the concept is easy....

... lace up your shoes, head out the door, and place one foot in front of the other.  When I started running in May 2007, that's what it was; after the iPod was on of course.  I didn't think that almost 2 years later it would become a sort of 'addiction' and that running would come to mean so much more to me than just trying to shed a few pounds.

But as with anything, "stuff" accumulates over time.  I would come in the house after a run, shoes off, ipod next to the computer to sync up my run, stretch, shower, etc.  As I got a few extra things for running, like Body Glide, Garmin, my desk was starting to become a little cluttered.  I purchased a basket that would keep my running stuff in one place.

Behold the basket...

It makes me chuckle once in a while when searching for something in the basket.  Just like a woman's, or more specifically, a mother's purse, you can find almost everything including the kitchen sink!  The basket currently has:

• Fuel Belt along with about 5 or 6 bottles
• The Stick.
• Body Glide
• 3 hair elastics
• pink Road I.D. anklet -- affectionately knows as a "roadkill bracelet" by one of my running group members
• iPod with the Nike+ kit
• 3 tubes of lip balm for windy/cold days
• newly purchased Polar, GPS add-on, heart rate monitor
• pink Under Armour hat.  Even though it's a ladies' fit hat, it 'rides up' and makes me look like a cone-head.
• package of Sharkies, and a few loose ones at the bottom of the basket
• black Under Armour hat.  Shhh, it's Jay's.  Not sure he's aware that it's gotten a new home :)  but since the pink one doesn't fit that well, i've been using this one...
• black baseball hat
• Timex watch for swimming... i need to get back in the pool
• mittens
• 2 pairs of insoles since I wear orthotics in my shoes.
• gloves
• 2 GU's
• Sports drink mix
• head-band style ear cover thingy
• a quarter, Canadian... lol, that must have fallen out of my Fuel Belt since I carry some money in case of an emergency
• head lamp that i purchased for a Halloween night time trail run last year
• race bib belt
• Garmin, Garmin's charger/usb, Heart rate monitor
• sunglasses in a case
• extra safety pins from previous races

While the act of running is the same, and sure, it doesn't have to be this complicated, there's so much more to just getting out there for a run!  Not that I need to add anything else, but what other items do you guys/gals have that I didn't mention? 

Ran a feel-good 7k this morning, and tomorrow will be meeting the running group for our Sunday long run. We're supposed to get another dumping of the 'white stuff' starting this afternoon... hoping the roads will be ok tomorrow, and that we can run the full distance.  We'll see what happens...  Hope you're all having a great weekend :)