My last long run acted as a dress rehearsal for marathon day. Although, as I found out the hard way at Venice marathon, the weather can change and kit decisions need to be made last minute, I like to give my planned race-day outfit a whirl before the big day.

So on my last 16-miler I put on what I plan to wear on the day, looked a bit like a hipster and headed off down the canal. Hurricanes and torrential rain permitting, this is what I plan to wear for Bournemouth marathon.

Shoes – Brooks launch
Most of my miles have been done in my trust Adrenalines, but I was given these a few months ago and they fast became my race shoe. They’re lighter than the Adrenaliens and less cushioned/supportive. I’ve used them for 10k races and I wore them in Copenhagen marathon in May. I’ve saved them for doing my speedwork in so when I put them on I know it’s time to run fast. And that’s exactly what I plan to do in Bournemouth.

Socks – Feetures
I was also given these, so interpret that how you will, but I won’t run 26.2 miles in anything I’m not completely happy with. I like these socks. They’re comfy and (though you can’t see them here) blue.

Calf guards – Zensah
I also bought these a while back. My nieces know to spot Auntie Laura by looking for her yellow socks. In fact, they have no feet, being calf guards. I haven’t worn them in a while but used them for my last run because of a niggly shin, and whether they really do anything to help or not, they make it feel better. So they might be getting an outing on race day.

Shorts – Oiselle
I bought these shorts and they came all the way from the US via my friend Laura S. They’re short but long enough thatthey don’t ride up and show your ass cheeks. I’ve work them for Copenhagen marathon, 10k races and cross country. They’re bright, they stand out (so supporters can spot me) and they match my club vest.

Vest (not pictured) – Serpentine
I didn’t wear my club vest on my run, because that’s not really a done thing among club runners. I don’t know why. So pictured is an old race T from an obscure marathon you’ve probably not heard of (told you I was keeping it hipster).

Belt – SPIbelt
In Copenhagen I kept some nut balls in this belt, and I’ve been using it to carry my phone when the pocket in whatever I’m running in doesn’t fit it. I’ll probably use it to carry a couple of gels on race day because, although my shorts have a pocket, it’s not big enough for more than two gels.

GPS – Garmin 620
We’ve had out ups and downs this training cycle. Sometimes it has made up a completely different route to the one I’ve run, but mostly it behaves OK. If nothing else, I’ll be wearing it to look at the time and work out my pace from there.

Sunnies
These came free with some beer in Austria. They do the trick and I’m not worried about losing them because they’re not valuable. I might swap them for a visor depending on whether it’s raining or really hot. I find a visor helps to keep the sun off your entire face more and stops me feeling so warm.

Substitutions

Should it be a lot colder than expected, I’ll substitute the shorts for capri tights, add a long sleeve top under my club vest and get an old pair of 99p H&M gloves that I can wear and not worry about losing/throwing away.

I’ve run quite a few marathons now (here’s a list if you want to ready about them all in order) and what I’ve learnt about choosing race kit is to pick things you feel good in (both physically and mentally) and to leave some decisions until race morning once you’ve seen the weather. If you’re travelling away to a race, take a few options with you.