Not so long ago, only twenty moons ago in fact, preparing for winter in the life of Amanda meant buying a good range of tea bags, making sure my scarf matched my coat, and getting the cosiest spot on the couch after work. Now it means finding the right running gear to make sure I can keep running through the hail storms, the rain, the wind, and inhospitable temperatures that are a New Zealand winter.
When I set out on a cold morning I first poke my head out the door to test the air. No matter what the temperature is I always wear the same thing; crop top, singlet or T-shirt, undies that are old and saggy so that they don’t get sucked in to my bum, an old Glassons merino from 2003, light jacket, gloves, head lamp, SPI belt, head band, socks, aaaand shoes.
I tend to over prepare, but what if? What if I’m running around the bays and sprain an ankle? I’d be metres away from fifty or so houses, a main road with regular traffic, dog walkers, and spanky spandex cyclists going by. I’d have to survive for minutes, perhaps even ten minutes in the elements before being rescued and whisked off to safety.
I wear my best snow storm outfit, then I set out on my way. Ten minutes in to my run it feels like I’ve stumbled in to a sauna and it’s time to re-think my attire. I pull of the headband, gloves, jacket, merino and singlet, all while still running and simultaneously checking my Garmin so that I’m sticking to the right pace. I tie these in an arrangement to my waist, tuck them in my undies, and wrap them around my wrist until I resemble the contents of a clothes dryer.
Runners wear event T-shirts, they wear no shirts, they wear skivvies, jackets, woolie jerseys, gloves, hats, caps, compression socks, sleeves, bandanas, crops and tights. Runners need a whole arsenal of clothing to get them through all four seasons.
HOT FASHION TIP!
Seen around the Wellington coast, shoulders are in! Stretch your top down so that it covers your fingers, reveal your white shoulders and obvious sports bra tan line. No top has sleeves long enough. It’s as if somehow by bunching as much fabric as you can into your fists you will regain feeling in your finger tips. This also makes the top ride up above your belly button, meaning it is necessary to wear it with your longest singlet as a combo. Who’s torso and arms was this garment designed for?
I expect a lot from my running tops. I expect that they will expand around the middle to accommodate 1.5L of banana smoothie post-run; have sleeves that act as a handkerchief, be light enough to tuck in to the side of my undies when not being worn and not pull said undies down below crack height, keep me warm, not make me sweat too much, not stink of sweat after being washed, AND make me look like an olympian.
Lululemon have a range of tops with names that appeal to (and aptly describe) me like Pace setter, Swiftly and Run Wild. I settled on the swiftly because it would look good with my banana tights (it does). These tops are light weight but warm enough to wear without a jacket, even warm enough that your nipples don’t pierce through the fabric on a cold day. The Lulu tops are pretty and nicely cut so that you can wear them in public and almost go undetected as someone who never changes out of their gym gear.
The best feature has to be THE SLEEVES! They are long enough to cover your wrists and they have thumb holes, holes for thumbs! It took me a few goes to work out that I need to wear my Garmin on top of the Swiftly so that my incessant checking of my pace can continue uninterrupted by excess sleevage.
I don’t know how I coped running through last winter. Actually I do. I was averaging 25-30kms per week so if my memory serves me correctly, I only ran on ‘Can’t beat Wellington on a good day’ days, and opted for the treadmill when the weather was crap. Fast forward one year, it’s more like 100km per week, and spending 8 and a half hours on a treadmill each week is just not that appealing.
Since I’m putting in 8 hours a week of my blood sweat and sweat in to this running thing so I’m learning about the importance of clothing pretty quickly! Requests for advice and modelling shoots can be left in the comments section.
A special thank you to Nathan Meffan for taking the photos, and to Ben Terry for your perfect aim with the hairdryer for the ‘Windswept’ glamour shots.
July 21, 2014 at 3:19 pm
Loved this most recent blog!!and the photos too of course!!You had me hooked on your story from the first line!!Was just like you were talking me through your wet,windy training runs!!So very proud of you,big huggles Mum.(I feel a bit guilty snuggling up on the couch after work with my coffee,and you are training so hard!!)
July 22, 2014 at 3:40 pm
Thanks Mum! Are you still thinking about that 5km run?…
July 21, 2014 at 9:07 pm
I’ve been using the old glassons merino too, but definitely sporting the shoulder look… at least Auckland is a wee bit warmer than Wellington!
July 22, 2014 at 3:41 pm
I see people all the time running with their shoulders bared in Wellington, it’s an epidemic! I’ve been able to run every day here with having the right gear (and remembering to do my laundry).
July 22, 2014 at 10:59 am
Awesome write up as always!
I could add couple more things to the list:
– Icebreaker liner gloves (absolutely in love with them! they are light, can be used with Garmin touch screen, and not bulky);
– Buff slim fit (finally a headband that fits female head, all standard ones never stay in place 😛 );
– arm warmers – can be rolled down the arms after warm up;
– compression calf socks – best thing on longish runs when you want to be warm too 😉
We’ll definitely get through this winter! 😀
July 22, 2014 at 3:42 pm
I might investigate those Icebreaker gloves, I need another pair, and I want a Buff band too! Actually all of those things above are going to be added to my shopping list 😀
September 10, 2014 at 5:30 pm
What a great blog, Amanda. You are super funny!
Have you noticed the latest craze with skorts – skirts with shorts? Lululemon sells them, too.
September 10, 2014 at 5:34 pm
Thanks Tania, I have seen those! I was invited to a marathon themed wedding last month and thought that could be an occasion to wear one. When I can run again and justify buying more clothes, I might try one out.