When I first started running, I was adamant that I would not get all "geared up" and look like some of the runners I had seen. So I would throw on an old favorite Phoenix Suns T-shirt and some shorts that didn't hurt and away I would go. It did not take long for me to understand why companies like UnderArmour and Nike do so well...!
Alright, so this first bit of narrative comes from direct experience as a female. I am guessing some of it will transfer over to you males for obvious reasons, but one thing I have learned in 48 years is Men and Women are not created equal! There are big differences!!! So you guys can skip down to the later paragraph on my "presumptions" for you, but this next stuff is serious stuff for us girls.
This 1st Big Difference between Men and Women: Chests!
So this is surely too much detail for some, but important data for others, so let's get clinical. From age 20 to 48, I have weighed between 100 and 140 pounds. Most significant is I have not become any taller in that time frame, so we all know what that means. One of the ares of size accumulation has been my chest. I have been a 32B and a 36DD and everything in between. Why is this important in the spandex section? Because as a female, whether you are small or large in the chest, you need to IMMOBILIZE them when you run. I learned early that the cheap pullover, racerback, workout bras were not enough in the C & D phases of my life. So, I went to 2 of them! Yep, one over the top of the other. Now that's real comfortable, not to mention how that pushes a nice gob of fat out into your armpit (more on that later!). Painful. So I finally broke down and spent the $38 for a Champion Running Bra which actually comes in bra sizes - like 36 C or 34 D. Incredible how that makes such a huge difference over the Small, Medium and Large choices! And you only have to wear one at a time! No underwires to poke you, just heavy, thick Spandex with seams in the right places. No chafing, no rubbing. Perfect immobilizer! So I was lucky, as some of my friends have told me horror stories of running long races and enduring bleeding nipples from friction! My stomach hurts just hearing it! AND BY THE WAY - even a guy runner told me he experienced that! So all you guys that went ahead and read this paragraph even though I told you to skip it (!!!!), go get yourself an UnderArmour sleeveless, spandex undershirt. You won't require immobilization, but you will need to protect your own nipples from rash that WILL occur with friction.
Shorts:
There are so many cute little running shorts on the market! However most don't work for me. You see, I was born with large thighs. And if you put loose fitting shorts on large thighs and go for a run, you will end up with them gathering up between your legs at your crotch and then your large thighs will rub against each other. PURE MISERY and something that will make you stop running immediately and try to get them pulled back into place. Don't bother. They will NEVER STAY IN PLACE unless you have perfect thighs, but this is not the Perfect Thighs Running Club. This is REALITY!!! : )
So - Spandex once again, to the rescue! And wait...there are choices with spandex! I have learned that if I run in any short that has a leg shorter than 5 inches>>>MISERY. The little shorts just roll up and soon it looks like I am running in a swimsuit and the thighs are rubbing. Also - don't go for a cotton-spandex blend. When you run, you sweat and when you sweat into cotton, it gets wet, stretches out, and loses it's shape. Go for full compression, heavy spandex and a 5 to 8 inch leg. That is, if you have any thigh chub! And you will remain comfortable, even in high humidity. And you will protect yourself from skin rubbing on skin.
It was so funny - last year when I began to train, I had this vision that after I ran a marathon I would look like a runner! Like maybe a white version of those Kenyans that always win the NY Marathon. Well - at the end of it all, Big Surprise! I was still short and my legs were still thick. Funny how that worked. BUT... I was strong and my legs were no longer jiggly - my quadriceps were hard. And I felt good. And I felt so incredibly proud that I stuck to a schedule and actually completed it. And I have spandex to thank for that!!!!
GUYS:
Since you probably read everything I just wrote, the only thing I would add is you have things dangling just like we women do (different things, but dangling for sure!). I would imagine it best to secure those things while running. I can only extrapolate my own pain of thighs rubbed raw to the other things that might rub raw from friction. So eliminate the friction! However you guys do that!!!!! But take my word for it, no cotton! Go with the Spandex!!!!!
Whew! This is important stuff for new runners! But wow, it took a lot to get it out!!! : )
Let me close with shirt options. I have now fallen victim to "gearing up" and bought just about every kind of running shirt out there. Here is what I like and what I hate. If my narrative makes sense to you, don't waste your money trying to prove me wrong. These shirts get expensive when you have several in the closet that you know you WILL NEVER WEAR AGAIN.
I have found that I cannot run in sleeveless or tank tops. Remember the armpit chub I spoke of earlier? Once you get into higher mileage, that chub will rub and unless you have a sleeve to protect you, there will be>>>>PAIN! Raw skin turns to scab before it heals. I just can't deal with that, so now all I run in is Short or Long Sleeve tops. Protect the chub - it's the only way if you are going to stick to a weekly schedule and don't want to have to take a week off to heal the friction burn.
I like a loose fit top. I have a couple Underarmour tops and they are just too dang tight. Tight is good for shorts and running bras, but I found tight fitting spandex tops to just roll up my chest as I run and expose belly and back. YUCK!!!! Not comfortable and not flattering for sure! So a looser fit with longer length has become my preferred running top. There are some great fabrics out there that are so lightweight - nylon blends - that you sweat right through them and they dry instantly. Some are vented and breath really nicely. I even wear my long-sleeved versions in the summer to protect me from the desert sun - that's how cool they are. When winter hits - I just wear two of them. I have a couple from NIKE and RUN brands that are awesome. Nike even puts a little tab on the back to keep your iPod cord from driving you nuts. If you have choice, go for the ones that have some reflective tape built in. Ya never know - you might get a little side tracked and start your run too late and end up running in the dark! (That's another story for another posting...!)
Well that's it for today. I am down in Mexico on vacation and have run 4 of the 5 days we have been here. I will write about those experiences next, so stay tuned....! Happy running to you all~
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