RUNNING GEAR
The must-have, the good-to-haves and the wants
Even for this simple and straightforward sport, runners need the right gear. Some of it is essential. Some of it is highly recommended. And some of it is a just a luxury.
Here are a few ideas and suggestions from Chris Ponteri, executive director of the PNC Milwaukee Running Festival; Sean Osborne, director of Silver Circle Sports Events; Erin Smith, race director of the Lakefront Marathon; Amy Hall from Elite Clubs; and me, Lori Nickel, bringing up the rear as usual.
You can choose and decide what will best help you run, whether you are headed for your first 5K or your first marathon.
HEAD
Hat and sunglasses. It’s good to protect the skin and eyes from UV rays, but some runners just wear a hat to catch the sweat. Some hats are made of light, stretchy nylon and are washable.
“I never run without a hat,” said Ponteri. “In the summer they reflect the sun, and in the winter, it’s cold, so I’ll wear a beanie.”
FACE
A waterproof sunscreen. This is also good for hairless heads.
Hydration is essential on long runs especially. Drink lots of water the day before a race or run, and then consider hydration, electrolytes and calories throughout the long run. Fitness stores have shelves stocked with options. Osborne uses Nuun supplement in his hydration.
“It’s like a Gatorade, for the electrolytes. Nice and clean flavors and they have tablets. I like that because its easier for me to refill,” said Osborne. Please also hydrate in all weather conditions. “The thing that I see a lot for the Lakefront Marathon and fall marathons is that people are so used to training when it is hot,” said Smith. “And they drank a lot of water in the summer.
“Then it comes to fall, and it is not so hot, and you think, ‘It’s cold, I’m not sweating’ and you don’t drink enough water. What you see is a lot of dehydration.”
HAND
Pepper spray. A small amount of security and protection for running. You never know if you’ll need it — even dogs can be threatening — but it’s some assurance.
WRIST
Wristbands with a small pocket are great for holding your car key, some cash and maybe even your business
card or identification with medical information.
TOP
Dressing in layers is great for running — but it can also be a drag to tie a jacket or sweatshirt around your waist after you’ve gotten warm enough on your run. So I bring “throwaway” clothes — an old sweatshirt or top to wear to the starting line, and then dump when the race starts. I usually discard in a public wastebasket along the route, but some race volunteers collect these clothes and donate them.
“Most people dump clothes in the first mile,” said Ponteri. “After the race starts, we go behind the last runner and pick up all the clothes and donate them.”
ARMS
Body Glide can be applied to armpits or anywhere else that has friction. You’re not a cricket. Give your skin a break.
“It’s going to help protect from chafing everywhere,” said Hall.
WAIST
“If you’re running a race that’s not well supported with aid stations, then you want a running belt,” said Osborne. Running belts can hold phones, music players, energy gels, food, water bottles. Osborne also pins his race tag to his belt.
There are many styles, but Ponteri swears by the FlipBelt.
“You can put your phone in it, Gu packs, it’s got a clip for your car key, and they don’t bounce at all,” said Ponteri. “It just hugs to your waist.”
Many runners find it beneficial to eat something more than an hour before a big race or long run. Whether you can handle a banana or oatmeal or more, that’s up to you.
Some larger, well-supported races have water or electrolyte drinks along the course, and bananas, oranges, bagels or even protein drinks at the end. Many runners bring their own nutrition. Osborne’s favorites are Gu and Hammer energy gels and Clif Bars.
“Chocolate-flavored Gu tastes like hot fudge syrup,” said Ponteri.
Just try all your food out first during training.
“How your stomach digests changes as you run,” said Smith. “Your body is not focused on digesting food, it is focused on sending the blood through the muscles to keep you going.”
BOTTOMS
You want to be comfortable in whatever you run in. “I run in a compression short — they’re like a pair of shorts, but they’re tight,” said Smith. “I don’t like how regular running shorts ride up. Pick what you feel comfortable in — because if you don’t feel comfortable, you’re not going to want to do it. For me it’s been a lot of trial and error.”
FEET
If you’re going to go cheap anywhere, don’t do it here. Take care of your running feet with good socks and shoes. Wool socks wick away moisture. There are several brands and blends (Wigwam is made in Wisconsin).
“Wool or running socks keep your feet dry, they wick moisture away,” said Amy Hall. “You want to prevent blisters and losing toenails, from the impact of the foot hitting the front of the shoe. That’s really painful.”
Shoes are everything. Don’t learn this the hard way, then get hurt — and then invest in good shoes (like me). Start with running shoes with good arch support, firm or soft padding, and structural support to help your feet. Brooks, Asics and New Balance are common and popular, but shop around. Adidas and Saucony are also well-received. Plantar fasciitis and Achilles injuries are common — and no fun.
“Adidas makes the best running shoes out there,” said Ponteri. “Brooks and Asics kind of rule the specialty running market, and they make great shoes. But Adidas is doing some really great things with their boost foam. They hold their shape better and you can run more miles in them, and wear the same shoes every day without them losing too much of their cushioning.”
“You should go to a running store. They will evaluate your running style and get you the right shoe. I’ve worn the same style shoe now for 10 years. I stay with it because it’s comfortable,” said Osborne.
Stores to consider: InStep, Endurance House, Performance Running Outfitters, Fleet Feet, Rodiez’s Running Store.
“They’ll do a gait analysis, they’ll watch you on a treadmill,” said Smith. “Personally, I like shoes that are wider because I tend to get blisters on the outsides of my toes. And we’re really lucky to have so many local running stores where they really know what they’re selling as opposed to Sport Authority, which says, ‘Oh here is the new Nike, you should buy them.’ ”
IN THE CAR
This is stuff you can leave in the car, but it’ll make you prepared. ■ Map-list of bathrooms: Look this up on the computer before you go, whether it’s just a training run or a race. The City of Milwaukee REALLY needs to add public bathrooms to the lakefront.
■ Beach towel: If you run long distance, you’re going to be a whole lot of sweaty. The towel is just a layer between you and
the car seat.
■ Kleenex: My dream race finish line has medals for everyone, protein shakes without artificial sweeteners, bananas, Midwest Express chocolate chip cookies, water, Bradley Cooper — and Kleenex. The cool thing about running is it opens up your sinuses to smell the lilacs in spring. The uncool thing is that poor runner with a runny nose.
■ Flip flops: Some runners like to get out of their shoes at the end. The best flip flops I’ve ever tried are Oofos. They’re pricey, but it’s like walking on marshmallows. I don’t know how well the support foam holds up over time.
THE GOLDEN RULE
This goes for everything here: Train and try it first. “Don’t buy something at the Running Expo and say, ‘Oh I will try this tomorrow,’ ” said Smith. Practice running with your gear, train run with your nutrition. You don’t want to find out 20 minutes into a run that the Gu doesn’t agree with you and spend the rest of the race looking for the next Porta Potty.
“Some of the stuff is just psychological,” said Smith. “Like the calf sleeves. You see people run with them, you see people put them on after they run. I did some research on it and couldn’t really find any kind of scientific or medical research that says it really does anything. But some of this stuff is psychological that it helps.
“And running is very psychological, so if it helps, if it is going to make me feel better to run with calf sleeves — then go run with calf sleeves. There’s no research to say that it is harmful. There’s nothing either way.”
“Someone said this to me once and I didn’t appreciate it: Enjoy the journey,” said Osborne. “The race is just the end. The amount of time it takes you from getting off the couch to all those miles you have to do to get to be a marathon runner — you really need to enjoy the journey to getting to that.
“And then enjoy the race, because the race — if you trained right — will be unbelievable. And a great finish to a journey.”