What To Wear
How many times have you heard that running is great and all you need is a pair of shoes? Then it comes around to your next run and you remember that your sports bra was chaffing, your socks kept slipping down, your shorts were riding up, and you were thirsty the entire time as you didn’t take any water with you.
So, ladies, this one is for you. A running kit checklist and some recommendations from me on my favourite go to’s!
Starting from the bottom up:
Socks
Personally, I have 2 go to brands here. Rockay and Stance. Obviously, it gets complicated straight away, as my sock choice depends on my shoe choice. Rockay socks are generally thinner than Stance, so I decide depending on how snug my shoes are. But to date, neither have ever given me any issues with slipping down or creating blisters. Rockay socks are also sold at InnerFight, so that’s a win!
Shoes
A girl can never have too many shoes, right?! My running shoe collection far outweighs my “formal” shoe collection.
Ok, so running shoes are probably the most “personal preference” item you get when it comes to deciding on your running gear! This is not a one size fits all! I tend to have about 4 - 5 pairs that I have on rotation, and use for different runs. Currently my faves are:
Adidas Bostons: for track sessions and the occasional race
Adidas SL20s (tip: go up a size in these though!): for my longer runs
Puma Glide: for tempo or easy runs
New Balance FuelCell RC Elite: for racing
Shorts
A firm favourite here is Lululemon. They are comfortable, they don’t rise up, or more importantly they don’t fall down! Some even have super useful side pockets where I stash gels on race day or long runs. And the sizes don’t fluctuate based on design, perfect for orders from overseas. Yes, the EU collection DOES ship to Dubai!
I’m going to skip leggings as I live in Dubai and quite frankly hardly ever wear them! I tend to use Sketchers or Lululemon in the winter for coaching though, as they have a handy little side pocket for your phone.
Tops
Spend 90% of my runs in the InnerFight RaceSkin.
Easy, light, comfortable. Tick.
These can be purchased at InnerFight reception.
Sports Bra
Ok, so this is also pretty individualised, but all my Nike, Lululemon, and Runderwear items seem to work for me! Getting the size right here is key! Try before you buy. (Annoyingly most sports bra sizes are not inline with normal bra sizes.)
Hydration Vest
Now, this has been a game changer for me in the last couple of weeks. Prior to Dubai, I did not own one of these, as quite frankly, I didn’t need one. So, when I first faced long runs in Dubai, I turned to Amazon.ae and bought a cheap and cheerful hydration vest from Aonijie.
Once I noticed just how essential a hydration vest is in Dubai, I upgraded to the Naked vest. And quite frankly the change is remarkable. Super comfortable, easy to use, light, and basically zero bounce! Impressive to say the least. (FYI I jumped up a size to what was recommend on the website). It also came with 2x soft flasks. I haven’t used the Naked band, but I have heard good things!
Sunnies
I absolutely love goodr. I tend to buy them in the UK and bring them back to Dubai with me. Surely that in itself is a reason for us to be able to travel to the UK again, right?
Anyways, they don’t break the bank, and they don’t slip. I have actually run an entire half marathon with them on my head.
Hats
I can’t say that I have a huge amount of knowledge on running hats….I tend to rely on my sunglasses. But, I recently got myself a visor from InnerFight, just for that bit of extra protection during the Dubai summer.
These can be purchased from InnerFight reception.
Anti-Chafe Stick
Not specially “kit”, but certainly a super handy item to have, especially for the hotter months!
You can purchase them on noon or amazon.ae. I use the Jadole Naturals Anti-Chafe Guard.
Watch
I have used the Garmin Venu for just over a year now. Love it. Low - Mid price-point and does everything that I need it to do! The Venu allowed for programmed runs, and has a built in HR wrist monitor. Which is handy, but wrist HR monitors are not known for their accuracy. For more detailed and accurate HR data I recommend you pair your watch to a chest strep. (Either the Garmin or Polar H10 are be good!)
So, yeah, not quite as simple as grabbing your shoes and running out the door. But once you have found items that work, you will just buy them on repeat. The above is 100% just some of my recommendations, and I am not sponsored by any of these brands or been asked to mention them.
I have added some links to products below if you are interested:
