The Cheapskate Runner:
Look, I'm not a professional writer. Nor am I a professional runner, but I find myself sitting here writing about running gear. As I think back I can see the events that led to this writing-about-running phenomenon. You see, I *used* to be a runner. When I was young I ran 5K and 10K races with my dad. My fashion style in elementary and middle school consisted primarily of race shirts and really short shorts. Yeah, I was THAT kid. As I got older I ran for my high school Cross Country and Track teams. At some point running dropped off of the hobby radar. Later I moved on to other life changing hobbies. Like getting married and having kids.
Last year I decided to be a runner again. I picked up the big running magazine to get some motivation and to read up on some gear. As I flipped from page to page I was amazed to see how pricey running had become. I have a mortgage. I have two kids to put through college. I have a car payment. I am not spending $140 on running shorts. I'm not spending $70 on a running shirt either. $30 on a pair (a pair!) of running socks?
Nope.
So I promptly fired up the old search engine (you know the one) and started doing my own research. Here's what I learned.
The Three S's From Top to Bottom:
Shirts, shorts, and socks. See what I did there? Top to bottom? Okay, moving on. (It could really be the four s's if you count shoes, but running shoes are in a league by themselves and will be dealt with accordingly on this site.)
Shirts:
While researching moisture wicking shirts from Under Armor, Nike, Brooks, etc., I discovered a little known secret (it was a secret to me at least). Amazon has their own brand of clothing. What? Yes. Amazon Essentials.
I had no way of knowing the quality of these items, but the reviews looked promising (over 500 four star reviews) and the price was...a value. So I ordered an Amazon Essentials long sleeve performance shirt. It was $16 and it was a dream! It's a light long sleeve shirt suitable for temperatures between 35-70 degrees. Those are the lower and upper ranges - any colder and you'll want to add a breathable sweatshirt, and any warmer and you'll want to snag this two pack of short sleeve performance shirts for $18 (!!). 500+ four star reviews so I'm sure they are just as good as the long sleeve.
With the long sleeves I never really found myself too cold on November and December runs in Virginia and South Carolina, however 35-40 degrees with a wind did find me wanting another layer. I have since ordered another long sleeve and they are the only shirts I have run in this winter. I probably should have ordered some brighter colors (my fashion sense these days leans towards gray), but there is a reflective logo on the upper back. Also, the fit on these bad boys is pretty spot on. I kind of feel like a superhero when I slip one on. Like a superhero but without the 6 pack abs, all the muscles, or any kind of super power. I guess I feel kind of like Ant Man. If Ant Man wore drab colors of course.
Shorts:
I had such good luck with my performance shirts that I decided to try out the Amazon Essentials performance shorts as well. Ringing in at $18 for a two-pack, these shorts were half, of half, of half the aforementioned $140 dollar shorts. (Wait, is that right? Let me check that math...half is $70 and half of that is $35, and half of that is $17.50 and half of that is $8.75...close enough!) These shorts were $9 a pair.
They have a snug fitting (maybe I needed a size up) waistband with a drawstring. They are made from an athletic mesh looking material that presumably wicks away moisture as well. The shorts have the same reflective logo on the bottom front. I wouldn't say that these are as big a slam dunk as the long sleeve performance shirts because they do seem to fit me a little strange. It might be the cut or it might be that I do just need a bigger size. In any case, I wear these by themselves or over tights when it's colder outside and I really don't have any complaints.
Socks:
For socks I decided that $12-$15 was an appropriate price to pay to get proper cushioning and to ward off blisters. That may sound kind of pricey, but I'm not a cheapskate when it comes to socks and shoes. They are the two most important pieces of gear in this game we call running.
After doing some research I went with the Balega hidden comfort and the Swiftwick Maxus Zero socks. I found that the Balega socks had more cushioning on the top and bottom but they tend to move around in the shoe under my feet while I'm running.
The Swiftwick don't have as much padding but they seem to hold a little better. I've only put in 135 miles since starting in mid-November, but I haven't had a single blister with either of these socks. For $12-$14 a pair (half of those $30+ dollar a pair socks) I'm calling it a win!
So there really is no need to break the bank when looking around for running gear. Save all of that money for your shoes!
#Running #Shorts #Socks #Shirts
Comments
Post a Comment