Being a novice in a sport is one of the hardest parts about getting involved in something new. My girlfriends challenged me in a five kilometer race two years ago and I was beyond nervous. Not only am I not a runner I had no idea what I would need to do to start. I see people running daily and they seem to have all of this technical running gear where should I turn to get started? I know what you are thinking, ‘Just put one foot in front of the other, and stride a bit wider than a walk, go!’ However, I found running is not as easy as it sounds.
I began my running gear quest at a local store that sold only merchandise associated with running. At first it was a bit intimidating but going in I realized they were so excited to have a novice to teach all about the sport of running. It was a change of pace from their usual clientele. They directed me to the running shoes where I was immediately confused. The sales person explained that the shoe was actually the most important part of all the running gear out there. I saw Asics, Nikes, New Balance and then these alien type Vibram Five Finger shoes.
Seeing that I was just beginning I wanted a shoe that looked the part so even thought the sales person explained the benefits of having the more natural, true to form Vibram Five Finger shoes I leaned towards a more traditional Asics shoe. It had traction, support, durability and fir my foot like a glove. I was so happy I started my search here with this knowledgeable staff to support my purchase.
The next item we addressed was my chest. The last thing I needed was to blow a shoulder out because of improper support. Unfortunately the running shop could not assist in this because they only sold bras in smaller sizes which I preceded to chat with the sales person about. I think he realizes that not all women interested in running are an A or B cup. It turned out I needed more than a little compression style sports bra I was fitted with a sports bra that had two cups one to hold up each breast. With that finally taken care of we were on to the rest of my running apparel.
I was able to choose breathable materials for both the pants and top that would remove the moisture from my skin as I glistened my way through each run. I was all set now to get to the actual motion of running and training for our race. I will not lie, I looked really good. The running gear was great; my body however was as soar as it had ever been. My shins stung, I perspired way more than a glisten and I found I was icing parts of my body I did not know existed. However I love it! Maybe I will be buying those more natural true to form Vibram Five Finger shoes.