About this time of year, when it would be easy to fall into the winter training doldrums, Adidas puts the new Boston garb up for sale. The $100 running jacket is the signature Boston souvenir. I jumped on it in 2011, thinking "this may be my only trip to this race!" I bought the horrible orange one last year because I was convinced it would be my shot at a sub-3:00 race. And this year? Well, by now it is a tradition. I can just see myself 40 years from now showing off my collection of Boston jackets to yawning teenagers at a grand-nephew's high school cross country barbecue.
At least this year they returned to some traditional coloring and stuck with the embroidery on the logo. And if the purpose is to keep you excited, it works: I'm pretty charged about my planned 16-mile loop around Northwest DC. Heading out in 15.
i adore my boston 09 jacket, and understand the colour thing...but the boston marathon blue, while famous, is - to British eyes - tacky and gaudy, so people here actually think it is a joke jacket i am wearing like a costume! Hmmmmppph!!!
ReplyDeleteSniff. Have you SEEN the selection at http://www.maratonadiroma.it/maratonadiromastore/Index.php ?
ReplyDeleteSniff.
A puffy vest? Not your normal training wear! They are clearly marketing to an international crowd that is training through the winter -- e.g., the "Montreal tights".
ReplyDeleteMaybe this should be a future blog symposium: The Runningprofs' running fashion choices.
The fleece looks plausible: http://www.maratonadiroma.it/maratonadiromastore/Index.php
ReplyDeleteI do not think I will ever get to wear a Boston jacket, however, so consider yourselves lucky.
Ted: you are 50+. Either blast away this fall and run 3:30 or hold on to your health for 3 more years. http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/qualifying/qualifying-standards.aspx. I don't just think it's possible, I expect you will do it.
ReplyDeleteWhether you decide it's worth the time, money, and pain in the neck to make the trek to Boston on Marathon Monday is a different matter!
3:30 seems a bit more than this body can manage. I was quite pleased with 3:42 on a hilly course, but I'm not sure I've got another 30 seconds/mile in me. Holding on for another few years seems more likely, but still pretty ambitious. We'll see. Thanks for the vote of confidence. :-)
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