Random Friday Rant: Packin' Ain't Easy

Most of the time I have nothing but good things to say about running: I love the way I feel after a hard workout, I love planning trips around awesome races, and I love spending time outside every day. One thing I don't love? Packing.

No, not that kind of packing.

The downside to being a runner (the only real one that I can think of) is packing for a trip. No matter how short your travels, you need to bring nearly twice as much stuff as a normal person non-runner.

For example, this weekend I am going to Boston for a couple of days (and hopefully the beach as well). If I were a a non-runner, I could get away with the lightest of bags. I would bring the shoes on my feet, some flip-flops, swim trunks, an extra t-shirt, and some clean socks and underwear. However, since I am a runner, I have to pack my running shoes, running clothes, running sunglasses, running watch, and running water bottle. Suddenly my packing list just got a lot longer and that little backpack I could have used has been replaced by heavy duffel bag.

Okay, so this is clearly a superficial first-world problem, but sometimes I do wonder how the other half lives packs.