Your Running Kit
Crucial Clothes and Accessories for Getting More From Runs
Your Running Kit, Let’s go back to that first run. Remember, our aim here is not to push ourselves but rather just to have a nice run. We’re aiming to enjoy this run and to make it gentle, sustainable and non–intimidating. We’re learning to run and not trying to burn off any fat for now.
The attitude will help a lot but what you also need to do if this is going to work, is to make sure you have the right training gear. This can make a big difference to your comfort and therefore, to your ability to stick with it.
The first and most important piece of a your running kit is your running shoe. When you start running, you will invest in this shoe and it is going to become your best friend.
Your Running Kit
If you think you can just head out and hit the tarmac right now in your old, threadbare shoes, then you’re not wrong per say, but you’ll quickly find that it hurts and that you don’t want to keep going very long. Spend $100 on a set of shoes though and you’ll notice a massive difference. You will be faster, you will be less likely to injure yourself and it will be a lot more of a pleasant ‘ride’ (to use the same parlance as the shoe manufacturers!).
I’m not going to go into that in any more detail right here because it’s something we’re going to look at a lot more closely in the next chapter. For now though, just know that you need good shoes if you want any chance of sticking with your running!
Next up, you’re going to want to get some running clothes.
Once again, you can go running in what you’re wearing right now but if you invest in some good clothes you’re going to find it much more comfortable and much more enjoyable. The right running clothes will be breathable but warm at the same time. You’ll find that you don’t get as cold when running outside in the dark but you also don’t sweat profusely either.
More importantly, you’ll greatly reduce chaffing. This is a big issue –especially as you start to run long distances. Later on, we’ll discuss things like nipple tape, but for now, you just need to worry about the itching and the rash that comes from wearing shorts as they move over your leg – or the nasty rash you can get under your armpit from a t–shirt.
What you’re looking for is an under-layer. This will be some form of compression gear – compression trousers and a compression top. These will cling tightly to your skin and provide that breathable warmth we were just talking about while also protecting your skin from the material of your clothes as they move around.
Other optional extras include some kind of portable water bottle (you can get ones that fit neatly into one hand while you’re running) and a sweatband if you struggle with sweat. Headphones can also be good if you want some music to spur you along – although these can get a little sweaty and it’s nice often to just listen to the sounds of nature.
Running Watches and Fitness Trackers – Your Running Kit
If there’s one piece of equipment I would highly recommend (other than running shoes), then it is a fitness tracker or a running watch.
These are relatively new gadgets and people were happily running without them for many years before they were invented. But the fact remains that these are great devices and they can make a huge difference to your running and your weight loss for a ton of reasons.
Whether you opt for a fitness tracker or a running watch, there are a few things to look for. The best devices need to have:
- GPS
- A pedometer
- Barometer
- Heart rate monitor
What this then allows you to do is to track your route, measure your distance, count your steps and even measure your steps. That information can also be collated to tell you all kinds of other things, such as Your Running Kit:
- Your VO2 max (in some cases)
- Your MHR (maximum heart rate)
- Your average heart rate
- Your lowest heartrate
- Your best split (the time it took you to complete one mile/kilometer)
- Your average split
- Your best pace•Your average pace
- Your overall distance
- Your precise route
- Your calories burned
- Your number of steps
- Your maximum elevation
All this information makes running hugely more fun and a lot more rewarding.
Why? For starters, you can now know exactly the distance you’re running without having to set out a specific route prior to heading out. This makes a big difference because it means you don’t have to know where you want to go but you can still monitor your progress and see improvement. It means that you can simply head outside and start running, without meticulously planning a route first and then deigning to stick to it precisely.
This is one of my favorite things about running – it allows me to explore new areas and to find new locations in my neighborhood. I’ve discovered all kinds of parks, cafes, restaurants, and shops just by running around and I know a ton more shortcuts too. It’s also really good for your sense of direction and internal map.
What all that does, is that it allows you to turn running into a chance to explore and discover new things and this is so much more exciting and motivating than simply running the same route time and time again.
It also means you can set yourself challenges and aim to improve. One week you might find you drastically increase your average pace and split, another week you might see that your heart rate stays much lower while you do the same run.
This again makes running more rewarding. Before smartwatches, we had no real way to know if we were progressing while running. This made it in some ways less rewarding than going to the gym where you would be able to see the amount of weight you could move go up each time. Suddenly, you can see incremental progress and this makes it much more addictive.
You can also use this to set specific goals if you want to improve in specific domains. And as we’ll learn, this will also make it much easier for you to lose weight. You can do things like monitoring the time you spend in your fat-burning zone, or you can go on ‘tempo runs’ and try and push your anaerobic threshold. And trying to maintain a certain pace is also very useful if you want to train for a marathon where the whole point is to maintain a certain speed over the distance.
All this is possible thanks to a running watch!
