Onward and Upwards Blog Hop!

"I try to avoid looking forward or backward and try to keep looking upward."
Welcome to my blog and my entry into Jennifer's Onward and Upwards Blog Hop! 

If you're following along on the hop, you probably came here from Jennifer's blog.  If you're not following along on the hop and just stopped by (but want to follow it), you might want to go to Jennifer's post here to start. And, you'll definitely want to read all the way through my post today to find out how to win Jennifer's big prize pack, as well as a small prize from me!

"Onward and Upwards!"  For me, those words are full of action and loaded with potential . . . the belief that you can accomplish something if you put your mind to it. 
As many of you know, I have been training with my teenage daughter to run a half-marathon on June 2.  We are doing this for so many different reasons - to get into shape; to spend quality time together and strengthen our relationship; to take back some of the control of our lives which my husband's cancer robbed from us; and to raise money to help find a cure for leukemia and lymphoma.  You can read more about why we are running and donate by clicking on this link. Our training is going along really well - we are accomplishing all our goals. And more! The more includes meeting terrific people and becoming part of a team, seeing Clara mature and come to value the importance of giving to others, and the feeling of accomplishment from realizing that I will be able to run 13 miles - something I wasn't sure I could ever do. 
For today's blog hop, I thought I would show you a little more about what I use to keep moving onward and upwards in my training and also give you a chance to win a little prize (the tag at the top of today's blog post; don't you love that Charlotte Bronte quote?). 
To win the tag, lets play a game of "What's Missing?"
In order to be a successful endurance runner, you need several things - a good pair of shoes and running socks (obviously), but also a few other things:

A good pair of running tights (to prevent chafing and wick away perspiration); a running shirt made of high-tech fabric that dries quickly but also keeps you warm (as an added bonus, mine lets everyone know that I'm running for a good cause); fuel for before the race (bonk breaker - fig bar flavor); fuel for during the race (grape flavored sports beans and blackberry flavored GU); and fuel for recovery (picky bars - all in almond flavor). 
And there's even more:

A visor to keep the sun (and rain) out of my eyes; sunscreen to keep from getting burned; "body glide" which I rub on various parts of my body to prevent chafing; and a water belt where I carry four bottles of water or Gatorade, plus my beans and Gu.
But there's still one essential thing missing from these pictures - can you guess what it is? If so, leave me a comment with your guess.  If more than one person guesses correctly, I have a tie-breaker question: what color are my new running shoes (purchased earlier this week)? Add that guess to your comment as well. If there's still a tie, I'll pick a random winner from those with the correct guess(es).  I'll pick the winner Sunday night, 9:30 p.m. California time and post it with my "Hello Monday" post.
There are other prizes to be claimed today on the Blog Hop, including this huge prize package  from Jennifer:

To win, simply go round the hop, commenting on all the blogs, and then leave Jennifer a comment letting her know that you have done so (Jennifer's give-away closes Monday, May 13 at 10:59 BST).  To continue the hop from here, click on this link to go see Meghann.
But not before you leave a comment guessing what's missing from my running kit and the color of my new running shoes. Onward and Upwards we go!