For the next few months, I will write about my training for my very first marathon, the Nike Women’s in October in San Francisco. I won’t bore you with tales of days like Saturday, about how HOT it was or how THIRSTY I was because for some reason NO ONE provided water for us at our first training run. Because, people, that is not why you come to Whitney’s fine site. You want to hear about something you can actually buy!
So my goal is to tell you all about different products that runners and all you non-runners can use, from clothes to shoes to clothes to hydration belts to Gu (sounds yummy, no?) And I’m sure I’ll manage to sneak in some whining about training and fundraising too, just to see if you’re paying attention!
This week we (I’m training with Team in Training, which is the endurance training and fundraising arm of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) had what was billed to be a fashion show at the Nike women’s store in our local mall. Also featured on the invite was a chance to “taste healthy food from local restaurants.” First, there was no fashion show. Unless you consider the mannequins scattered around the store to be runway models. I can only dream of having a butt that firm.
And I know I don’t get out all that much, but as far as I can remember, the local restaurants don’t serve crackers in the sleeve, a plastic container of carrots and dip, and bottles of water. Which is what they had for snacks. I’m guessing some nice person from TNT provided the food. No matter. I was there to shop.
This leads me to the explanation of my article’s title. For any of you who are still working out in your old cotton college tee shirts, STOP RIGHT NOW. Seriously. Take it off. Give it to your husband to polish his car. Give it to your kids for an art smock. Make it into a quilt. I don’t care what you do, just DO NOT wear it to work out!
Aside from chafing and the likely lack of style, wearing cotton actually makes your body work a lot harder to cool itself: the sweat does not evaporate, it stays in the material and on you. Working out is tough enough. Why make it more difficult?
Dry fit (different manufacturers call it different things; Nike calls it FitDry) wicks away the moisture from your body. When you are done with a run or a kickboxing class or a stint on the eliptical machine, your dry fit shirt will by, well, dry. So will your dry fit shorts, hat and socks (ever have super sweaty feet after a workout? You won’t with dry fit socks). If you’re able to go a little bit harder or longer at whatever activity you’re doing, it’s a great added benefit. Let your clothes work for you!
When you buy any fitness clothing, the label will usually tell you whether it’s has the wicking material. It comes in all different colors and styles. Long sleeve, short sleeve, tanks, bras, tights – and in every color imagineable. I picked up a pair of rose-pink shorts with white trim, black shorts with turquoise trim, and a white tank with turquoise trim that has a pink swoosh at the Nike store (hey, they were all on sale!).
You don’t need to go to a specialized sports store to find this stuff. Target has tons of it, and it’s all reasonably priced. Some things to look for when you’re buying shorts or pants is to make sure the item has a cotton crotch and some sort of pocket to stash a key.
Summer is on the way (unless you live in Orange County, where May Grey will soon give way to June Gloom) and the weather is getting hot. Think how cool you’ll be – both stylewise and temperature-wise – in your new dry fit workout duds!
