What Not to Wear

Like most things in life, there's a trick to running and it doesn't have anything to do with athleticism or even stamina. No kidding.

It has everything to do with preparation. And, I'm not talking about the training, which, believe me, is important.

And, maybe at 50 I'm a little old and a little too fat to be training for my very first marathon. But, like I always tell my kids when I'm quoting George Eliot the English novelist (1819 - 1880), "It's never too late to become what you might have been", I'm taking the Nike motto to heart. I'm "just do(ing) it". And it's a serious challenge.

So, telling someone What Not to Wear is easy, at least when it comes to running.

What Not to Wear:

1) Combat boots;
2) High heels;
3) Soccer cleats;
4) An evening gown (who even has these...maybe movie stars);
5) Heavy clothes;
6) or even jeans

(See, EZ-smeazy)

But explaining what someone should wear is something else entirely.

Of course anyone starting a new exercise program should just wear what's comfortable. Because starting is the hardest part of the workout.

But, how do you know what's comfortable unless someone gives you a little guidance. And, that someone should be someone who's been doing the sport for a while.

Anyway, when I first started running, I wore whatever I had. There's no need to run out and buy new gear until you've been doing it for a while. But, equipment can make a difference or, at least, it can make the sport easier.

But, I'm not trying to talk people into wasting a lot of money. If you're working out and you're happy with what you've got, then great...no need to read on. But, if you're like me and you're trying to work up to a marathon, you might want to listen because running that 26.2 mile challenge is a good excuse to gear-up and, believe me, I need all the help I can get.

So, here are a few tips that I use and I'm hoping this might help you too.

Here's what I wear when I go for a run.

First, like most women, I have to wear some support (and this is serious)

Then I wear a tank top that breathes (it's a special material that wicks away sweat. It's called Climalite) because who wants to be sticky and sweaty and cold when they run? Not me.

Next I wear ear warmers. Not a hat. A hat is too hot for me. But, when I start out I'm cold so ear warmers are just enough.

Of course I have to wear running pants

These ones are my favorite because they have a little pocket where I can stash my house key and a debit card. These are important, especially if I'm going for a long run.


And one of the most important things for me is my running shoes. Being as old as I am and as heavy as I am, I need a lot of support so I don't wear out my joints or damage my knees.

And of course it's winter right now so I have to wear gloves. These are special running gloves that let the air flow through but keep my hands warm and toasty too

And, the reason I did this post, is I read another friend's post (JenontheEdge) and she said she wears wool socks when she runs. I know this sounds like foo-foo overkill, but I wear special running socks. When my sister first told me about them I thought it was silly but now that I've worn them, I swear by them. They are compression socks that won't slip or slide so no more blisters.

And just in case you can't tell which is which, they're labeled for ease of dressing (honestly - I'm really not that stupid, but I think it's funny) ;)

And, I almost never run without micoach.

It has a heartrate monitor so you never go too high into the danger zone

And, it has a stride sensor which I clip on my tanktop

I wear headphones so micoach can tell me how far I've run, what pace I'm running at, how many calories I've burnt and the time I've been running. This is the best accessory for any runner in training I can recommend.

Next I wear a lightweight running jacket and my sunglasses then I'm set - well as soon as I leash up Sasha. Then the two of us are on our way


I hope this helps all you wannabe runners out there. Happy trails to you!

BRANDING

Variety is the Spice of Life . . . right?

Wrong, at least in some situations.

And, “Branding”? What does it mean?

I’ve been reading a lot about Branding. Unfortunately, that one word makes me think of cattle not writers.

I picture a cow in a field getting shoved through a gate to get a stamp burned into its butt. Is that what we writers are supposed to do?

Sort of, I guess.

I mean Nike has the Swoosh, Adidas has the triple stripe, and Converse has the Star in the circle. There must be a reason these marketing giants use one symbol to be identified with their product.

But how can we writers use this “brand” to identify ourselves? We must be able to take something away from these marketing gurus’ examples.

I did a little research and read here that the American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of these items to identify the goods and services of one seller to distinguish them from other sellers.

Well, how can writers use that information to make themselves “known”?

I’ve heard that once we get published in a certain genre and have some success in that area, we should stick with it. That way our readers can be sure they’ll get what they want when they buy our books. People want a sure bet. And, if we jump around from one genre to another, our readers won’t have that satisfaction and they won’t trust our name on the spine of a book.

I guess it’s like going out for a hamburger and ordering a cheeseburger, only to bite into an iguana burger when we’d been expecting beef. We might be a little disappointed, in fact we might even get mad. We writers don’t want to make readers mad. We want readers to trust us and buy our books – right?

And here’s an article about finding your focus.

Now, all I have to do is get a book published.

GLOOM AND DOOM - In the Same Sentence as POWELL'S BOOKS???

Here's an article in the New York Times that talks all gloom and doom but I couldn't help but love it anyway--why? Because it talks about Powell's Books, which just happens to be one of my favorite hangouts and Portland too. Plus it plugs Intel and Nike. And, okay, Nike is in a suburb of Portland but close enough.