running gear

Running gear is a hot topic whenever a bunch of runners gets together. I'm pretty frugal and stick to the basics.

Socks: IMHO socks are the most important item in my running gear after my shoes. I started out with Thorlo crew socks, but after several years grew increasingly unhappy with them. The fuzzy inside is a great concept, and I love them in my everyday casual shoes, but they don't cut it for me running. Too many blisters, and the fuzzy tends to rip off toe nails. I tried a WigWam brand sock, a light little polyester thing that weighed nothing at all, and that produced lots of blisters. I have seen toe socks (where each toe has its own little pocket, like a glove) and I think they look weird and won't spend the money to find out for myself what they are like. I am now a devoted fan of Wright Socks. They are the perfect sock. They are a double-layer sock, so there are two thin layers of material. The layers rub on each other instead of the sock rubbing on my feet, so there is no rubbing to cause blisters. I wear the ankle-length version. I have 8 pair in various colors. I haven't had a single blister since I started wearing them. They're usually available on the pre-race sales expositions, costing $21 for 4 pair.

Shorts: I have two pairs of purple spandex compression shorts from Best of Times (my thighs are on the thick side so the compression shorts keep them from rubbing together). They are probably 6 years old at this point and I'm thinking about their replacement, even though they are still in great shape. Needless to say they have worn very well.

Running Tights: I have a pair of black running tights with the elastic band at the bottom of each leg to keep it from riding up off my socks. It is also long in the tooth, but still in good shape.

Shirts: I get so many shirts from events, some of them great technical perspiration-wicking shirts, that I don't buy shirts any more. I have an UnderArmor short-sleeve shirt and a long-sleeve shirt that I wear as a base layer on any run longer than a half-marathon, weather determining which I wear.

Underwear: UnderArmor greatly reduces chafing. 'nuff said there.

Hat: I have a baseball cap-style hat, and I have a kepi from REI. The baseball cap running hat wicks moisture and has my employer's name on it, but I am not fond of the fit or the feel. My head always feels hot. I wear the kepi a lot; some people think it is my signature. I'm pretty fair-skinned and it shields my neck and ears. The elastic is all stretched 0ut - it was that way when I bought it but didn't realize it - and I'm trying to figure out how to surgically replace that. I also have a middle-blue fleece Patagonia hat that I love.

Sunglasses: I don't wear them but wish I did. When I've worn sunglasses, they have fallen off and gotten scratched up; they have become covered with sunscreen and sweat and I can't see out of them (certainly can't clean them with a sweaty running shirt); the cheap ones have warped lenses and distort my vision; and they are awkward to put anywhere during a run when I'm not actually wearing them. I never know whether to buy good ones and risk the easy damage or inexpensive ones that I can't see through but can toss away. They're just too much trouble, but I wish I could find a pair that weren't and I'd buy them.

Jacket: I have a blue wind jacket from LL Bean and a dark gray fleece jacket from Lands End. Both have come in very handy. The wind jacket has a coating on the inside that allows it to breathe while still keeping most of the wind out, and has a hood inside the collar. The fleece jacket is just a fleece jacket, zipping up in the front. Both can quickly be rolled up and tied around my waist for later when I begin to cool off.

And that is pretty much it for my basic running gear.