I swim. I bike. I run...usually covered in boogers and crayon.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Running Clothes


I decided today what to wear during the marathon (I think.) I still need to run in the outfit I picked out to make sure everything stays in place but it's exciting to know what I'll be wearing when I cross the finish line on that epic day :) I ordered the capris I am running in from runningfunky.com. (I will let you guess as to what pattern I picked out!)
Since I worked in running retail for a couple of years and have two dressers dedicated to running clothes (almost), I am somewhat of a running clothes elitist. I cringe when I see people wearing cotton t-shirts or running in pants and a jacket when it's 60 degrees outside. You don't have to spend a fortune to be comfortable (and not look like a newbie) when you are running. Target has a nice selection of clothes and you can get a polyester t-shirt for $9.99. Cotton is rotten. It absorbs moisture and does not wick it away from your skin therefore it is cloying and do you want to run in the cold in a wet shirt? I didn't think so. It's also better to dress as if it's 20 degrees warmer than it is. It's ok if you start out cold--you will warm up quickly. You probably should always be a little chilled when you first get outside otherwise you will wind up overheating later on.
Don't forget about your socks, too. No cotton socks! Running in cotton socks is a good way to blister up your feet. I recommend Dry Max, Balega, Thorlo, etc. Heck, even Old Navy has wicking socks for $3.50 a pair.
The goal is to be comfortable and to keep your skin dry. I know it's tempting to run in that shirt that was given to you at your recent 5k but keep it for post-run relaxing. I passed a girl yesterday who was wearing the long sleeve t-shirt we got in the Valentine's Day 5k. (It's a cute American Apparel shirt but definitely not made for exercise.)
Ok, I will get off of the soapbox now! Some things I just get riled up about. Like people who wear the race shirt IN the actual race but I will save that for another rant some other day...

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