VIP Port a Potties are for ME!!!

I am considering running the Marine Corp Marathon this October as my Boston qualifier. As I was researching the race, I came across something that may have cinched the deal for me. VIP Port a Potties at the race.

Anyone who has run a marathon (or any long race for that matter) knows the horrors of the Port-A-Potty. Long lines, no sanitizer, no toilet paper,hideous smells....need I go on? As runners, it is just something that we learn to accept, deal with or work around, but always dread!!!

It seems that at the Marine Corp Marathon, my favorite brand, "Brooks" is offering VIP potties that have, "flushing toilets, partitioned stalls, climate control, fragrance dispenser, hot and cold running water, auto shut off faucets, and vanities with mirrors" for anyone wearing Brooks footwear or Brooks MCM 2008 apparel.

Luckily I run in Brooks shoes, so It looks like I am finally going to be a VIP of something!! (even if it is port a potties).

I have not decided on the race yet, but this definitely will weigh heavily in it's favor.

My questions to other runners is, would you consider changing your running shoes or apparel to have a better bathroom experience on race day? I guess we will see on race day!!!

Running Shoes

My mornings are pretty hetic here, trying to get everyone up and out of the house (including myself) and this morning was a typical one here. As a result, I could not locate my favorite # 1 running shoes, and had to go with a back up pair. Both are good shoes, my favorite ones are Brooks and I have been running with them for two years. I am on my second pair of them and love them. They are affordable and work great for my feet. Prior to that I used Asics which are also good shoes but after one year of successful injury free running with them I was unable to find and exact replacement and the model that I tried does not work for me. I was never a believer in the "shoes make all the difference" theory but my own personal experience now tells me otherwise. Everytime I set out for a run with these new Asics I get knee pain, which never happened with the older Asics, or now my Brooks. They are all a similar neutral shoe, but there is something about that shoe that does not work for me. I now feel strongly that the shoe should be the first thing that you try to change if you are experiencing pain. I do not think price matters as much as finding a good quality shoe that works for you.

So today, when I had to get my back up pair, my Asics, my training run was not the best. Fortunately it was short. I think that tonight I will spend some time searching for my Brooks.