I guess it is possible to run in high heels. Or barefoot. Everything is possible. Just turn on the TV set and watch some ballroom dancing. There both men and women are wearing high heels. And they run a lot. And jump. Well. For some reason I have never seen a runner in a street race wearing ballroom outfit. I have seen silly dresses. And suits for that matter. And even full body tiger suits. God, that must be warm. But everyone is wearing running shoes. No, not everyone. I once passed a guy wearing something my kids would call converse sneakers. He wasn't running. He was walking, limping and stretching out. And I never saw him reach the finish area.
Need I say more. Running shoes are something a runner can't run without. Unless you are a barefoot runner, but that is a whole different story. Running shoes. That is about it. All the other stuff is just to make one more comfortable. No. That isn't right. A woman with breasts needs some support there. I once was size D and I can tell you. It isn't comfortable to just wear a regular bra if you want to run. No, you have to invest in a running bra or at least wear two bras, one on top of another. That isn't all bad, to wear two bras. I did that when I was breastfeeding and knew my bust would shrink soon. Didn't want to spend money on an expensive huge bra I might use only a couple of months. Now that I have shrunk a lot the bra doesn't seem as important. The weight of the breasts is considerably less and I am not a self conscious when I am out there. I have never liked the thought of men watching my breasts bounce. I'd rather hide them behind many layers of clothes. Which happens automatically in the winter.
There we are: A pair of shoes. And a bra if you are a woman. The rest can come as times go by. It is quite OK to run in an old cotton t-shirt. I myself do not use cotton anymore because it holds on to the sweat and gets cold and heavy. Now I only use clothes that carry the sweat away from the skin. And yes, running socks are wonderfully comfortable and you don't risk blisters as much as when you use some kind of regular socks. Cotton socks make your feet feel wet and that isn't very comfortable.
There is also one other thing I am pretty particular about. I never let my socks touch the floor if I can help it. I wear sneakers if I am not going to put the running shoes on immediately after I put the socks on. And I usually am careful not to use other socks in the running shoes. I don't know if this makes any difference, but I seem to be free for the bad smell some people complain about in their running shoes. I made my own theory saying that bad smell comes from some bacteria and if you keep your socks clean, then it is only "clean" sweat that you have to wash from your shoes once in a while. I put my running shoes in the washing machine and that seems to work just fine.
One of my favorite pass time activities is looking at running clothes on the internet. I have bought quite a few items there. Some of them didn't fit when the arrived, but I got my kids who can take over items that I don't fit.
Once I found a skirt. A running skirt. I fell for it immediately and ordered one. I use it all the time during winter, with the regular tights underneath. I wish skirts were more common among runners. I don't want to look too different. Living in a small town sometimes makes one overly self conscious. Besides, it would be more fun to watch the big races if not everyone was wearing those boring runner's shorts. My skirt got panties inside it. Really smart.
And who says women have to wear the same things as men. I mean, female tennis players have been wearing skirts all the time. Why not female runners? Maybe the reason female runners wear the same kind of clothes as the men is that running has always been considered a men's sport. Which isn't right. Maybe women will take over the long distances some time?
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