillier than some of the other Buffalo races but really not bad. It was nice running by the harbor with the breeze. There wasn’t a lot of shade, but the race was held early enough that it wasn’t too bad.

Finish Line: The finish line was well marked and there were some people cheering you on to get there. There were volunteers on hand to disperse medals and water. The medals are made from a metal and feature a cut-out design of the Buffalo skyline–pretty cool and they could be clipped off the lanyard and used as a Christmas ornament or other hanging decoration.

Post-Race: This was held at the Flying Bison Brewery and was a little crowded and confusing but good overall. There were two beer lines–one for the Flying Bison Brewery beer and one was for another brewery, we think. There was some soda available, but not much or with many options.

We had some trouble finding water once we got to the post-race party area… and also had a little trouble finding the food line. It would have been nice if there were signs to give some direction, but the food was good once we got there. We were happy they had hot dogs–the first hot dogs after a race for the whole year. The other food that was available included bananas, apples, oranges (all of which appeared to have been freshly washed). There were also granola bars, yogurt, and bagels.

There was some seating, but not a lot. It was also a little loud because there was a live band playing. We didn’t check it out, but there were also massage tables and a couple other vendor types of tents.

Weather: The temperature started in the 70s and probably ended in the 80s. It was sunny with a little breeze and pretty nice overall.

Apparel: Charcoal wore a tank top, compression shorts, Darn Tough 1/4 crew socks, Hoka Speed Goat 2 shoes, and a running cap. And she used a kangaroo pocket and Nathan handheld water bottle.

Violet wore a tank top, compression shorts, C9 running shorts, Pro Compression crew length socks, Saucony Omni 16 shoes, and a running cap. She used a Nathan exoshot hand held water bottle.

Race Recap: Freezer 5K

On Sunday, December 10, we ran in the Freezer 5K in Buffalo, NY. This race is held in the cobblestone district of the city, with the course going down by the Canalside area.

Registration Cost: This was about $25 and the race supports the Police Athletic League, which has sports for inner city youth.

Packet Pick-Up: Last year, Violet picked up the packets before the race but this year we waited until race morning. The packet pick-up was held at Buffalo Ironworks, which is a bar near the race start/finish. This is a small venue that can get pretty crowded!

We arrived at about 10:30am for the 11:00am race start and went over to the packet pick-up right away. For the pick-up, it was fairly packed inside but we were able to make our way to the registration table to get our numbers.

One surprise was that Violet’s name was listed incorrectly on the list and the bib, but in a different way on both! Haha that was a first! That didn’t hinder picking up the bib (partly because she didn’t correct them). The bibs are festive and colorful this year so that was a plus!

The swag for this year included a cotton long-sleeved t-shirt, an individual serving of cereal (we both got Golden Grahams, yay!), and a sample size of a SoftLips cube lip balm. There were also Buffalo Sabres magnets in the bags and a wristband for beer at the after party.

Pre-Race: We waited in the car because it was crowded in Buffalo Ironworks and cold outside. In terms of pre-race info, we had gotten an email from the race director about the packet pick-up. The website is a bit confusing/poorly laid out.

Course: The course begins and ends near an arena in downtown Buffalo. It goes near one of the marinas and the Canalside area. It was a simple out and back type of loop–the same course as last year. There wasn’t a water stop on the course. There were volunteers at the one- and two-mile marks reading times as you went by.

Finish Line: The finish line is well-marked and has a long finishing chute.  The results are done with the lower portion of the bibs so we were instructed to tear that off while we were in the chute. There was water readily available at the end.

Post-Race: This is held in Buffalo Ironworks and was very crowded last year. It was also crowded this year, but not quite as bad–we think there were about 200 fewer registrants this year so that may have made a difference! There was beer, pizza, soup (chili and butternut squash bisque), rolls, cookies, bananas, apples, and chips.

Violet had remembered having full hands last year so she brought the plastic shopping bag from packet pickup in her pocket for the fruit and chips. That worked really well!

The venue had run out of paper plates for pizza, but there were napkins available. Also, there were people handing out the pizza and serving the soup, which was nice. As we mentioned above, there wasn’t much room in the facility… so we took our food and ate in the car.

Weather: The temperature was 28 degrees and rather brisk due to the wind, which was blowing at approximately 13 mph. It was overcast as well.

Apparel: Charcoal wore a pair of holiday leggings, running shorts, Darn Tough socks with striped knee-length elf socks over them, a long-sleeved baselayer t-shirt, a short sleeved t-shirt, a hoodie, a neckwarmer, gloves, and a Santa hat on top. For shoes, she wore Newton Kismet 2 shoes.

Violet wore knee-length compression shorts, holiday leggings, a pair of Darn Tough lightweight socks with striped knee-length elf socks, a long-sleeved midweight baselayer t-shirt, a 1/4-zip fleece, a running jacket, neckwarmer, gloves, and a Santa hat.  She wore Asics GT-1000 shoes.

Race Recap: Niagara Falls International Marathon

On Sunday, October 15, we did the Niagara Falls International Marathon. This was our second, and final, marathon of 2017 (and our second total).

Registration Cost: We were on the fence about registering for this race, due to having completed our first marathon in the end of May. Once we decided to enter, the race registration was about $100 (USD) by the time we were done (tax and processing fees), though we did have a $10 coupon code.

Packet Pick-Up: We went to the expo on the afternoon before the race, located at a convention center in Niagara Falls. Getting there was pretty quick and easy, even with crossing the border. It cost $5 to park for the event, but they did make change (in Canadian coins) for the currency exchange, which was unexpected.

For the marathon, we needed to show our passports to border crossing guards before picking up our numbers. This allowed us to cross the Peace Bridge from Buffalo, NY to Fort Erie, Ontario during the race. The process was very quick and easy, with the guards just checking the passports.

The numbers also needed to be scanned to verify our information and (maybe?) activate the timing chips. Shirt pick-ups were done at a separate table, but that also went easily. An exchange table was available if needed for a different size.

We browsed some in the expo, which included trying some shoes. We ended up leaving without any purchases.

Pre-Race: We had a friend pick us up and take us to the race start location, near the Albright-Knox Art Museum. This was because we had left a car on the NY side of Niagara Falls on our way to packet pick-up. Getting dropped off made it so we only needed to retrieve one car 🙂

The museum had a lobby open for people to enter, but they couldn’t get further into the building. Porta-potties on the lawn were the only option for restroom facilities. The pre-race area had bottled water, bananas, and some donut holes available. There was also a lot of room to wander as this is near the Delaware Park area in Buffalo, with some pond-side seating.

Course: The course was pretty well-marked, with volunteers and/or police officers at most of the intersections. The roads were mostly closed throughout, as well. The highlight was getting to run across the Peace Bridge, therefore crossing an international border en route. This was probably the only time we will do that–especially with the border guards out applauding for us as we crossed.

Charcoal’s big excitement on the Peace Bridge was seeing a tractor-trailer full of celery! She wanted to chase that with peanut butter 😀 (Violet didn’t have as exciting of a time there… just ran across, even though it was time for a walk-break! It seemed fitting to run across and not walk until getting to the other side!)

Once we were in Canada, the course went mostly along the Niagara River and Parkway. This provided a scenic route that was relatively flat, too. The roads were a bit slanted in the earlier portions of the race, which we felt in our knees and ankles for a while. Overall, it was a good course that offered some scenic areas in both Buffalo and the Niagara-Fort Erie region of Ontario.

The aid stations had several volunteers. The offerings included water, Nuun, and Clif Blocks (at some); toward the end of the race, some of the water stations had run out of water. The stations’ spacing was about every 2km. Near the end, one of the stations had bananas and oranges available. At the half-way point, one of the stations had baby wipes available.

Porta-potties were available along the way. There were also some musical performers along the way and some crowd support, but not as many spectators as there are at some other races.

Finish Line: There was an announcer at the finish line and crowd support for the final turn. The announcer left at 6 hours on the dot. There were mylar-type blankets handed out right after crossing the finish line, along with the medals. Water and cartons of chocolate milk were also given in the finishers’ chute.

Post-Race: There were bagels, Nuun, and more bottled water near the finishing area. A tent with results, awards, and beer was nearby. Tim Horton’s was one of the race’s sponsors and was giving away coffee and hot chocolate near the finish line as well.

At the end, they were trying to clear out some of the extras so we ended up with a couple spare bags of bagels and a case of water. We were offered bananas, but declined due to having to cross the border with them (U.S. customs is fussy with produce)!

Weather: This was a challenging element! In the week leading up to the race, the weather reports had been forecasting a warm, windy day with an 80% chance of rain! By last night, the forecasts were predicting temperatures in the upper 70s with a wind advisory from 2-11pm. The rain was supposed to roll through with a thunderstorm in the late afternoon. This made deciding what to wear a tough call.

Apparel: Charcoal wore a pair of C9 compression shorts with Nike running shorts and a tank top, with an Old Navy 1/4-zip shirt for the first 4ish-km (after that she rolled it up and tied it around her waist). For shoes, she wore Saucony iSO Triumphs with Balega socks. She also used her Nathan Trail Mix water belt, her Roo Sports pocket, and a running cap.

Violet wore Marika compression shorts with Asics pocket shorts over them (with the pockets full of nutrition), a mesh-backed tank top, with another C9 tank top over it. She had a zip-up long-sleeved shirt that she got from the Salvation Army to wear and toss when it got too warm–this morning, that was at the first mile! Her footwear included injinji 2.0 women’s toesocks and Saucony Guide 10 shoes. She also carried her Nathan ExoShot bottle.

Race Recap: Queen City Women’s Half Marathon

On Sunday, October 1, we did the Queen City Women’s Half Marathon. This was our final half marathon of 2017 (we think!).

Registration Cost: The race registration was about $65 and we had a coupon code that gave us $10 off (which was about the cost of the online processing fee so that evened out quickly!). For early entries, the cheapest registration cost was about $50.

Packet Pick-Up: This was held the afternoon before the race at a local Cabela’s store, which was an unexpected location for this type of event. The pick-up times went from 3-5pm and there were no lines when we arrived (at about 4:30pm). The pick-up process didn’t require ID or any paperwork, just telling the person running the table our names. From there, things became a bit more disappointing as they had run out of shirts in the size that Violet had specified at registration.

We were assured they would have the shirts at the pre-race pick-up. There were some shirts in the next size up and Violet would have been happy to take one of those (because these shirts seem to run rather small, even for women’s cut shirts), but was told that was not an option.

Also, the race website and information stated that participants would receive a “high tech t-shirt” for completing the race. When we were registering, the sizing options included only women’s-specific Small, Medium, and Large. We heard several comments about how small the shirts were, along with the discrepancy in shirt materials. Specifically, the shirts that were given out are 100% cotton and white (not our favorite shirt color!). The shirt and numbers were the only items included in the packet.

Pre-Race: Parking was close and free, and there was plenty of room in the parking garage–that was a nice bonus! It was also nice that the parking was close to the start and finish lines.

We went to the pre-race packet pick-up area and were able to get a shirt for Violet. We were also able to switch sizes without a problem. There wasn’t a bag check for this race so thankfully we were early and close enough to take the shirt to the car. We decided to go back to the building with the pick-up area to use the restroom. The lines were moving slowly and we ended up not having enough time for that.

Course: The course was probably the best part of this race–it went through the harbor areas in downtown Buffalo, including near Canalside, the Erie Basin Marina, and also went to the outer harbor area. This gave some variety in Buffalo’s scenery as it went through some parts of the area that aren’t covered during the Buffalo half-/full marathon.

One downside was that the mile markers seemed a bit off, probably by about half a mile. This threw us off a bit, especially during the first few miles. There were water stations at about every two miles and course support from police officers and other race officials at intersections and road crossings.

Finish Line: There was an announcer at the finish line and lots of crowd support for the final turn. Upon crossing the finish line, we received our medals and there were bottles of water/energy drinks and some fruit. The medals can double as a wine bottle stopper.

Post-Race: Based on the race’s publicity, we were expecting a big post-race party… but we were wrong! There were apples and oranges at the finish line, along with some gluten-free nut crackers (that tasted better than they sound). There had been bagels and bananas earlier in the day, but we didn’t get there in time for those.

As promised, there were finishers’ wine glasses, which could be filled with red or white wine. Beer and water were also options, although we were told they ran out of beer at some point. There were picnic tables and shaded areas for eating, but no food! Haha!

Weather: It started out with frost on the windshield and temperatures in the 40s this morning. By the time we started, it was sunny and probably close to 50 degrees. By the time we finished, it was likely approaching 60 or slightly above. Altogether, the weather was pretty nice, especially considering the heatwave we could’ve been running in last week!

Apparel: Charcoal wore a pair of capri running tights, a tech t-shirt, and a quarter-zip long-sleeve shirt (though she took that off at about mile 5). For shoes, she wore Saucony iSO Triumphs. She also carried her Nathan quickshot insultated handheld water bottle and used her Roo Sports pocket, and running cap.

Violet wore running tights, a tech t-shirt from a prior race, a quarter-zip long-sleeve shirt, and a running cap. In the morning, she also wore “sock gloves,” that she made from old, holey socks… those stayed on until about mile 6 and then ended up balled up in the sleeve of her Nathan ExoShot bottle. Her footwear included injinji 2.0 women’s toesocks and Saucony Guide 10(!) shoes.

Run Recap: The Big Run

On Wednesday, June 7, Violet did The Big Run, hosted by Buffalo’s Fleet Feet (Charcoal had to work late that night. Boo!). The recap is included below!

Registration Cost: This run cost $10, so it was quite affordable. Nice for a mid-week run!

Packet Pick-Up: The run was held in Buffalo’s outer harbor area. Parking can be a bit tricky, so by the time I got there (rush-hour traffic can also be a bit tricky!) and parked, I was jogging up to the check-in tent to get signed in before the run. I got there with a tiny amount of time to spare and got my wristband without any problems.

Pre-Race: I’ll admit that I was late on registering for this–deciding whether I wanted to go by myself (yes, but it would’ve been more fun with a driving/running buddy!), especially after the marathon was a tough call. As it turned out, I decided to go because who doesn’t want to run on Global Running Day? So since I had no reason not to, I went ahead and signed up. That said, I didn’t get any info about it until the day before. I’m not sure if this is because I was slow on registering or if the info didn’t come until then!

Course: The run started at Wilkeson Pointe and went around the Independent Health trail. It was a lovely run with one water stop at the turn-around.

Finish Line: Getting to the finish line was a little confusing–we had to go an extra loop around a circle to finish, rather than getting to go straight there (that’s what it looked like we should do!). That said, there were lots of people around who were also cheering at the end so that was fun.

Post-Race: There was water by the finish line and a line to get the event shirt and (giant!) medal. The concessions stand had some specials for people with the event wristband, with bottled water for $2 and pizza for $3. I didn’t pay attention to the other prices, but I think beer was $5 and soda $3-ish? Fleet Feet also had a special going where if you went in the store with your medal by the end of the week (Saturday’s the last day), you could get 25% off Brooks apparel.

Weather: It was sunny and in the 70s, I think. Great evening for a run–especially by the water!

Apparel: I wore shorts and a tech t-shirt from a previous race. I also had my Roo Sports pocket for cash and keys. For my feet, I had Darn Tough socks and Saucony Guide 9 shoes (I had trouble deciding what to wear for shoes, but had to say when I registered because the form asked for that info… so I went with my trusty Guides!).

Race Recap: Buffalo Marathon

With an early wake-up at 4am, on Sunday, May 28, we ran our first marathon! As we write this, Charcoal is curled up on a couch and Violet is sitting in a living room chair with her feet soaking in epsom salts. We both have watermelon and strawberry seltzer. Yum!

Registration Cost: We registered early and don’t remember what we paid. But it was worth it!

Packet Pick-Up: We went to packet pick-up late in the morning on Saturday. We picked up our packets without trouble and enjoyed the expo. At the expo, we did a little extra shopping and sampling, which is practically a requirement. We also appreciate that there was nearby free parking in one of the garages in downtown Buffalo.

When registering, one of us checked the box saying that it was our first full marathon. The one of us who checked that box thought it was just for statistical purposes. As it turned out, the personalized bibs said “1st Timer” on the ones that had checked that box. That was an unexpected surprise, but nothing that a little White-Out couldn’t handle! Luckily one of us has a pretty good stash of office supplies 😉

Pre-Race: We arrived at the convention center between 5:30-5:45am for the 6:30am race start. We again appreciated the free parking in the garage, with easy access to I-190 for both arriving and departing. When we got to the convention center, we checked our gear bags and waited in a restroom line. We were pointed to a different restroom location with a shorter line by one of the convention center employees. That line took about 8 minutes to get through, so not bad!

We headed out to the starting area at about 6:20am and got in our pace area. We appreciated that there were several pacers for the course. We also enjoyed the pre-race fireworks. When else are you going to see them before 6:30am?!

Course: The course goes through much of the Buffalo city area, including Delaware Park. There are many nice homes and other notable architecture around the course. The course is also well-supported with many volunteers, police officers, and other officials. For the first half, there were water stops at every two miles. After that, the water stops were at each mile. They had lemon-lime Gatorade and water at every stop, and gels at some. Every stop had many volunteers and they were all great!

The support along the course was also helpful. There were also medical aide stations throughout the course stocked with Vaseline and we aren’t sure what else (thankfully we didn’t need these!).

Finish Line: There was an announcer and many volunteers at the finish line. Along with water, there were finisher metals, finisher keychains, apples, chips, and pizza. They also had the warming blanket/sheets and a bell to ring if you got a PR or Boston qualifier.

Post-Race: The after party had lots of bananas, oranges (cut into sections), water, beer,  and pizza. It looked like earlier in the day there may have been chocolate milk.

Weather: After having the possibility of rain earlier in the week, it ended up being sunny with some clouds and in the 70s. It was 55 degrees when we were driving by a thermometer at about 5:30am.

Apparel: Charcoal wore a race tank top, Old Navy capris, a running cap, Balega socks, Saucony iSO Triumph 2 shoes. She also wore a “throw-away” long-sleeve tech shirt that was on its way to being donated (this made it until about mile 5). For fuel, she used a Nathan Trail Mix water belt with a Roo Sports magnetic pocket.

Violet wore two tank tops, compression shorts, Asics shorts with a lot of pockets on the back (well-stuffed!), injinji Women’s 2.0 toe socks, Asics GT-1000 4 shoes, and a running cap. In the morning, she wore a zip-up sweatshirt to toss when it warmed up (mile 2). She carried a bottle of water that could be recycled when she got tired of carrying it (around mile 22).

Race Recap: Night Nation Run

On Saturday, May 7, we did the Night Nation Run 5K. This is advertised as the first running music festival (very punny?).

Registration Cost: With the coupon code, it was about the same as most other 5Ks in the area. Also, this was billed as a fundraiser for Stand-Up to Cancer, so presumably some of the registration cost may get contributed to that organization.

Packet Pick-Up: We had opted for the Friday pre-race packet pick-up (because day-of pick-up cost an extra $5). There were several reminder emails sent with the information that was needed. Charcoal wasn’t able to go to the pick-up so Violet got both packets. This ended up being easier than the race FAQs led us to believe. Although the website said we’d need a copy of Charcoal’s license and a signed waiver, it turned out that Violet just needed the registration confirmation email with the barcode to scan.

The pick-up line was a bit slow because many people were picking up multiple packets. Otherwise, it went pretty smoothly.

For swag, there were cotton t-shirts and a glow necklace.

Pre-Race: There were a lot of emails and the communication was not bad. The highway exit for the race area was closed and we needed to go one exit further to get there. Related, we ended up parking where there was a space available… and as it turned out, this was about 1.5 miles away from the race start. There were no other lots available (this was on-street parking), and this was the best option. Seriously?! It was a long walk, both to and from the race start–not what we were expecting based on the information in the emails. More specifically, the emails said there would be ample free parking by the course. Although this was free, it was not close.

We didn’t try to take bags into the race area, but they had security at the gates to check. The security guard also needed to see our numbers before we were allowed into the race area.

Once we were in the race area, it was a little confusing to tell where the line to the start was–there was just a big group of people who were standing around. It was hard to tell if they were in line to start or if they were in the “party” area. There were some food trucks in this area.

When we got into the line to start, it took a while to get to the starting line because they were letting people go in waves every couple of minutes (not sure how many people were in a wave, but there were employees at the start lines to regulate this). There was an emcee/DJ who was at the starting line, along with two young women who were kind of like Night Nation Run cheerleaders.

The release form indicated that protective eye-wear should be worn at all times on the course. We were rebels and didn’t wear our safety goggles, but we saw one person who had them. We weren’t sure what they were for–most likely for the strobe lights?

Course: This was a bit treacherous with potholes and puddles. It was a two-loop course, meaning that we could have finished in half the time. But we didn’t. As it turned out, we ran through a muddy connecting area to start our second loop. Not surprisingly, the course was much emptier the second time around.

There were about four stations along the course where DJs were playing music, there were strobe lights, and selfie stations with blacklights. There was also one water stop that was in the mud between the first and second loops. Rather than having a paper cup with water, each person was given a 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina.

Approaching the finish line, there were a lot of people cutting through to get out of the mud. As you can see, this course was not very regulated and was not timed, adding to the party atmosphere.

There were some nifty arrow lights to point the way along the course. There were also some other lights along the course to help with the non-music areas.

Finish Line: It was a little unclear where this was, but there was a selfie station with blacklights, and another water stop (that also gave out whole bottles of water).

Post-Race: The after-party was nearby, with a stage where the DJ and cheerleaders were interacting with the crowd. There were some giveaways with glowing sticks/swords. We didn’t stay at the party to scope out the food trucks or other festivities.

Weather: It was cold (40s-50s), rainy, and windy by the water.

Apparel: Violet was wearing running tights from Target, a light fleece-lined C9 turtleneck, a fleece jacket, Smartwool socks, a rain coat, and Asics GTX 1000-4 (goretex) shoes.

Charcoal wore reflective running tights, a long-sleeved technical t-shirt, an activewear sweatshirt, and Brooks PureFlow shoes.

Race Recap: Shoes for the Shelter 5K

On Sunday, April 23, Violet ran in the Shoes for the Shelter 5K (sadly, Charcoal couldn’t make this one. Boo!). It was the day after a long run, but a fun race with gorgeous weather. The general re-cap is summarized below!

Registration Cost: This race cost about the same as most 5Ks in the area.

Packet Pick-Up: I picked up my bib and t-shirt (and dropped off a pair of shoes to donate!) at Canisus College’s athletic center on the day before the race. Parking was available, though it was a little tricky to get to the door that I needed. Picking up the packet was easy once I was inside the building.

Pre-Race: When I got there in the morning, parking was quick and easy in a nearby lot. I opted to park in a lot up the road so I would get to warm up a bit on my way to the starting line. There were markers for your approximate pace group. They asked runners to remove their hats before the beginning for the national anthem, and their were uniformed members of the campus ROTC (I think) there.

Course: This race starts and finishes near the Canisius College campus, going down to the Delaware Park area of Buffalo. All of the running was done on the road, with one lane closed to traffic. There were plenty of police officers and course officials on hand to help with traffic. Because this is Buffalo, NY, the course was pretty flat. There were a couple of little slopes. There was one water stop on the course.

Finish Line: The finish line was on a slight uphill! There was an announcer there, with a table where volunteers were handing out cups of water. There were also bananas.

Post-Race: I didn’t stick around too long after the race, but it looked like the post-race party mostly consisted of the water and bananas unless I missed something!

Weather: It was sunny and probably in the 60s.

Apparel: I wore shorts, a technical t-shirt from a previous race, and a 1/4-zip shirt. My all-important footwear included Darn Tough socks and Saucony Guide 9 shoes.