Last week I had my car detailed. I try to keep the inside clean, but this was the first time I had it deep cleaned. Whether it is getting the house cleaned or the car, I feel like I do more picking up before the actual cleaning ever starts.
By the time I was done, I had carried inside an entire basket full of running stuff. Some of it was obvious. Some of it appeared to have been living under the back seat for who knows how long. I knew there was running stuff in there. I did not realize quite how much until I had to carry all of it inside at once.
There are some items that are no-brainers to keep in the car as a runner. An extra shirt, cleaning wipes, a towel. I try to keep some of each in the Bronco so there is one less thing to think about packing. You never know when they might come in handy. I will usually have a hat on the dash and a pair of trail shoes somewhere in the back just in case.
That "just in case" explains half of it. Do I regularly find myself unexpectedly needing trail shoes? No. But the one time I take them out will probably be the day I wish they were there. Same with the towel or extra shirt. They may sit untouched for weeks, but that still feels easier than bringing them inside.
Then there are the things that make you wonder why, or when, they were ever left in the car. A random sock. An old race bib. A small collection of safety pins. I even pulled out signs from when the boys and I had gone to spectate a race. I found a headlamp under the seat that I thought I had lost. I hate to admit there was even a used gel packet. Then there was a random water bottle with some sort of electrolyte concoction still inside.
I like to pride myself on being organized and keeping things clean. Unfortunately, none of that carried over to my car.
I blame post-run fatigue. Whether it is a training run or a race, once I get home I am usually ready to get inside and take a shower. The result is constantly leaving something behind with the thought that I will come back out and grab it later.
Of course, later rarely happens. Those little decisions stack up and before you know it there is basically a running locker room inside my car. Believe it or not, I have not left sweaty clothes behind long enough to sour. There have been some close calls.
As much as the car becomes a place to dump random running stuff, it also becomes home base for a lot of runs. Cold AC afterward. A seat to collapse into. Somewhere to change into a dry shirt. A quiet drive home to either feel good about the run or second-guess every decision you made during it.
There are also those few minutes before a run. Sitting there getting everything together, deciding if I really need the handheld, checking that I actually brought the right shoes, or just delaying getting out of the car when the weather is terrible. On long-run mornings, I have spent plenty of time psyching myself up for the hours ahead.
Then you start keeping more stuff in there because it might come in handy. Extra shoes. Towels. Water. Whatever else feels necessary "just in case." The problem is remembering to bring any of it back inside when you are done.
The inside of my car looks better than it has in five years. The joke is thinking it will stay that way for long. The first dirt gets tracked in, the boys drop their first crumbs, the dog hair starts showing up. Eventually the first water bottle or pair of running shoes makes its way back inside.
Maybe the shoes are just in case a race breaks out. You never know.
Then the cycle starts again. Things pile up, I forget about half of them, and I need a laundry basket to get all the random items back inside.
What running items are a must for you to keep in the car?
What have you left in there way too long?