Showing posts with label RECTECH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RECTECH. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Wet + warm = muddy racing on Sunday


Last weekend they were predicting snow by mid-week and here we are on Wednesday with the snow coming down light and wet. This, combined with increasingly warmer temperatures that are predicted for the coming days, could make for some interesting conditions at Stillwell Woods on Sunday. Yesterday I was speaking to my friend FS who recently ran a 10 mile NYRR race in Prospect Park. She predicted that Sunday's course will be very muddy. I hadn't thought about that because I was focusing on conditions related to snow. But mud is much more likely. I'm not really sure how I should handle the run in that case since my experiences with mud are limited to navigating around large puddles on the paths. I've always run around, rather than through those areas, because I don't have waterproof trail shoes. I'm hoping that my HH Trail Lizards will hold up under extremely muddy conditions and I'm slightly worried that running in mud will make a tough course even tougher. Then again, if it was easy why would we do it?

I'm getting to the end of my race training and this morning I ran 2.4 miles and felt great throughout the run. However, I'm realizing that those Old Navy RECTECH shirts are cheap for a reason. While they are lighter and provide less friction than cotton they collect sweat like cotton. After today's session I've decided to relegate them to outer layer status and use them for their bright color rather than their wicking performance.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Orange you glad these shirts are so cheap?


As often happens on Saturdays, the Emerging Runner family found themselves at the mall. It's always a tactical effort - go to a few targeted stores, locate what's needed and get out as soon as possible. Often my wife will head to the children's section to find items for the kids so I wander over to the men's area to see what they carry in terms of athletic wear. We were at Target and I was looking for pool shirts made with the type of fabric that doesn't disintegrate and bleach out from chlorine after three or so wearings. They didn't have those, only shorts, but they did have some nice shirts from their Champion G9 line. This stuff is very well priced and nicely designed. While the quality doesn't match the higher end stuff from companies like Brooks and Sugoui it's an excellent choice for daily training. I prefer to do my daily runs with lower end gear because it's cheap to replace when it gets worn out with multiple washings. I try not to wear my "premium"shirts (Zoot, Nike Sphere, Adidas adiSTAR) except to race or when heat conditions require a superior wicking shirt.

I didn't buy any of the Champion G9 shirts but on a whim I checked out Old Navy's RECTECH performance shirts that were currently on sale. I often worry that when I run in the neighborhood or on the trails that I could get mowed down by an inattentive driver or mountain biker. Most of my day to day running clothes are either black or white so when I saw short sleeved RECTECH shirts for $5 apiece I bought two, one pumpkin orange and the other mustard yellow. These wicking shirts seem nicely made and contain some stretchable material. Not bad for $5! I wore my orange shirt today over my other two layers (33 degrees at 8:30 AM) as I headed out for my morning run. The route I chose took me to neighborhood #2 which required a short segment running along a one way service road where people often speed. I was happy to have my orange shirt serving as a beacon to drivers. All the same I ran as close to the snow line as possible for the minute I was on that connecting road.

I had a decent run overall, half in neighborhood #2 and the other half in my main neighborhood, totaling 4.7 miles. I'm still feeling some of the effects from my Thursday core exercises which means I need to do them more often. Although Monday is usually a rest day I plan to do the Lolo core routine to help strengthen some key muscles. I'm going to need all the help I can get if Sunday's race turns about to be a hilly run in the snow.
 

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