The Race-Day Shoes I Wore at the Boston Marathon, Plus 13 Other Items I Packed

The Adidas Supernova Rise 2 Running Shoes ($140) were my race day shoes. From the first time I wore them, they felt comfortable and somehow comforting. I also tried Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 Shoes ($250) during my training runs, which are high-performance racing shoes. I ran my fastest tempo run ever in them, but felt a bit intimated by that. Knowing I wanted to hold back and run the first 18 miles slowly until I made it to the hills, the Supernovas were a better fit for this race. I'm saving my Pro 4 shoes for my next marathon, now that I'm feeling more confident in my ability to pace and complete a race. For the shakeout run, I opted for Adidas Adizero Boston 12 Shoes ($96, originally $160). I'm happy to report that all of my toenails were intact after the marathon, which wasn't the case for me when I ran the LA Marathon in shoes from a different brand.