Super Runner

I feel like a superhero these days when I get ready to run. Not the Superman or Spiderman variety who have all of their powers within them because they are from another planet (or got bit, or radiation or whatever else comic book writers come up with) but the Batman variety. Batman (and the Huntress) and another complete category of superheros don't have any special powers, they have gadgets and nifty tools that they take with them everywhere (and lots and lots of strength and training). I was looking at myself in the mirror before my latest run, and I felt like I had so many different accessories, that I felt like one of these kind of superheros.

On my arm I have my ipod holder with ipod in it and my headphones coming out from that, and on my wrist I have my handy pedometer that I got for Christmas (and love, though it is losing battery quickly these days) and around my waist is a runner's belt with slots for 4 water bottles, and a pocket for my keys and a pocket for my phone.

I think it is really the belt that does it for me.

As I continued to think about this on my run, I wondered if the superheros existed in real life if they would have the same problems that I have occasionally on my morning 30 minute run. For example, this belt really has to be in the perfect spot on my waist for it to be comfortable. If I happen to place it too high, then it is loose, it moves around while I run and I really notice it way too much. If I place it too low however, then it starts to slide off the other way, and I have to pull it up before it ends up around my ankles. I usually can get the perfect spot after adjusting it a couple of times mid run (and presumably I will eventually remember the sweet spot without all that adjusting, I have only worn it a few times at this point). Do the superheros have to worry about that? Are they ever fighting crime and get bugged by their utility belt in the wrong place?

My pedometer is another area that I wonder about. In movies, tv shows and comic books they frequently have really high tech communicators or data analyzers/ gps things on their wrists. Do they have to worry about keeping those charged? Are they ever on a mission, and it dies on them, and they are disappointed in themselves?

My last moment of identification with these heros is that my water belt adds a significant amount of weight to my run. Not a ton, but enough that I feel I do have to work a little harder to maintain pace now that I am carrying my water bottles with me. Characters like Batman that seem to have a Mary Poppins amount of stuff in their utility belts must have to maneuver and fight with a lot of extra weight. Just confirming again in my mind that the Batman variety are far superior to the Superman variety in having to deal with very normal human problems as they fight crime and generally save the world. Random thoughts from a runner who feels like a superhero at times.