Marathon Color Themes: Orange You Glad?

IllumiNITE Jammer Mid-length Short

Spring has passed by in a blur, and time still feels like a concept. I honestly don't know how April turned into the end of June, and so many things seem up in the air. But one thing is for certain: we're in the thick of marathon training! With just 65 days until our New England Green River Marathon, I'm suddenly feeling ill-prepared. Mike on the other hand, is running circles around me—he's a speed demon, and I swear he's a robot sent to me from the tech gurus of Silicon Valley as an experiment of love between humans and AIs. But that's a story for another time.

I've had a few setbacks this year—a rotator cuff injury and stiff muscles that are still angry at me for not running any marathons last year. But I'm practicing self-care by stretching every day, using my Roll Recovery R8 every day (ouch!), and making sure that I push through the muscle aches but stopping at the pain. One of the best pieces of advice I received from my physical therapist is if it's sore keep going but if you experience sharp, sudden, jolting pain, stop. We should have been up to 15 miles as of last Sunday, but I've only managed 11 miles for my longest run. I know my body will slowly catch up. I just need to keep at it, slow and steady, and remind my body that it really does love running long distances. 

To help me stay injury-free, I bought myself a new pair of running sneakers. I buy a new pair every year because the life of a running sneaker is about 400 miles. Since I also own a pair of trail running sneakers, my road shoes usually last the full year, even when training for a marathon because I split the mileage between the two pairs. My trusty Garmin keeps track of mileage for me. But I digress. I always go with the same brand—Mizuno Wave Inspire. I usually choose the men's style because the toe box is slightly wider than the women's, and I really like the bright vibrant colors. 

This time, as I was scrolling through the different options on the Mizuno site, I told Mike I didn't know which color I liked best. He said, "Just pick the one that's cheapest." I looked at him in horror. He ignored my dramatics and pointed at my computer screen. "Look, the blue one is on sale."

"I can't buy the blue ones!" I threw my hands up! "I wore the blue ones the year Indigo turned 21!" Mike blinked at me in pure confusion.

That's when it hit me: The color of the sneakers I've chosen each year always have some significance. It all started when I purchased: Purple Mizunos the year Prince died. Prince shared a birthday with me, and it felt right to honor him while I ran, especially since music is a major part of my running experience. Then:

IllumiNITE
Vigor Singlet
Shortie

 Blue—to honor my son's 21st birthday

Silver with blue—I wasn't feeling my best, and I needed to be reminded that I could shine nonetheless. That color theme came from the song "For My Brother" by Blue October. I highly recommend listening. All the feels...

The lyric that sticks with me to this day is "Believe you can shine when you're silver, and I promise you gold." Justin Furstenfeld is such an inspirational poet.

IllumiNITE Vigor Singlet
Shortie

Grey (aqua tint) with aqua and pink stripes inside—They reminded me of the Mediterranean Sea and were the perfect motivation for our marathon in Greece.

IllumiNITE
Satellite Tight

Black with gold—At the beginning of 2020, I felt at the top of my game. That gold feeling I had been praying for, finally settled in! Litle did I know the pandemic was about to hit...that "gold" reminded me that even when I felt more silver than gold, brighter days would come back again.

And before I knew it 2021 was upon us. Here I was coming out of a pandemic year, not having run one single marathon in over a year and a half. I needed a new pair of sneakers. Again, I wondered: What color signifies this year? It felt like the most important running decision of my life. This past year has been so challenging, so difficult, but we had survived it. 

And then I saw them:

IllumiNITE
Jammer Mid-length Short

Salmon buff black—The brightest, happiest color I've seen in a long while. Mike's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Well, we can't miss seeing you in those!" 

"They match my favorite shorts! And my running vest! They're perfect!" I exclaimed, and I didn't care that they cost $10 more than the blue ones. Because they go with this year's marathon training theme: 

ORANGE YOU GLAD?

IllumiNITE Reflective Tee and Jammer Mid-length Short

Orange you glad millions of people are getting vaccinated?

Orange you glad the pandemic is winding down?

Orange you glad the world is opening back up?

Orange you glad we can start traveling again?

Orange you glad we made it through this difficult year?

Orange you glad we can hug our family members again?

Orange you glad we can visit with friends again?

Orange you glad marathons are happening again?

Orange you glad we're running partners?

Orange you glad, Orange You Glad? ORANGE YOU GLAD?!

I am!

And now, my marathon accessories are complete! I can run as happy as a summer day's sunrise and sunset and shine bright day and night!

What's your color theme? Are you a bright and bold apparel runner? Or a dark and stealthy runner? Leave your comment (or picture!) below.

IllumiNITE Colorado Waterproof Jacket

IllumiNITE has something for everyone—for the most flashiest or most incognito running personalities, they've got you covered literally. And no matter what color theme you prefer, IllumiNITE keeps you shining bright when it matters most—at night, early morning, and in cloudy, rainy weather. 

Check out their latest styles at IllumiNITE.com, and use my discount code RunBrightly15 for 15% off your order.