Running = Shopping? YES!

So, I did receive a training schedule for the first week which I will get to in a bit. Right now I am more excited about the fact that my new sport has forced me to do some shopping. Those familiar with me know that shopping is my true hobby, and any excuse to shop is a good one! There are quite a few things I will need along the way, but it looks like there are a few priorities:

1. "Wicking" Fabric Apparel

I need clothing and socks that are made of "technical, wicking fabric". This type of fabric is quick-drying and pulls moisture away from the body. I have a feeling that when we are doing our long runs in the Chicago summers - those without this stuff are truly going to regret it!

2. Running Shoes

Yes, I have tons of pairs of running shoes, but I have never been "profesionally" fitted. It appears that runners need to take into account their arches and running style when selecting shoes because they are all different. I just pick the coolest shoes that have the best price :)

3. Training Watch

There are watches out there that do tons of things - from monitoring your heart rate to tracking your distance. These help you train and seems that everyone has one.

Clothing is never hard for me to shop for, so I know that I will be picking up things here and there - now with the new focus of "wicking fabric". Our first Team in Training session next Saturday is actually a footwear and apparel seminar, so I am going to wait to find the shoes until people who know what they are talking about can explain all of this to me. So, mission #1 is to find a watch!

The search... Watch shopping is not as easy as I thought and there are a ton of choices out there, so I have been spending my morning trying to look for watch reviews and opinions of other runners. Here is some info I found:
April 2002 Running Watch Review - Runners World (UK)
July 2002 Best Adventure Watches - National Geographic
Top 10 Sports Watches - About.com

It looks like most people on forums (who arent talking about fancy watches that include GPS tracking) mention Nike or Timex - so I narrowed down the search and tried to find product reviews on the watches those two companies make. From reviews, the fits seem to be quite different and so I think the next step is to go into a store and feel them out.


The Nike Triax comes in versions that look like this

And timex comes in two versions, one is "sleek" (on the left) and the other is an OVA, or optimal viewing angle (below)