“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. . . Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. . . Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.” Yes, The Sound of Music is one of my favorite things. Yes, Julie Andrews is one of my favorite people.
My lovely client, Jeanne, suggested I do a post on my favorite running gear, to help all you running lovelies who have perhaps been inspired by my last two running posts:
My personal weight loss & running story: I Love Running. I Hate Running. I Love Running.
The best way to start a running program: How To Be a Running Mom
Thank you Jeanne for the inspiration for this post. It has been so fun to put together this list. I think Julie Andrews would be really proud of me.
So, I’m not going to limit this to running. These are my FAVORITE WORKOUT THINGS:
Running Shoes:
Saucony Stabil
These shoes are great for MY feet. That doesn’t mean they are great for YOUR feet. Always, always get shoes that are best for YOU. I am a pronator and have learned that I need major motion control shoes. They are huge and ugly and I only wear them in private (and I only run in the dark.) Ok, not really, but they are not cute shoes. But the are the right shoes for ME. I only wear them to run, mainly because I am vain, and insist on wearing cuter shoes the rest of the day.
Running tights:
I’m super old school in this category. In fact, my friends at Banana Blossom Press posted about old workout gear the other day, asking how old your gear was. Ummmm, my running tights are circa 1998. Which probably means you never want to run beside me, because I probably don’t smell so fresh. But hey, when you find something that doesn’t ride, chaff, sag, you wear the heck out of it. Forever. I LOVE my 1998 Nike running tights. This link takes you to the fancy 2011 version – probably still a good choice, but much fancier than my 1998 version. They fit me perfect and have a drawstring. For some reason any running pants/tights without a drawstring fall off me. Not cause I’m skinny, by any means. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with my cursed hips and their roundness. Thank you genetics.
This is a recent love affair – but it’s heavy and intense. I found these shorts this spring and I adore them. They have built in unders, a zip pocket for a key, they don’t ride up between the legs when I run, jump, walk (yes, that happens to me too. Again, damn genetics!) Perfect for running, lifting, anything athletic.
Sports Bra:
Friends, I’d like you to meet Maia. She is probably my best discovery of the 21st century. She lifts. She separates. She holds steady with high impact. She has underwire that does not eat into my flesh. She does not chafe. She is good to me in every way. I am forever grateful. If you are a C cup or above, she will change your life. She’s not cheap, but if you’re a C or above, you already know that the best solution for your girls is never cheap. Another awesome genetic perk = expensive big boobs. However, I recently discovered she is MUCH cheaper on Amazon. She has totally been holding out on me, as I’ve been paying full price for her for the past 4 years. She’s a little selfish like that.
Workout Hat:
I’m not one of those people who looks all sporty and cute in hats. I pretty much look like a dude. Also, for some reason I can’t see well when I wear hats – they block my peripheral vision. Maybe my eyes are too far apart or something? Anyway, I HAVE to wear a hat if I workout in the rain. And I live in Seattle, so yes, I pretty much have to wear a hat every time I workout outside. This is a great hat – I still have decent peripheral vision, I don’t look too dudish and it has a cute little zipper pocket for a key.
Workout Undies:
Ok, truth be told, I don’t workout in undies. If I’m in shorts they are built in. If I’m in tights, I’m commando. After 16 years of Catholic schools I feel I’ve earned the right to be a little less conservative. Plus, I CANNOT handle the perma-wedgie that comes with running/squatting, sit ups in underwear. I just have no patience for it. BUT, if I was going to run in some unders, these are the ones I’d wear, because they are so cute and fun!
Mp3 Player:
Music is essential for my workouts. ESSENTIAL. I will only workout at half the intensity, for half the time without it. If I can hear myself panting, I realize I sound like I’m going to die, which convinces me I may die and I should probably slow down or stop because, omg, I’m so freakin’ tired. Familiar?? So I must have music. I have used an iPod Touch for the last couple years. But it heavy and must be carried in a pocket or worn on an armband and I can adjust any of the controls on the touch screen while running, which makes me insane. SO, big news, I switched to a an ipod Shuffle a couple weeks ago. Where has this little piece of gold been all my life? It’s super light, clips onto anything and I can quickly and easily skip songs, adjust volume, replay a song (sometimes necessary). It’s AWESOME! And a mere $50. Given the $300 I spent on the Touch, I assumed a Shuffle would be at least $100. But this little guy was cheap and holds about 1200 songs. That’s more than enough for my limited (but quite diverse, if I do say so myself) music selection. The Nano is my next buy, as you can get the radio on it – which would be awesome for the days when I’m sick of all 1200 of my songs. Yes, it happens – totally sick of every last one sometimes….
Music Selection:
Because this is very important to me, you should know that I do not discriminate. My Shuffle contains everything from Eminem to Neil Diamond to the Foo Fighters to Lady Gaga to Loretta Lynn to Snoop Dogg to Nicki Minag to Band of Horses. And I like to hear a little of each of those each workout.
Headphones:
This is perhaps the biggest challenge of all my gear. I think I have really special ears or something. Ear buds don’t stay in my ear. Headphones with headphones that hold the earbuds in place have to be facing the right way and only like 1% of them face the right way. I’ve been tempted to go old school and break out my 1992 headhpones a few times, since they rest OVER my ear, rather than INSIDE my ears. However, I’m currently using these. The “vertical in the ear” part is essential for me. These are super cheap. They don’t last forever, but for the price, I don’t need them to. I buy a few pairs a year.
Socks:
I used to buy “running socks” because I thought they were necessary in order to run/wick/prevent blisters. There is some truth to that for sure. But these socks rock! I think they are a sort of cotton/poly blend, so they don’t rub when sweaty like a 100% cotton sock would. The best part – they are super cheap at Costco. I no longer pay top dollar for one pair of “running socks” at a time. I get a 12 pack of these and wear them for everything. Love them!
Interval Training Program:
I do interval training workouts 1-3 times a week. I always do one on the treadmill, as it’s the best way to train leg turnover. I can get my legs to turnover much faster on the treadmill than when I’m trying to propel my body forward in space outside. It’s a matter of physics. For that I love the treadmill. It has really helped me with my speedwork over the years. Sometimes I make up my own interval workouts and sometimes I use ones other trainers have made for me. As I mentioned in my last post, my friend Yuri Elkaim, has a fanstastic interval training program, called Treadmill Trainer. You can do this program outside of on a treadmill. This is the program I recommend to folks looking for guidance to increase their speed or distance or both.
Now is a great time to get Treadmill Trainer, as I’m giving away a free 5K running plan to anyone who gets it between now and October 8th. Just forward me your email receipt by October 8th to sara@syncfitness.com and I’ll hook you up!
Barefoot Running Tools:
I am not a barefoot runner. I’m not against it. Honestly, I just haven’t gotten around to trying it out. However, I know people who have had great results with it and I know bunches of people who want to try it. My only words of wisdom: BE A SMART BAREFOOTER, PUH-LEASE!!! There are a number of way to quickly and easily injure yourself trying this new task. But if you’re smart, the results can be amazing. I wanted to be sure to give you some advice on this topic here, as I’ve been getting a lot of emails and questions about it lately. So, for the record, my favorite resource, for someone who is thinking about giving this a go is this ebook: How to Barefoot Run. This book is great because it takes you through a concise explanation of everything you need to know before and during barefoot training. Then it gives you a running plan for barefooting. It is written at a level that will educate and assist, not overwhelm and freak out. If you want to barefoot, READ THIS. Note: Yes, the 5 finger shoes are considered barefooting. You don’t have to actually be barefoot to barefoot. Got it?
Heart Rate Monitor:
I’ve only ever used Polar in this department. I’m told Garmin has all sorts of fancy schmancy stuff, as well. Honestly, I went through some SERIOUS training with my HR monitor when I was doing a lot of distance running and triathlon training and it served me well. But I’m not at a place right now where I want to or need to track that info. That said, tracking can be really powerful and HELPFUL, especially if you’re a data nerd (I mean that in the nicest way.) But you can spend some BIG bucks on this stuff. I say start small. Get this Polar that reads your max HR, average HR and calories burned per workout. That will serve you well. From there, if you become a HR monitor addict/geek, upgrade.
Calorie Counter:
I really like calorie counters if you are focused on weight loss. They provide great data and accountability. The Body Media Fit is the one I recommend to anyone doing any of my weight loss programs. It comes with decent software for you to enter your caloric intake and then, through wearing the armband/calorie counter, it tracks your caloric expenditure round the clock. This is very valuable for tracking and I’m a HUGE believer in tracking calories in/out in the initial phases of weight loss. That information will get you the fastest results as you start a program. You don’t need to count calories long term, but if you’re serious about weight loss, you have to have some idea of intake versus output. It’s essential.
I think I’ve covered all my gear here. If I’ve forgotten something ask below and I’m happy to share. Feel free to share YOUR favorites below. And spill it, undies or commando? I’m pretty sure Julie Andrews only ran commando. Just a hunch.
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