Traverse City Record-Eagle

Claire Walters

Related Photos

February 21, 2009

Claire Walters: List of must-have running gear

By CLAIRE WALTERS

The myriad of products marketed to runners has got me wondering: Which are essential and which are the runners' equivalent of a Snuggie (oddly intriguing, but ultimately useless)?

The first, most obvious running must-have is a great pair of shoes. Before seriously getting into running, I based my running shoe purchases on two main attributes: style and price.

The initial feeling of smugness associated with getting a great-looking pair of shoes at a steal faded quickly as many of those shoes caused immediate discomfort when confronted with pavement.

Once I became committed enough to running to spend the roughly $100 required for a decent pair of shoes, I stopped in at my local Running Fit to find my "sole mate" (wah wah).

The clerk studied the wear pattern on my old running shoes, inquired about the types of pains I was experiencing and then had me run on a treadmill for a minute or two to analyze my gait. Her diagnosis: overpronator. My prescription: motion control/stability shoes.

A friend is training for Cincinnati's Flying Pig 10K, and recently went through a similar process at her local specialty running store. The clerk immediately noticed that her old running shoes were a size too small, a widespread problem among new runners; most stores recommend buying running shoes at least a half-size larger than your normal street shoes. The new shoes, she said, "have made all the difference in the world." She is putting in more miles with no problems and no pain.

Needless to say, I no longer consider appearances when purchasing running shoes. In fact, I think my current shoes are kind of hideous. But that doesn't stop me from loving them.

I also depend on good wicking gear, which "wicks" the sweat from your skin to keep you dry during a run. I particularly love wicking socks, but also shirts, shorts ... OK, pretty much everything.

My final running must-have is my iPod, usually combined with my Nike sport kit, which, when used together, keep track of mileage, pace and time. There's nothing like the right song (usually "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) to help me power through when I'm dragging. My iPod is one essential item I'm trying to learn to live without, though, since headphones are prohibited on the Bayshore course.

Of course, runners swear by a variety of other products, as well.

Products like mini performance bars, sports drinks and gels such as the ominously-named "GU" provide energy on the run.

Because GU is available at miles 14 and 20 on the Bayshore course, I purchased a couple of the small packets about a month ago to try during my long runs. So far I've been hesitant actually to ingest any, but I'm working up to it.

Dagny Scott Barrios' "Complete Book of Women's Running" stresses the need for a good, and thus ridiculously expensive, sports bra. Naturally I'm a little curious whether a $40 sports bra will be any better than the $8 numbers I picked up at Target.

Runners also can buy everything from pedometers, specialized laundry detergent and headlamps to full hydration systems and, uh, "NipGuards." (See Andy Bernard in "The Office's" Fun Run -- Season 4, Episode 1 -- for more on those.)

While all of these offerings can be a little baffling, fear not, fellow novice runners: I will be your guinea pig. Over the next couple weeks, I will try out the following: GU and various energy bars, a ridiculously expensive sports bra and some "sport wash" laundry detergent and let you know how they work for me on my blog.

Record-Eagle copy editor and first-time marathon runner Claire Walters is chronicling her training experiences in a bi-weekly column as she prepares for the May 23 Bayshore Marathon. Readers also can follow her progress by reading her blog at http://blogs.record-eagle.com. The blog contains her training schedule and log, and she invites advice and comments from other runners.

Text Only
  • images_sizedimage_143220549
    Claire Walters: Moment I'll never forget

    I officially can call myself a marathoner. I worked diligently and consistently during the past five months to earn that distinction. Those five months of intense training culminated Saturday in the Bayshore Marathon, and included countless hours spent running, thinking about running and planning my social life around running.

    Continued ...
    May 23, 2009 10:05 pm 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Anxiety hits in final week
    images_sizedimage_136221647

    Going into marathon training in early January, I foresaw this week " the week before the race " a lot of ways. What I couldn't have foreseen at the time, of course, was the uncertainty and anxiety I now would be experiencing because of a painful case of shin splints that struck just before a big 20-mile training run two weeks ago.

    Continued ...
    May 16, 2009 10:15 pm 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Commonly asked questions
    images_sizedimage_122215532

    Marathon training raises quite a few questions from those unfamiliar with the process; I should know, I peppered marathoner friends and family with dozens of queries before signing up. Now I'm the one undergoing the third degree. Some questions arise more frequently than others.

    Continued ...
    May 4, 2009 6:11 am 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Crunch time for training
    walters

    Five weeks before the marathon, essentially the equivalent of running final exams, wouldn't be my first choice for travel, mainly because all of the distractions that make keeping up with a training regimen difficult. Nevertheless, I'm spending this week in northeast Ohio, visiting my parents, brother and sister, who made the trip from Asheville, N.C.

    Continued ...
    Apr 18, 2009 9:49 pm 1 Photo
  • Claire Walters: Running with 'The Grunge'
    images_sizedimage_082065026

    Some things are inevitable during winter in northern Michigan. There is the seemingly continuous snowfall. And the months-long, sometimes unbearable cabin fever. Then there's what we in the newsroom affectionately refer to as "The Grunge," a blanket term used to describe the multitude of undesirable cold- and flu-like symptoms that practically are preordained in this climate.

    Continued ...
    Updated Mar 23, 2009 6:50 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, March 7, 2009
  • Claire Walters: Gel provides GUd boost
    images_sizedimage_067103032

    Rome wasn't built in a day. It's one of those pithy sayings we're taught from childhood to illustrate that hard work and dedication are necessary to achieve anything worthwhile. It's something I've been keeping in mind a lot lately, as I progress toward the Bayshore Marathon. Unlike the path at one of my favorite running haunts, the GT Civic Center, the road network of the Roman Empire likely was pretty difficult to navigate.

    Continued ...
    Updated Mar 8, 2009 10:30 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, February 21, 2009
  • Saturday, February 7, 2009
  • Claire Walters: Running not for the weary
    images_sizedimage_039095225

    I have always been almost lethally uncoordinated. Some have even said klutzy. As a would-be student athlete, I had much more enthusiasm than actual talent. After an assortment of unfortunate incidents, including a sprained ankle during a casual game of basketball and a black eye (not mine) during a Junior High volleyball match, my parents suggested I give the track team a try, reasoning that I would be highly unlikely to injure myself -- or anyone else -- while jogging a few laps on a level surface.

    Continued ...
    Updated Feb 8, 2009 9:52 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, January 24, 2009
  • Claire Walters: Woes of winter running
    images_sizedimage_025094107

    Let's face it: All but the most hard-core of runners in northern Michigan, with its notoriously snowy six-month winter, likely will spend a few runs indoors. Though the treadmill can provide a welcome respite from the lung-burning cold, it presents a choice: The inevitable boredom of a monotonous run versus the bitter winds, knee-deep snow and slippery sidewalks of the outdoors.

    Continued ...
    Updated Jan 25, 2009 9:41 am 1 Photo
  • Saturday, January 10, 2009
  • Claire Walters: Guess who's a runner after all
    images_sizedimage_011094024

    I never have considered myself an athlete. In fact, I used to think the dreaded couch potato gene was explicitly written into my genetic code. So I recently surprised even myself when I decided to register for the 2009 Bayshore Marathon and to write this column detailing my training.

    Continued ...
    Updated Jan 11, 2009 9:40 am 1 Photo