i have been wondering do the richer athletes have an advantage with the gear they have or does it no actually make a difference. i no that some £100 running trainers better than £30 ones but how much difference is there ?
Mizuno shoes £30 in sale, karrimore shirt+shorts £13,socks£4 for 2 pairs, Total. a lot bloody less than most kit reviews for just a jacket..... oh and a Montane jacket free with runners word subs, All have tech similar to the top gear
Really crap gear might ruin your run - chaffing, fiddly drinks holders, shoes that ruin your feet. But I doubt expensive gear gives you much of an advantage.
Most my gear is cheap and great. Shoes I spend a bit as I have to get the fit right, ankle problems if I get it wrong. Garmin watch a must for me as it makes running interesting, training plans easier, and it keeps a nice diary of all your workouts and progress. The watch have a advantage in a race as you can correspond and adjust your pace to reach your preferred finishing time. But no kit will make you faster or slower, no matter how great it look or fit.+ 1 with jmopper comfort is important.
I always wear the most expensive shoes, but I never pay anything like full-price for them (hence the name 'Discount Runner'!).
I have New Balance 1226 and 1260 - RRP - £115 and £120. Bought at the New Balance factory outlet in Shap for £35 and £40.
Along with winter tights for £11 and a gym bag for £10. Compression socks from Aldi (c£4), shorts from TK Maxx/Sports Direct/etc for c£5 and a £100 Ron Hill jacket for £10 in the Sale at Sheen Sports.
Everything can be found for less than half-price if you always have an eye out and don't wait until you 'need' something.
In terms of shoes I think there are 3 ranges; less than £60, between £60 and £100 and over £100. I think shoes over £100 are very good, although not always quite worth the high price, you can usually find them for a reduced price. However I am not sure there is much difference between £75 shoe and a £50 shoe. In that case I find sometimes more expensive=lighter but that is about it and a £50 shoe does the job. Really nice shows like the top salomon and asics shoes I have found are very comfortable, that is the main thing for me.
I pay between £60-£100 for my shoes. Socks... £10-20 a pair.
After trying cheaper brands, I'm convinced that resaonable shoes and socks help with comfort, etc. Being comfortable can increase speed. Not sure at my age/level of running that paying more for ultralight shoes, etc would make me any faster, but may make a difference if you are pretty fast anyway.
The performance benefit depends how fast and how far and how regularly you're running to start with. For example, if you jog 2 miles twice per week, you aren't going to need expensive kit. However, if you train twice a day, with one of those runs at a high percentage of your maximum, then kit that increases comfort and aids recovery like compression tights, performance shoes etc.. will probably be more important/necessary/beneficial for you.
Unfortunately, it is a bit of a cycle - when I was a student training a lot more and faster, I would probably have benefitted from better kit. Unfortunately I couldn't afford it until I was working, and thus have no time or energy to train at the same intensity!!
For me it depends on the time of year. In the winter I need good quality kit that fits the environment. lightweight, breathable and most importantly windproof. In the summer, say on a day like today and all I was doing was going for a 6 mile run I would happily wear cotton T and shorts.
There is a difference between cheap and expensive kit but just because you have expensive kit in your wardrobe doesn't always mean you have to wear it.
Comments
clarkson and co make no difference at all to my running.
what do you mean by clarkson and co?
Damn! you got there before me!
As in the TV programme, "Top Gear".
is he the only one to not get the joke..........haven't you got a vote for makes on your blog jamie.
I don't think he has.
The advantage for the elite athletes, James, is that they rarely pay for their kit.
ok i i get it
Mizuno shoes £30 in sale, karrimore shirt+shorts £13,socks£4 for 2 pairs, Total. a lot bloody less than most kit reviews for just a jacket..... oh and a Montane jacket free with runners word subs, All have tech similar to the top gear
If its comfy its good
Really crap gear might ruin your run - chaffing, fiddly drinks holders, shoes that ruin your feet. But I doubt expensive gear gives you much of an advantage.
I always wear the most expensive shoes, but I never pay anything like full-price for them (hence the name 'Discount Runner'!).
I have New Balance 1226 and 1260 - RRP - £115 and £120. Bought at the New Balance factory outlet in Shap for £35 and £40.
Along with winter tights for £11 and a gym bag for £10. Compression socks from Aldi (c£4), shorts from TK Maxx/Sports Direct/etc for c£5 and a £100 Ron Hill jacket for £10 in the Sale at Sheen Sports.
Everything can be found for less than half-price if you always have an eye out and don't wait until you 'need' something.
In terms of shoes I think there are 3 ranges; less than £60, between £60 and £100 and over £100. I think shoes over £100 are very good, although not always quite worth the high price, you can usually find them for a reduced price. However I am not sure there is much difference between £75 shoe and a £50 shoe. In that case I find sometimes more expensive=lighter but that is about it and a £50 shoe does the job. Really nice shows like the top salomon and asics shoes I have found are very comfortable, that is the main thing for me.
I pay between £60-£100 for my shoes. Socks... £10-20 a pair.
After trying cheaper brands, I'm convinced that resaonable shoes and socks help with comfort, etc. Being comfortable can increase speed. Not sure at my age/level of running that paying more for ultralight shoes, etc would make me any faster, but may make a difference if you are pretty fast anyway.
Does anyone actually get the RW jacket or is it like the infamous watch?
https://totriornottotri.wordpress.com
The performance benefit depends how fast and how far and how regularly you're running to start with. For example, if you jog 2 miles twice per week, you aren't going to need expensive kit. However, if you train twice a day, with one of those runs at a high percentage of your maximum, then kit that increases comfort and aids recovery like compression tights, performance shoes etc.. will probably be more important/necessary/beneficial for you.
Unfortunately, it is a bit of a cycle - when I was a student training a lot more and faster, I would probably have benefitted from better kit. Unfortunately I couldn't afford it until I was working, and thus have no time or energy to train at the same intensity!!
For me it depends on the time of year. In the winter I need good quality kit that fits the environment. lightweight, breathable and most importantly windproof. In the summer, say on a day like today and all I was doing was going for a 6 mile run I would happily wear cotton T and shorts.
There is a difference between cheap and expensive kit but just because you have expensive kit in your wardrobe doesn't always mean you have to wear it.