Road running is a very therapeutic activity that comes with countless number of health benefits for all humans, but you need a proper running gear to harness most of the benefits.
There are different types of runners out there who use the road daily. Elite road runners and professional runners run for health benefits and money, the rest of the population run for health benefits and numerous other reasons such as charity and passing an important message.
As a road runner you don’t need to buy expensive equipment to get started. Just necessary gear to wear and some gadgets to help you keep record of your activity. We will mention it all here.
Running Clothes
When you are a road runner, it is important to make sure you wear clothes that are suitable for running. On the upper body you need to wear a sports vest if the weather is warm or a short sleeve T-shirt. The T-shirt or vest should ideally be breathable with small perforations to allow sweat and heat to exit the body and let fresh air in to cool you down as you run.
Most of these items are found in well-known sportswear shops and clothing brands like Nike, Puma and Adidas among others.
You should take note of the color as well, bright colors are preferred than dark colors to increase visibility on the road during those early morning runs or very late runs. You can even buy reflective vest or straps that serve the purpose of increasing visibility.
Arm warmers are not necessary for a runner but they do offer some benefits. In winter, it gets very cold in the morning even for runners. You sometimes find that your chest and mid body is warm but the arms and hands are very cold as you are running. This is where arm warmers come in. Another benefit of arm warmer especially for elite athletes is that they optimize blood return back to the body.
Eliud Kipchoge (one of the best marathon runners of all time) like using arm warmers even when the weather isn’t cold, and that’s because they help hold a special gadget he uses to monitor his blood glucose level during the marathon. You must also add gloves in your gear for those cold days. Hands don’t get warm as you run because they aren’t doing much work.
Now for shorts/pants, most people prefer loose shorts dedicated to running while some wear tights. There are benefits to both choices and it just comes down to matter of preference and what works for you.
Benefits of wearing tight when running are:
- Minimize drag and friction improving speed
- Facilitate blood flow
- Partially reduce risk of injuries by holding running muscles together
Benefits of wearing loose shorts:
- Light weight
- Allow cool air to hit muscles directly
- Allow sweat to escape easily
As you can see, it doesn’t matter which one you choose as long as you are comfortable.
Now to another important piece of tool needed when preparing for a marathon or any distance in road running, the smart watch.
Smart watch as part of your running gear
Road running is really nice especially if you have the necessary running gear with you. One of the tools you need is a smart watch that will do the tracking and recording for you.
Smart watches are really smart and most of them perform their job accurately. You can get any watch from a reliable brand such as Garmin, Huawei watch, Samsung galaxy watch, Apple watch, pixel watch and others.
Most elite runners use Garmin watches but trust me when I say “it doesn’t necessarily has to be Garmin”. The above mentioned brands manufacture reliable watches. What you need in a watch is the following:
- Accurate distance tracking with GPS
- Battery that lasts for days
- Accurate heart rate sensor and fitness level calculations
- Multiple workout modes e.g. track run, trail run etc.
- Measures your VO2 max
Another important thing you might like in a watch is the ability to connect with Strava and other apps such as google fit.
Road Running Shoes
Choosing proper running shoes is the most difficult of them all. It depends on a lot of factors including your budget, your running style (heel strike vs forefoot style) and the terrain you’ll be running on.
Running shoes for train runners are different from those of road runners. It is best to speak with shoe specialist if you’re unsure which one to choose.
Combination of best running shoes for you, a reliable watch, and carefully chosen clothes make up perfect running gear that will get you the medal you want and a Personal Best (PB)!
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