Julie and I run together five days a week and although she will complete an entire half marathon training plan with me, she will rarely participate in a race. When I do occasionally get this opportunity, it must be fully celebrated! She could have easily blown past me, but instead grabs my hand so we cross our very first finish line together. I love her so much!
I get a lot of questions about running gear and training so I hope this helps.
That being said, I'm new to running and I'm still trying to figure all my favorites out. Here's what I use today. Warning - it's a lot of Lululemon. I wear it everyday for work and this is the brand that holds up the best for me. Wearing my clothes in layers is what I like the best regardless of the brand.
How I plan my training -
I like Hal Higdon's training plans which you can find for free on the web. It ramps up a long run day a mile at a time each week, which I usually plan for Wednesdays. Mondays I run half the mileage of my long run day. Tuesdays & Fridays I schedule 3-4 mile runs and Thursdays I cross train with swimming to undo the pounding of long run days. Typically I'm training for a half marathon on this plan and work backwards from race day with hopefully at least 8-10 weeks to train.
So it looks like this 3 weeks prior to race day:
Monday 5 mile run
Tuesday 3 mile run/yoga
Wednesday 10 mile run/yoga
Thursday swim
Friday 4 mile run
Saturday yoga
Sunday rest
I can't emphasize cross-training enough. In addition to swimming I will ideally take 2-3 hot yoga classes a week to lengthen and strengthen all my muscle groups. Finally I like 1-2 rest days a week which means I need to be intentional about my schedule and double up workouts on some days.
Equipment I use -
Watch - Garmin Forerunner 35
Shoes - Brooks Adrenaline GTS 22
Music - Airpods
Waist belt - Lululemon fast & free running belt size S/M. It feels like yoga pants and holds my iPhone & AirPods snug against me.
What I wear -
Sports bra - Like a cloud bra (it is so soft) but not much support if you need that.
Tank - Cool Racerback tank - Nulu. I have multiples of this tank because I wear it almost every day. It is my favorite and I always have it as one of my layers, even in the dead of winter.
Long sleeve - Swiftly tech long sleeve shirt 2.0. This is another top I have multiples of because I wear it all the time. I love the thumb holes which keep my hands warm and that it's easy to take off and tie around my waist during races if I get hot. It's so light weight I never even notice it's there.
Jacket - Hooded define jacket - Nulu. This extra layer is perfect for above 30 degrees. If I get hot I can easily tie it around my waist. It's also not big and bulky so easy to run in.
Fleece - If it's under 30 degrees I run in my North Face fleece 3/4 zip. It's very warm! North face stocking hat and gloves. I'll also add my neck warmer that I wear skiing. I have a thick one from Roxy thats amazingly warm and a lighter one I got on a ski trip based on how cold it is out there.
Shorts - *Note to self - Wear shorts for 50 degrees and above!
Hotty hot low-rise lined short 4"are my favorite. They don't bunch up or chafe.
Pants - Align High - Rise pant 25" or 28" depending on how long you want the leg length.
This is what I wear daily. It is the most comfortable pair of pants I've ever owned.
Socks - Balega (thicker for winter) and Features (when its hot out). You can get these at any running store.
Here it all is helping me get through the hills of Tuscany with my incredible sister Amy who runs around the world with me.
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