Monday, April 5, 2010

Running Gear and Gadgets (Recommendations)

Weren't those some incredible peaceful thoughts yesterday? I hope you all had a great Easter and took time to think about why we celebrate it.

In other news, I followed Kathy's link to one of those cool websites and calculated my RealAge. It was surprising to see my result and what things I can improve on. I highly recommend it. It does take a little longer than I expected, though, so give yourself some time to answer it as thoroughly as possible. It's worth it! (And I have always been a fan of MapMyRun.com. Did I not mention that one in my post about running routes? I don't remember. So thanks for sharing it, Kathy!)

On to some running. Are you training for a race that you haven't told us about? We'd love to hear! Congratulations to everyone who is currently training. I can't wait to hear all your results. I will be running the Helvetia Half-Marathon on June 12th with my amazing running partner. We may just achieve some new PRs for ourselves. Then we will decided whether or not to go on and do a full marathon in August or September.

Now it's time to talk gear and gadgets. Really the most important thing you wear while running is a pair of shoes, but we have talked about that before. Next, have a hat, sunglasses, and sunblock. Especially if you are running longer distances and in direct sunlight, remember that your eye and skin health can be affected.

Most people use a GPS watch when training so they can track mileage as well as their pace. My partner and I borrowed one from a friend because these generally cost over $100. They are very useful, so a serious runner/racer should invest in one.

Some runners have water bottle belts to carry water with them. You can clip up to six water bottles onto your waist. It's pretty nifty and you can find these for $20-$30. The only downside is that you are carrying that extra weight with you. I have gotten away without one of these because I plant water bottles along my route about every 2 miles.

One final piece of gear is the running skirt. Obviously this is not necessary, but it is really fun for women, in my opinion. I don't have one, but it is on my wish list. I've heard that they are just as comfortable, if not more comfortable, than running shorts. Plus, they bring a little bit of femininity back to the running world. They are pretty trendy right now and I think they are super cute. The price on these varies on the brand and store (I saw a Brooks skirt at REI for $46), but maybe I can find one on clearance like I have with all my other running clothes!

That's it for my gear suggestions for today. I will add pictures later today; I haven't figured out how to do that from the public library computer yet. Also, come back on the third Monday of the month and I will talk about gear and gadgets I do NOT recommend.

5 comments:

Marae said...

i haven't taken the real age test yet, but my husband just took it and he's 17.5 (really 26).

i've wondered about those water bottle belts--it makes sense to distribute the weight, but they just seem kinda...i don't know. weird, i guess. i do have a running skirt but i've never worn it.

Katie Lewis said...

Oh man. So much I don't know about running. Thanks Emily! Now I am off to go google "running skirts" and see one for myself. :)

Kathy Haynie said...

Haha - I just googled "running skirts" too - I realized that one of the women who works out at Curves in the morning with me often wears one, but I didn't know that's what it was.

I'm actually debating what to wear for the Goat Mountain Gallop in two weeks. Since I'll be walking, I can get away with pants that are longer. When I "galloped" two years ago, most of the walkers were in full-length pants that day because it was actually snowing at the start line!!

I'm also agonizing over the whole water issue for the gallop. I tried out a small fanny pack with a water bottle for my 9-mile training walk on Saturday, but it seemed bulky and in the way. They will be giving out water to drink at 3 points along the route, so I'm not sure how much additional water I'll need.

And finally (sorry for the l-o-n-g comment) Emily, yes, I'm pretty sure you did post the mapmyrun.com link earlier. I'm a slow learner, and it has taken me this long just to remember to try it out! Sorry I forgot to make the link back to your earlier excellent post.

Lisa Lou said...

Have you ever research or tried bare foot running? It's pretty interesting.

alee said...

I have some running skirts and love them- you can get cheaper ones at Target or JCP if you keep your eyes open.

And I took the Real Age test a few weeks ago (thanks to Dr. Oz) and it was kind of fun to be told I was a teenager again! :) If only I could go back with all of my current wisdom... ;)

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