Richard's Running Kit...
Shoes / Trainers
For Training I currently run in Asics Gel 2130’s. This is following on from my previous pair of trainers, the Asics Gel Kayano 13’s before which I used the Kayano 12's.
I seem to always have been an Asics man, and bought my original Asics Gel Kayano 12’s after a gait analysis where it became clear that I overpronate. The shoes were a quite expensive but felt fantastic, without thinking I followed this pair with the latest model (the Kayano 13) once they’d worn out. Recently it was time to buy a new pair of shoes, and I had reason to believe the Kayano's were now a little too supportive for me. I went for another gait analysis which further suggested I didn’t overpronate as much as I used to, and therefore needed less support in my trainer. After trying on a wide variety of makes, Asics again felt to be the most comfortable for me.
For Racing I use Asics DS Racers. A lovely lightweight, lime green pair of running shoes. These are my first 'race specific' shoe, and in my opinion they really do make a difference on race day. Perhaps it's partly a psychological effect, but I'm sure having less weight strapped to my feet can only be a good thing when trying to go as fast as possible.
Running Tops
I have a number of tops that I'll use for running, and really it just depends on the weather.
Winter Tops
I have a Long Sleeve Helly Hansen which is a fantastic close fitting top that's got me through the winter and also through the cold evenings. I also wear it as a base layer for casual use over the winter (after washing of course). When the weather get's really bad I bring in my Ronhill Lightweight Windproof Top. A blue long sleeve top that's light as anything. It stops the wind an absolute treat and despite not being fully waterproof, it helps to stop me getting drenched when it's raining. I usually wear it over the top of the Helly Hansen.
Shirts
I used to run in any old T-shirt, one in particular that I've owned for years was a 'Fox' red/white/grey/black top which you can see me running in on my race report pages for many of my first races. I ran in this top as it had lots of little holes in, which I thought was perfect for running. It did its job well, but when I finally bought a 'proper' running top (a lightweight Saucony moisture wicking T-shirt), I realised that when I'd been for a long run and the fox top was wet, it weighed an absolute tonne compared to the Saucony top. I use the Saucony top a great deal when the weather is 'fair', or if I'm running at the gym. Football shirts also get used when I'm at the gym, and if the rest of my running kit is sat waiting to be washed.
Vests
I have two vests, and it was probably 2 years of running before I got my first. The one vest is a white Adidas vest, lightweight with a moisture wicking material – I tend to wear this when it's warm and sunny, and used to wear it when racing. My other vest is my club vest, the Green, White and Black vest of Kenilworth Runners which only comes out for races.
Running Bottoms
I've always been one to wear shorts. I think during my time at Primary School I was the only kid to wear shorts all year round! For running though I have one pair of Nike Running shorts, they're not quite as short as most elite runners' running shorts and help to conceal the deadly race weapons that are my upper legs (read: chunky/wobbly hairy thighs), the shorts have an inner lining and perfectly suited to the job with a little pocket at the back just below the waistband. I do have a 'back-up' pair of shorts, just some cheap lined shorts from JJB sports which do the job. Worth noting though they're NOT swimming shorts. I tried running in my swimming shorts once and the pain from chafing when 4miles from home was simply unbearable.
I'll wear my shorts virtually all year round, though this year my curiosity of compression clothing technology got the better of me and I forked out for some Skins Compression Leggings. These VERY close fitting leggings come out of the box looking like they were made for a 5 year old, but after a bit of a fuss, they stretch over my legs and supposedly offer improved performance and recovery – I've only really worn these in the coldest of cold conditions. If I'm honest, I shan't be spending my money on any more.
Running Socks
I currently own 3pairs of socks for running. So many people are happy to run in your standard white socks you can buy from anywhere, usually 5 pairs for £2.99 or similar. I've always found that cheap/normal sports socks bunch up around the toe area though, and when I first started running this caused me some discomfort – so I went out and bought some anatomical running socks. My first pair came from a running shop in Lincoln, they were Concurve socks, and fit absolutely perfectly – so incredibly comfortable you wouldn’t believe it. A year later I bought another pair as they were so good, though now they're starting to look a little tired. Autumn 2007 (I think) I bought some X-socks… the 'run-sky-run' model; these socks were even more comfortable, and even have silver strands woven into the foot-bed to help prevent bacteria build-up or something. Fantastic socks, and for £10.99 for a pair they should be! I've recently bought some more X-socks, though these are the 'performance' model. They're a very similar fit to the 'run-sky-run' ones, though they don’t have the silver strands woven in… they do however have orange flaps on the back to help you pull the socks on – which are great for putting the socks on, but otherwise look a bit silly/unnecessary.
Training Gadgets
I started running with no gadgets at all. I'd set off out the front door, and peer through the lounge window to see what the time was before setting off on my 1.9mile run/jog/plod/walk and I'd check the time when I got back. Going on from there I got a fantastic 'el cheapo' stopwatch free with a magazine subscription, which served me perfectly well as I progressed further. I then bought my first Heart Rate monitor (HRM) from Lloyds Pharmacy for the bargain price of £10. It was absolutely fantastic, a stopwatch and heart rate monitor for next to nothing!
As I became more serious about my running I wanted something a bit more than a standard stopwatch, but loved the HRM feature so I certainly wanted to keep that. After a huge amount of research I finally settled on a Nike Triax C8 – A HRM with all sorts of features, stopwatch, lap counter, two countdown timers amongst other things. It also allowed me to save the details of my runs such as average heart rates etc.
The Nike Triax C8 served me well, and I still use it when I go to the gym – however I'd reached a point where I was mapping out every run I did to find out exactly how far I'd gone. This was great fun but quite time consuming, and so I started to look into the possibility of a GPS Device. My prayers were answered at Christmas 2007 when Santa (or possibly my partner Emma) bought me a Garmin Forerunner 305. This bit of kit is absolutely fantastic and I don't know how I'd train without it! Simply put it on at the start of a run, press start/stop/lap as needed, come home and plug it into the computer. The fantastic world of technology then transmits the details of my run to the computer and I'm able to see any aspect of my run. An accurately plotted map of my run appears, along with graphs showing heart race, pace or speed, elevation, and more that I can’t even remember! It really is fantastic for logging and analysing as much of my training as I care to.
I've also tried the Nike+ system, which was originally developed to work with the iPod nano, but has more recently had a wristband released that it works with. Personally I'm not a fan of the unit – it's a glorified pedometer… it knows roughly how far each one of your strides is, and it counts your strides, thus having the ability to calculate roughly how far and fast you've ran. This is fine if you run everywhere at the same pace, with the same length of stride all the time – but it's not suited to everyone. I've ran the exact same route twice with the unit… both at very different speeds, the first time registered 4.7miles... the second time was around 4.2miles. Not Good. I will however add that I've heard from countless numbers of people that they use the system and they find it very accurate.
