So I broke in my new shoes today during my lunch run. They were awesome and my legs felt instantly better in them. Of course they "ran fast" too and I got a time of 29:05 with my 3.1 miles today! Best yet - not sure how that happened. Perhaps it was the brisk weather, not having run since Saturday, or just Lady Gaga - who knows.
Thinking about my awesome new shoes, made me think about not so awesome things dealing with my running wardrobe choices. I have noticed some runners' wardrobe malfunctions or maybe just idiosyncrasies lately that I thought I'd comment on. With the cooler weather upon us, I've had to deviate from my typical running shorts and t-shirt ensemble that has taken me through basically all of late spring and all of summer (ahhh...those were the days). For example, today I had on the basic black ensemble. I had black running tights/leggings and a long-sleeved black shirt. Yes, I looked like I was either going to rob a bank or go running or run after I robbed a bank maybe. Anyway, the weather is at an odd point right now. Now, don't get me wrong - I love any weather that doesn't involve any white stuff, icey stuff or precipitation of any kind. Except, of course for that gentle, warm and refreshing rain that we have discussed before. But the weather right now is pretty cool when I start out, but once I'm half into the run I'm ready to strip clothing off cause I'm so hot. Today, I was hot and found myself rolling up my shirt at the wrists just to get my pulse points free of clothing. I guess the layering option would be a good solution so I could strip in mid run...or perhaps there is an intermediate step between the t-shirt and the long-sleeved, sweat-your-ass-off winter shirt?? Dare I say, another trip to Dick's!
Then, there is the whole issue of the pockets. This could be a whole blog entry on its own, but I'm already writing so what the heck. Some running clothes have pockets and some don't. Some pockets are worthwhile for a phone or an iPod (yes, I'm talking to mine again...for now) and some just are not. Today, for example I had to run holding the iPod because it fell out of the "pocket" in the sweat-your-ass-off pants I was wearing about 2.5 seconds into the run. Hey, at least it worked and I didn't have an iPod malfunction today.
I'm just glad no one reported to university police that they saw a woman catburgler running away from the university carrying someone's iPod at around 12:15pm today. Hmmm...maybe it will be in the campus newspaper that comes out tomorrow. Stay tuned...
I don't have a good solution for what to wear in cooler weather. I usually just suffer through the cold for the first 10 minutes or so of my run but then feel fine once my body warms up. Granted, it doesn't get as cold here as it does in OH.
ReplyDeleteI hear you on pockets! Let me know if you figure out a good solution. I've been thinking about getting one of those belt things that I see some runners wearing. They kind of look like more advanced fanny packs! Somehow I don't see myself wearing one of those. I'm not convinced that they would be comfortable. It has been getting a bit cooler here too so I'm actually planning on getting some warmer running pants this weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can find a pair with a good pocket (maybe with a zipper?).
On another note - I remember you mentioning either here or on Facebook that you were looking for a different way to track your running workouts. I recently bought one of those Garmin gps running watch things. It has a heart rate monitor and tracks your pace/distance. I've only had it a couple of weeks but so far I really like it. You're supposed to be able to connect it to a computer and have it show you all your running data but I haven't checked that out yet. It was a bit pricey but it might be more durable than the iPod.