I’m not a fashion guy at all.  Put me in boots, jeans and a T-shirt and I’m a pretty happy guy.  But what you go to the gym in, or hit the road in, is super important. Here are a few general guidelines.

Shoes

Get the right shoe for the job.  If you don’t plan on jogging/running too much, then a standard pair of cross trainers are going to do great things for you.  However, if you want to punish the pavement a little bit, get good running shoes.  Your knees, hips, ankles, shins and back will thank you.  Get fitted for these by someone who knows what they are doing.  We have a great running store right here in Wichita at First Gear (111 N Mosley Street). Go see them and they will analyze how you walk and get you into the right shoe.

Underthings

Spandex is your friend.  I’ll give you a minute to go get your mental bleach and get that image out of your head.  I don’t care who you are, a pair of compression shorts under your workout gear will make your life so much easier and less painful.  I won’t go into details here but will say this, friction when it comes to your brakes is a good thing, when it comes to a night out with your special somebody, it’s a great thing, but when it comes to your legs and arms?  Worst. Thing. Ever.

Outerwear

Thankfully we’re getting to the time of year that shorts and a T-shirt are acceptable workout clothing options.  However, your favorite cotton shirt may not be the best option.  Cotton soaks up liquid and gets heavy and smelly quick.  The newest technical fabrics are marvelous; they wick away sweat and keep you cool as you workout.  You can spend a BUNCH of money on this stuff but if you keep your eyes peeled you can find even plus sized workout gear for as little as $10 a piece

Those are the basics. Of course there are GPS units, Mp3 players and all sorts of other gadgets out there that you can drop all sorts of coin on, but that’s for another time.  Right now, just get started.

Look both ways out there kids and I’ll see ya next week.

Is there a piece of equipment you wouldn’t be caught dead at the gym without?  Is there a killer app that will make me run like Usain Bolt?  Shout it out in the comments.

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3. [move] Running Just as Fast as I Can: Week 8
4. [move] Running Just As Fast As I Can: Week 3
5. [move] Running Just As Fast As I Can: Week 2