One day several years ago, my BRF decided it was time she sat me down for a running clothes intervention. She gently introduced the tender topic by giving me a new pair of running shorts and a top. Next she implored that I throw away the dingy white top, stretched out gray sports bra, and once black (turned faded gray) running shorts that I’d worn on pretty much every warm weather training run for the previous five years. My shorts were so worn that the elastic waist band had long been broken, and I kept my shorts up by cinching them with a drawstring.
The loose and comfy shirt was one I had given my female runners who registered for my 2004 Worldgate Running Program (the guys got a similar singlet). With two of the lovely shirts, I always had a clean one available for my next training run!
Front and Back
When it was too hot to wear my trusty white top, I ran in my gray or red sports bra. I was no fashionista. We occasionally took pictures on our training runs, but I didn’t expect those images to make it past my tucked away photo album – certainly not put on something called a “blog” or “social media” one day in the future for all of the world to see!
2001 – The original Deb Runs was on my 4-Runner
After my intervention, I became a running clothes hog. I couldn’t get enough bright and colorful pieces. At about the same time, I left the corporate fitness world, and the ugly personal trainer uniform became a thing of the past. Suddenly, I was able to work in any fitness clothes I wanted, so I had a need for a greater variety of running/workout clothes – and workout clothes were getting cuter.
My collection has gradually grown over the years so that now I have more workout clothes than real clothes. Move over Ann Taylor sweaters, mama’s got some new running shirts and shorts that need that space!
These days before heading out for a run, I actually put some thought into what I should wear based on what I wore earlier in the week. A runner girl can’t get caught wearing the same outfit in the same week on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or on her blog! Can she?
- Questions:
- Do you tend to get stuck in a rut in any aspects of your life?
- Do you have an absolute favorite work or workout outfit?
- What brands of workout clothes do you like?
He, he–love that you had a clothing intervention! We have a fashionista in our group and she lets us know when she approves/disapproves of our outfits!
The Cruisers always laughed and said that when we ran down in Arlington/DC we had to wear our running finest because the runners there dressed so much better than we did. We needed your friend to help dress us before we headed that way!
I have a favorite pair of running capris but they’re kind of boring. I honestly think I need an intervention. I’ve been wearing the same frumpy *cotton* black pants to the gym for the last 6 years. You’ve inspired me to throw them out. Seriously. They need to go LOL
You can do it!
You never know when a good selfie moment will pop up and you have to be prepared!
Exactly!
I think you look fabulous now!! And one day we WILL add some sparkle to that wardrobe. ;o)
We’ll see! 😉
I see some sparkles in your future as well. I don’t enjoy shopping for real clothes, just running clothes. I have a favorite pair of Nike black capris that, kid you not, I’ve worn 1000 times, especially in cooler weather. I thought they were insanely expensive when I bought them probably 5-6 years ago. I got my money’s worth. They are in all of my winter race pics.
There’s nothing like a good pair of well broken in running capris! I usually wear mine all winter long, but this year it’s just been too cold here and I’ve had to wear my long running pants.
Haha I love that your friend staged an intervention. When I first started running I had no concept of what I should be wearing so it was a lot of cotton shirts. That didn’t work out so well. 🙂
In my very early days of running I wore my regular bras and cotton t-shirts – long before either sports bras or technical fabrics were invented!
LOL @ the intervention! I hate clothes shopping but somehow I never mind shopping for new running clothes!
You know you’re a runner when….. 🙂
hahaha this is so funny. i have no idea what i used to run in when i first started distance running in law school but i know it wasn’t cute. now 95% of the money i spend on clothes is on clothes that are made for running or yoga. oh how things change!
Running clothes are just so bright and cheerful, and so fun to buy! 🙂
Haha, love this. I can’t remember when I actually switched to real running clothes rather than an oversized cotton tshirt. My go to running clothes are either Athleta or Lululemon these days. Pricey, but the quality is amazing. And I figure that I would go out and spend the same thing on “real’ clothes and not wear them nearly as much, so that justify’s it right?! 🙂
That’s a very valid justification! I love Athleta, but have never worn Lululemon. Let me know if the Reston Town Center Athleta is too far away for you to shop, because if it isn’t, I can get you 25% off your entire purchase at their Friends and Family event next weekend. Shoot me an email if you’re interested.
With running clothes being comfortable AND cute these days it’s easy for them to take over our wardrobes 🙂
And since I get to work in mine as well…..
HaHa – I have done similar things. Since I work out at home most of the time it doesn’t really matter what I wear. However, for the past 2.5 years I’ve been doing my daily moves and taking either pictures or video so I put at least a bit of thought into it and ditched the oversize T-shirts I used to use because they made good sweat rags!!!
See! YouTube and your blog have turned you into a better dressed athlete, too!
It took me until 2012 to stop running in cotton t-shirts 🙂 It wasn’t until I started running with Kim and Nicki (who has since moved to Texas) that I even took notice of technical fabrics. Now it’s all I run in and I cannot imagine running in a cotton t-shirt! I definitely have a handful of favorite shirts and shorts. My favorite brands are Brooks, Asics, and Oiselle.
It sounds like you were a tech-shirt late bloomer. Peer pressure can be a very good thing!
Haha great post, Deb. I would have never guessed you had an intervention! I remember working out in cotton tshirts and sports bras… ickkkk…glad those days are behind us 🙂
Thanks – I’ll take that as a compliment that I dress pretty well these days!
[…] friend Deb recently wrote about her running clothes intervention. She had been wearing the same few running items on every run for YEARS until a dear running […]