There is something about packing to run abroad that turns me into a little Englander. While naturally I like to think of myself as terribly cosmopolitan, and will try anything once, I suspect I am not alone in having my precious little rituals around running that must not be disturbed. All the more so, of course, for a big race.
So when I started writing a reminder list for my trip to New York marathon this weekend (oh god, this weekend) I found myself compiling something that would probably gladden the heart of the littlest of little Englanders.
For instance:
Yorkshire Tea bags – well, I’ve got to have a pre-marathon cuppa, and we all know those pesky foreigners just can’t make it properly.
Marks & Spencer sweets – for all that I like to fondly imagine gorging on cronuts, my experience from the London Marathon taught me that I’ll find it hard to stomach anything after the race. For some reason, M&S “Percy in a twist” sweets are an exception to this.
Perhaps more importantly, a friend reminded me to pack my running shoes in my carry-on luggage. If my suitcase got lost, almost everything would be replaceable – but you really wouldn’t want to be running 26.2 miles in untested shoes.
So, please, share your own top tips of things you would pack for a running trip, and what you scope out as soon as you arrive. The first thing on my own list to ask my Airbnb host is, “Where is the nearest bagel shop?”
Now where did I put the Tiger Balm and my lucky Hello Kitty hairclip?
