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!

2004WorldgateRunningTank

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!

WGRunnersDebRunsTag

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?