Beginner clothing+gear

Hey everyone. I've decided to do something crazy, that is, start running. I've never really ran, I casually tried it some time back and couldn't do a proper 1/4 mile so I gave up.

I plan on going to a running store this week for shoes, but can you guys recommend essential clothing/gear for beginners? I'm in Newcastle where its cold (to me) most of the time, if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

Hey Reinaldo, 

As it is approaching winter you may be tempted to buy the thickest clothing in an attempt to keep warm, I am here to warn you not too! Thicker/warmer clothing has its place in running, but I don;t think so until it gets freezing. Obviously you don;t want to be uncomfortable so keep that in mind too. 

When you start to run your body generates a huge amount of heat, and you begin to warm up very quickly. Although a beginner myself I have had several early morning runs sub 10 c' and was OK in my tech t shirt and shorts. It was chilly whilst doing my warm up walk but once I got in to my stride I forgot about the cold and warmed up very quickly. 

Rain, however can be annoying. Recently I purchased a very thin and lightweight running jacket from a running shop and it has been invaluable with the wet south.

Get yourself a tech tee or two, some shorts and if itreally is cold, then you can go ahead and keep your extremeties warm, a hat, gloves and thicker running socks can all help. 

The mian thing however is your shoes!, try and find out te surface you will be running on and speak to the shop assistant, any good running hsop will be able to provide you with an analysis of your running style, which may require you to go on their in shop treadmill for a few seconds. You must get shoes that fit, and that are suitable for their purpose, please don't skimp, or you may regret it later. Bad shoes means a bad time running!

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your time running !!!

When i first started, i couldnt do more than 15 minutes on the treadmill, but we have to start somewhere, and starting out is always the hardest, to get to the point, where you feel half good about yourself and what you are doing. But having run for two years now, and running a 7.15 minute mile, having done the notorious Midsummer Munro ultra half, and not come last, i feel i am getting there, but its been a hard journey, but worth it.

Clothes wise, just make sure its not cotten, wicka material (think thats how you spell it). Just go to a running shop in your area, got to be one somewhere near. You need to get the right shoes, which means comfort, padding, and ones that arent going to ruin your feet.

I ran my first half in a cotton top, cheap shoes, and two pairs of socks. Being a beginner means making a lot of mistakes, but keep at it. You do start to learn. There is a great magazine in the shops for about 10 quid, its the beginners guide to running, lots of useful tips.

Keep at it, and it will be worth it i promise.

Ghostrider wrote (see)

There is a great magazine in the shops for about 10 quid, its the beginners guide to running, lots of useful tips.

I agree with this, it is by runners world, red cover with silver writing, and I got mine from WH Smiths, invaluable to me. I had a lot of time to read it when I was on holiday with my younger sister and Gran.. Oh well, meant some nice runs by the beach

re the runners world book, I think it retails for about a tenner but (if it's still on) if you subscribe to the runners world magazing you'll get a free copy - It's my current bedtime reading.

Thanks Ghostrider and Jake! I'll probably pick up a few from the store when I go. In black, of course, until I get my weight back down . I'm headed to a store called Northern Runner, it was recommended to me by a guy at Nevis Sports. Apparently they do gait analysis, which is cool. So I'm hoping to get the right shoe. Only thing that I found a bit odd is that they don't stock Nike, Adidas or Puma. I don't think that'll be a problem though.

I'll definitely keep my eyes out for the magazine.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Edit:

Andi, thanks for that info! I'll look into a subsctiption.

its worth spending on shoes, but you should be able to get cheap technical clothing from places like Sports Direct - t-shirts for £4 etc

With regards to winter running, have you ever looked at girls' legs when they wear tights (of course you have )  and wondered how the hell something so thin can possibly keep them warm?  Well, get yourself a pair of full length running tights and then you'll understand.  Don't wear tracksuit bottoms, you'll just end up sweating too much and it'll feel horrible.  Some guys might feel a bit self conscious wearing running tights, if that's you then just wear a pair of shorts over the top.

As for the rest, yep spend a bit on shoes, because cheap running shoes won't last as long/won't support you properly and have your gait analysed as well so you know the type of shoes you require.  Shorts/T-shirts - any technical clothing will do, you might want a couple of long sleeved ones as well - doesn't have to have a name on it.

A pair of gloves would be good as well, some thin runners gloves with grips on them so you can hold things like water bottles without your hands being deep frozen.

The evoSpeed Runner is basically a no-frills, cushioned trainer. In the RW Shoe Lab, a men's size 9 shoe weighed only 7.8 ounces. Owing to that light weight is an upper free of any overlays. Instead, two layers of mesh create a very breathable layer that still has enough structure to secure the foot in place. Sandwiched between those layers is a saddle connecting the laces to the midsole. That, combined with a slim external heel counter, locks your foot to the shoe.