Running shoes /clothes /vaseline????

Firstly can I start by saying, have you checked out the clothing range at http:\\www.giraffe-shop.co.uk ??
On this website you will find 'Running for Help Harry Help Others' branded clothing and accessories. If there is something that we have missed that you would like for this brand (e.g. @fittoswan aka Peter Jinks would like a hip flask for running???) then please let us know and we can see what we can do. Lyndsey Uglow has been amazing at creating these items and profits got to HHHO. Lyndsey and the shop are on twitter... (just to get all Top Gun on you, if you are under a certain age you may not get this) her call sign is @lyndseyuglow and the company call sign is @giraffepersonal. I have ordered a polo shirt and hoody, even if you are not training they are still nice clothes and help raise awareness. You can personalise them as well so people can shout your name whilst cheering you on.

Right if you are a hardened runner then you may find a lot of this useless as you will already have that favourite style of running shoe, and running outfit. If you don't want to hear more feel free to stop reading however below are my hints and tips on running outfits and equipment.

Trainers! One of the most important aspects of your 'kit' so to speak, is to have a decent pair of running shoes. It is absolutely fine if they are ten years old and that is what you like but my advice is check that they are giving your poor little feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine etc all the support they deserve (yes bad shoes will effect all of this).
On that little gem, please avoid doing long training in flat soled fashion trainers! There are a number of brands that produce 'fashion' trainers and NOT running trainers! These do not absorb impact, do not give support and do not help you in training what so ever. Plus they can cost you more than a technical running trainer! There are a couple of stores (that I shall avoid naming) that seem to display endless amounts of 'fashion' trainers, especially in the womens section... Ladies we are worst hit with this pretense of sport. I worry some companies think if you look the part you can be fit and healthy... Not true!
At the same point in time, the top shelf £100 trainers are not necessary for your average runner. I have no doubt that someone will read this and state 'what what? I have been running for years and they need all these technical parts'.. I may agree if you are doing lots of marathons and running them every weekend, but as a very sporty person, who's job is within the sporting sector there are just some key things I would look for.
1. Not flat soled... Think I covered this already.
2. (Personal opinion remember) I prefer them with some sort of impact support, i.e. gel trainers.
3. Fitting is essential.
4. You can still get some reasonably priced shoes in the 'running shoes' section.
5. ASK
When you get to a shop ask for some advice. If they can't give you any reasonable advice then leave if you are unsure. I find some top brand stores (e.g. the ones with letters), the advice given is like a postcode lottery. Some give brilliant advice, some have no idea. Do you have a local sports shop? Ask in there... By asking for advice you don't necessarily have to buy in that shop. Try different makes on as sizes do vary from shoe to shoe and you need something that feels comfortable.. Try a little jog around the shop in them (stuff what anyone thinks if you think this is embarrassing, you'll be pleased you did when you have less blisters). Finally (I have no affiliation to this company by the way, just credit where it is due) sports direct online is a great service, and as long as you have tried shoes on in store (as they need to fit well) and are sure of what size you are getting, you can pick up some bargains! Shoe design changes all the time, so last seasons products may well be reduced but can be a brilliant trainer. All the PE teachers I work with use them and they deliver and sometimes you get a free mug. Plus you can return them if you need to. Again my personal favourite brand is Asics, I feel the company has not got lost in producing tonnes and tonnes of fashion wear and just seems to stick to the basics of sport!

Socks! Believe it or not, cheap non sports socks can gather in places and give you blisters. This doesn't mean that you need really expensive ones but once the elastic has gone in your sports trainers, please get some more. You can get expensive running socks if you wish.

Toenails! Keep them trim, trust me on this one... Just think of impact on a long toenail... I've done it.
Okay...

Clothing! Obviously we have the range out as discussed earlier but we are getting  into winter and you need to be warm. There are many technical garments that will help you do this whilst allowing your skin to breathe. I have a great vest top that I have had since 2000 made by Helly Hanson which keeps me warm but also circulates moisture of sweat and is breathable so when I do sweat, I don't get clammy (you will sweat when training). Again the best thing to do is ask... Look down the followers list on twitter, tweet people and ask them what they wear. All people will have different ideas and you may find one you like. Regarding bottom half, there are running leggings you can get, male and female. A lot of these are designed to reduce chaffing and also again help circulate sweat. You may feel silly initially looking in the mirror and hope none of your Friday night pub mates see you, you may also be conscious as to whether your bum looks big or not, but this is what people wear and you look a lot less silly than you feel. For my first half marathon, I did most of my training in board shorts, and here is where the vaseline trick came in. You can get chaffing between your thighs (actually you can get it in other places to). But a quick application of vaseline helped prevent this for me. (No jokes please!) Although looking back I wouldn't advise constantly training in board shorts! :-)
YOU MUST BE COMFORTABLE! Main piece of advice.
Ladies - sports bra's... Get yourself measured first if you haven't for a while, and also be aware that if you lose weight whilst training your bra size may well change to and so you may need to get yourself measured part way through your training.

Visibility! Please please please do not train in all black! Even when it is just a murky cloudy day you are harder to see! High visibility clothing! You can get a high visibility vest, or you can get high vis strips you can stick onto clothes or trainers. You can get trainers and clothes with high visibility strips in them. You need to be seen to be safe! If you are road running in the dark I also suggest running with small hand held torches, you can get some really small slimline ones. One in each hand, one pointing behind and one in front, and as you move your arms jogging they will end up showing a flashing sensation in front and behind as you run. Even on lit streets this gives motorists a high awareness you are there. If they see something they will slow down and work out what it is.

Fluid! You may well need a drink on the way round, and you can do this a number of way. There are drinking bottles especially designed for holding whilst running. They look like a small hula hoop shape with one end to drink out of and obviously a hole in the middle so you can hold them (my descriptions are awful but when you google them you will see what I mean). Obviously this may clash with your torch holding if you are running late at night. You can also get back packs with a drinks container with a long tube like straw that comes down the strap at the front, so you can run and just take slurps without even having to stop (very clever). You could also just carry a small rucksack or good old 'bumbag' with a drink in it and stop to get it out. It is again personal preference and dependant on cost. A small rucksack and plastic bottle is reasonably cheap. You could just carry a small plastic bottle around with you, but if you struggle with that then there are other options. I used to just carry a small bottle, but ended up having to always carry to as it does add onto your workload when running and if on just one arm I found it uncomfortable.

Music! Please Please Please do not run with both earphones plugged into you ears! You have no hearing if you do this. People have been killed because they ran out in front of cars etc. It's not just cars there are bikes, horses, various things where you run! Your hearing is one of your major senses and although hearing impaired people can still run, they are well aware of the dangers and are very well aware of how to cope without being able to hear things. You may not be. By all means listen to music (my favourite training albums are the rocky and top gun soundtrack) but be careful... I hope that is not patronizing, but it is important.

Distance? Timer? You may well be aware if you have an iphone there are thousands of apps that will do this for you. Measure your distance and time and some even do calorie count, minutes per mile, and post your run to twitter and facebook for you whilst doing graphs and all that jazz. If you like this great, go for it. I have one of these but I only use the distance and time thing and find it helpful that every five minutes it shouts out how far I have run. However you can get a watch with a timer on it for £10 these days. You can look at the clock before you leave and you can look at it again when you return. You don't have to have a fancy gadget. In my first half marathon I used to reset the counter on my car and drive a circular route and on return look at how many miles my car said I had driven. On the route as well I would stop and write down the mileage and certain key places like road sign, or pretty flower bed, or house with the really noisy dogs. This way I was aware of how far I had run and still knew how far I had run if one day I couldn't quite make the circuit. Sometimes I would feel motivated to go further then would drive it later on it see how far extra I had gone. @joknight1 at my local netball club used google maps to work out our running routes when I joined, she would work out a certain route and distance using this and then we would run it. Again you could use this post run, as long as you can remember where you have been. This is good if there is not a driveable route as well.

Wow I always get to this point and think, phew I have been writing for ages, and then realise it's not that much I just got really engrossed in the task at hand.

Again I hope it helps, it is advice and purely my own thoughts... Take or ignore at your leisure x

Nat (@nataliepeperell)