What To Wear For Running
What we wear when we run is important. We need our clothes to work with us – for us – and any discomfort can be enough to ruin the running experience.
There’s also a lot of choice out there so finding out what works best for us is important. Like a pair of broken-in trainers, what we wear on our legs can help to keep us moving and that’s whether we’re doing a marathon or a mile. What we run in becomes a uniform and it’s something that we reach for.
It has to be easy and comfortable or it simply becomes another reason not to run. While you can try on a pair of jeans before you buy, you can’t really put your running clothes to the test until you’re in the middle of a good session. That’s why we’ve put together the Brave Active guide to what to wear on your legs so that you can work out what’s best for you.
Jogging Bottoms
These can be a great thing to start off with if you’re heading out for your first run. It’s possibly something that you have in your wardrobe already and jogging bottoms can cover up what you may not be ready to share with the rest of the world yet.
However, as you progress through your training – and become comfortable with all these new words that now apply to you – you might find the excess material flaps around your legs and makes the running experience a bit weightier. If you can find the confidence to move straight to running tights or leggings, your legs will thank you for it.
Tight Fit
How your running leggings, or tights, fit does matter. Leggings offer compression, which helps to boost your circulation and keep you on the move.
If they’re too tight, however, you run the risk of your leggings cutting into you or restricting your movements. Make sure that you can easily squat (and breathe out!).
Wick Away
Choosing a material that will wick the sweat away from your skin and help to keep you dry will be instrumental in keeping you comfortable during your run.
Science has come a long way and has been important in creating materials that move with your body. The pay-off is that these materials are synthetic and work best against dry skin. Investing in a breathable wicking material will be worth it.
High Rise Or Low Slung
If you’re just starting out on your running journey, you might imagine that you’ll never find yourself in that beautiful zen moment of putting one foot in front of the other and not thinking about anything. These moments will appear more quickly than you might think.
What you will realise quickly is that running time is your time and you’ll want to make it as enjoyable as possible. You won’t want to be constantly pulling up leggings that won’t stay in place.
Getting the right fit can make all the difference, but going for a high waist style or ones with a good, thick waist band can keep your leggings up and on tightly!
Pocket Power
It might be your time to be free but the number of things that you need to bring with you can soon mount up and leave you with your hands full.
Running leggings often come with a key pocket along the waist band. Pockets for you to pop your mobile phone into are also becoming a popular option so that you can run hands-free.
Recovery
To recover effectively from a tough run workout, utilising compression leggings or compression boots can significantly enhance the recovery process.
Compression leggings apply consistent pressure to the muscles, which helps improve blood circulation and reduces muscle soreness by facilitating the removal of metabolic waste products like lactic acid. This increased blood flow not only aids in faster recovery but also enhances flexibility and reduces the risk of injury during subsequent workouts.
On the other hand, compression boots offer a more targeted approach; they use pneumatic compression to massage the legs, mimicking a deep tissue massage. This method promotes lymphatic drainage and accelerates the healing of micro-tears in the muscles by delivering oxygen and nutrients more efficiently to the affected areas. Research indicates that both methods can decrease recovery time and muscle soreness, making them valuable tools for athletes looking to maintain high performance levels after strenuous activities.